Working from home comes with plenty of distractions and temptations that can get you off track. Dealing with stresses and uncertainties during the COVID pandemic is overwhelming enough, creating a designated workspace that promotes concentration and productivity is essential. We’re excited to present you with the first of our five-part series, providing you with helpful design tips for you to create a functional and successful home office. This first part focuses on space planning.

WHAT ARE YOUR SPACE REQUIREMENTS?

When designing your home office, it is important to ask yourself a series of questions to establish basic spatial relationships for your work area:

  • how do you select the location of your desk?
  • how much desktop space do you need to work comfortably?
  • how much storage space do you require?
  • how accessible does this storage of files, books, or samples need to be from your desk?

Photo Right: Mid-Century style office with open and closed storage, an L-shaped desk, and plenty of space for the desk chair.

PLACING YOUR DESK IN THE SPACE AND ASSESSING STORAGE NEEDS

The first step in laying out your home office is determining the placement of your desk.  Consider your work habits and how you envision yourself working most effectively.  If your job requires that you meet with clients, placing your desk facing the doorway creates a welcoming feeling for all guests that enter. For a job in the creative field, you may choose to place your desk in front of a window – the changing view outside can prove to be inspiring.  It is important to note, windows that are street facing or street level can be a distraction.  

Consider your immediate storage needs, do you require a printer, scanner or document shredder? Think about whether you want these neatly packed away, or within easy reach on a worktop. Less is more when it comes to storage, only make room for the necessities so as not to over furnish or over clutter.

Photo Left: Modern space saver office with closed storage, floating shelves, and good desktop space

 
 
Photo Left: Office space for a digital world: you may not need much storage at all based on the type of work you do. Photo Right: Go vertical with storage! An excellent example of making the most of a single wall space.

UTILIZING A SPARE ROOM, TEMPORARY WORK AREAS, AND MAXIMIZING STORAGE

Unable to dedicate an entire room to a home office? There are still smart space planning ways to utilize a section of a guest room or other area of your home. If a corner of the room is available, an L-shaped desk would give you maximum work surface area, to which you can add extra storage by adding a hutch or use the space underneath for file cabinets and drawers. If a single wall is available, you can maximize storage with open shelving above your desk, keeping your floor space clear or adding a file cabinet below.

Photo Bottom Right: This office uses a single wall in an existing sitting room setting, with shelves above for storage.

If you are looking for an at home working area, but are lacking in extra space, there are still ways to create a home office environment. An alternative desk, comfortable chair, and storage are all it takes to construct a temporary office that transitions from work to weekend.  Start by finding a secluded location in your home, with minimal foot traffic and lots of natural light.  Ideally, this workstation isn’t in close proximity to your bedroom so as to strengthen the distinction between a space of relaxation and a space for work and concentration.  Think outside the box! Utilize a dining room table or console as your desk.  Station yourself and place laptops, phones, and other electronics close to an outlet to reduce wire clutter.   Repurpose an existing dining chair with a removable seat cushion or bring in a comfortable rolling chair. Storage on wheels such as a rolling filing cabinet or set of drawers allows for you to easily tuck it away in a closet or corner of the room after work hours. Ready to revamp your home office? Contact us to ask about our e-design packages or full design services.

Photo Top Left: A modern office space within a living room is complete with a desktop and shelves above.

Check out one of our latest completed residential interior design projects. This beautiful townhome is located in the recently revitalized neighborhood of Maxwell Square in historic downtown Frederick, Maryland. The couple who owns the house requested an industrial, modern style for the lighting and furniture. To achieve this kind of look, Chris Ritchie and the design team selected pieces with exposed raw materials: wood, steel, brass, white marble and glass.

Photo Left: View of the whole kitchen, looking into the living room. Photo Right: View of kitchen island with white marble top and industrial, steel swivel stools.

By using warm colored woods in this open floor plan and on the kitchen cabinets, the transition from industrial to modern is seamless. A custom suite of ceiling lights, brass chandeliers and pendants play off of a white ceiling and light grey walls to brighten the entire space. These selections maximize the natural light that falls through the windows on either side. As a result, the townhome feels comforting and awake, with a gentle reminder that you are still in the heart of a bustling little downtown.

Photo Left: Orb chandelier with decor in the background. Photo Right: Linear chandelier over dining table.