Re: Looking for advice and perhaps a little inspiration

As long as the home office is separated from the rest of your house (no noise problems or disturbances while you are conducting business), run it out of your house.

You should still have a couple of options to rent "nice" space in a hurry for specific meetings, etc., but the expense of running an office downtown when you are the only person in the office isn't worth it, if clients aren't coming to the office on a regular basis. I'd put some of that money you save into your web presence, and some targeted marketing. (Or better yet, add to that nest egg so you'll have it when there's no question what you want to use it for!)

The stigma of working from a home office will continue to diminish in the next few years, as major corporations and even government agencies are more open to telecommuting.

I'm encouraged to work from home during times that I don't need access to certain facilities. It saves the company on energy bills, and I often actually end up starting "tangible work" earlier and working later - just because I don't have the commute time.

My wife was actually one of the first telecommuters for First Tennessee Bank about a decade ago. Since her work didn't involve outside customers, she was able to carry on business for years from home - and 95% of the people she worked with never knew she telecommuted from a home office that was halfway across the country. The business was handled professionally, so no one had any reason to complain.

One of the most successful music and TV producers I know runs his business out of a studio attached to his house. The space he has set up is nice and relaxing, with kind of a "zen" feel to it. He feels more creative there than he would in most studios - and so do I when I visit.