Go back twenty years and the concept of the home office was a relative rarity. Thanks largely to the growth of the Internet and other useful tools, an increasing number of people find that a home office is not a luxury; it has become a necessity. This is true both of people who are gainfully employed by companies and by people who run their own home-based businesses.

When meeting clients at a typical office, it is much easier to get the time in a conference room or some other room where you can have a private discussion without too much distraction. What happens, then, when you only have a home office and you need to meet with a client? You could meet in a public place, like a coffee shop, but that may take away from the appearance of professionalism.

If you are going to have clients and colleagues meet you at your home, it is important that you have a few things in place for your home office. First, the home office should be easily accessible with minimal travel through the “personal” or “home” space in your house. In this way, a separate entrance is ideal, but a bedroom closest to the front door can work as well. It also helps if the bedroom you are using is as far away as possible from the “family life” areas of your home.

Also, if you are going to have a meeting, you’ll need to have an appropriate table or desk for this purpose. The layout, if you are going to have guests over on a fairly regular basis, should be similar to what you would have in a more conventional office. Have a comfortable chair not only for yourself, but also for the visiting client or colleague. Make sure there is room on the desk in case they need to lay out some papers.

It is very much viable to have clients, colleagues, and other associates over to your home office for in-person meetings. You just have to be suitably prepared, minimizing the impact that it can have on the more personal areas in your home.