Sprucing up Your Home Office Can Be Easy Work
The key is gearing your space to maximize both productivity and wellness while minimizing distractions
Over the past year, homeowners have been rethinking the functionality of their homes. Pandemic lockdowns have turned houses and apartments into places of work, learning, and entertainment, and creating a dedicated office space is more important than ever.
Some renovators are finding that working remotely creates opportunities to transform formerly sterile work areas into offices that are bright, personalized and inspiring places. And appearing on camera for video meetings means people are giving particular thought to design choices, from lighting to furnishings to wall color and decor. Here’s how homeowners are approaching their home office upgrades.
Where to Start
Homeowners carving out a discrete office space for the first time should begin by seeking out the corner of their home where they can best focus. Ideally, this area will be as free of distractions as possible, though you may want to be near a window.
“You’re spending so much time there, you want some connection to the outside—otherwise, time can fade away,” said Greg Roth of Home Front Build in Los Angeles. “I would also caution against setting up an office in the bedroom, because it starts to blur the line between work and relaxation.”
In addition to prioritizing views and natural light, it’s important to strike a balance between having some separation from other members of the household, but not feeling completely isolated.
“You want something not so segregated that you’re in a hole,” said Joe Berkowitz of JAB Design Group, based in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. “Personally, I prefer to be on a main floor, near the kitchen or family room, on the periphery where there’s just enough privacy but I can still be involved in what’s going on in the household.”
Another factor to consider is one’s particular work and lifestyle demands, and how to select (or improve upon) an office space that makes their job easier to do from home. Homeowners with children, for instance, may need a space where they can easily pivot from a work call to supervising at-home learning.
“Verbalize and unearth your needs, and once you can identify them you can start prioritizing,” said interior designer Jennifer Jean Morris, who has a studio in Brooklyn. “If you’re using the bedroom, where is the best part of the bedroom? If you’re lucky enough to have a gigantic office space, are you comfortable sharing it with a partner or a child doing Zoom classes?”
