It wasn’t long ago that the term, “home office” called up images of the den where Mike Brady retreated at night only to be seen when one of the kids popped in for some fatherly advice. Since then, home offices have been promoted. Today, whether it’s used for professional or personal purposes, the home office is the must–have space to manage daily life and keep it organized.
With an estimated 50 million home offices in the United States today, they are no longer a low priority to consumers. For millions, conducting business from home is the perfect solution to the worklife balance. It offers greater flexibility, a more relaxed working environment and the opportunity to spend extra time with family.
Homeowners recognize the importance of their home offices and are giving them the design attention they deserve by focusing on a customized space that suits their needs and organizational style.
If you’re planning to remodel your home office or to create a new space from the ground up, here are a few things to consider:
Get wired. Equipping properly for technology is priority for running a business from home. Today, the home office is a digital communication center with wiring to handle multiple computers, phones and cable connections. In addition to planning the wiring, many builders understand the need for proper ventilation and concealed storage for the office equipment.
Form follows function. Aesthetics and functionality of a home office are high on the priority list with cabinetry providing a host of organizational, yet beautiful options. Residential features are in demand with the trend towards comforts, such as plasma televisions on swivel stands, media centers and even under–cabinet refrigerators.
“People want the entertainment center to be nice, but they want the home office to be perfect because they spend hours and hours in it,” says Ron Belcik, owner of Custom Furniture and Cabinetry. “It’s not a place for just the computer anymore, so they are stepping up in the budget.”
Belcik has customized furniture with corner seating, deeper knee spaces, drawers for specific purposes, built–ins and all sorts of pullouts to bring things to lap level. He agrees that people want more room, so he often incorporates deeper counter space and cabinet space for storage of files, paper and even stereo equipment.
“Display is a big thing," he says. “Glass shelves and doors in the uppers of built–ins are not uncommon. And flat–finishes give the look of hand–rubbed waxed furniture. Shiny is out.”
Take, for example, a couple in the process of remodeling an existing home office. Their current space was designed as a multipurpose room, which they had been using as a makeshift office. The owners, a surgeon and his wife, wanted to reduce the clutter and hide everything that was exposed from laptops to papers. Their first goal was to design a true workstation where every piece of equipment had a home.
“My husband uses his office to do preoperative planning and writing,” said the surgeon’s wife. “I use it for home organization and volunteer work. We really just want to have a streamlined, organized office that is aesthetically pleasing but functional.”
She adds that the finished room will be a relaxing space with an inviting sitting area and ample shelving to display books.
“Plus, the cabinets will be furniture style, so if we ever move we can take them with us,” she said.
Embrace the space. The office is passing up the rest of the house in terms of looks and cost. Office furnishing choices can be limited to pricey designer brands or pieces and parts from office supply stores. Unfortunately, these options do not handle technology needs and are not customized to the individual’s specific requirements.
The upside to a customized office is that all of the space, including walls, corners and floors, can be utilized. Transforming a home office into a space that fits in with the rest of the house can accommodate not only the work–at–home business owner, but also the variety of activities that happen in the home office.
Location. Location. Location. Never underestimate the importance of placement of your office. It wouldn’t be fun to wake up at 3:47 a.m. to a fax machine delivering an unsolicited “Stock Tip of the Month.” The location needs to be versatile and meet some basic considerations, such as privacy. A home office near a front entry works well. An office with a separate entry is ideal, but if this is not an option in the layout of your home, think about a location that is away from the noise of a kitchen or family room. In many cases, the solution is to convert a spare bedroom into an office.
Encourage bright ideas. Proper lighting for a home office blends aesthetics with practicality. This is one area that shouldn’t be overlooked. General and task lighting is a must along with natural light from windows. Dimmer switches can be added so lighting can be adjusted for day and night use while accent lighting under, in and above cabinets lends a warm glow.
Whatever the situation, chances are that someone in any household would benefit from having a quiet and comfortable place to finish homework, pay the bills, finalize a proposal or simply make a few phone calls while still within earshot of the kids. Plan your needs and uses for your office, and remember that your imagination is the only limit to what you can do.
