Thinking of Designing Your Own Home Office? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions First
Over the last couple of years, even before COVID started, people have been craving something different for their office. For the past 20 years, you’d walk through the front door of a home with a dining room on one side and a study on the other side. Some people still use these spaces—but, let’s face it, a lot has changed.
There's so much information on the internet to organize a room that you already have—like an extra bedroom that used to be a kid's room or a guest room. They're just the right size, and they're typically the right proportion. One major change I've seen over the last five years is how house sizes are coming down. People are figuring out how to use the space they have, versus adding on. More and more people are saying they need to redesign their existing house to make it work for them. Nine times out of ten, they have plenty of space—we just need to rethink it.
So, let’s dig a little deeper! Here are some essential questions you’ll want to consider before creating your home office space.
Question 1: How will your home office serve your needs?
These days, more people are wanting one of two things. One option is a hard-working office, which means it's going to be in a different part of the house. Sometimes we put these rooms off of the master bedroom or basement, away from the family hustle and bustle. The second type of office people are asking for is more of a command center—somewhere to file their bills, keep important papers or their printer. If the latter, you might consider putting your office in the mudroom or even the laundry room. Answering these questions will help you narrow down a few spaces within your home!
Question 2: What level of privacy do you need for your home office?
There are different zones in your house—there are private zones and public zones. Do you want your office to be in a public zone? Do you want all of your family to use it? Or do you work nine to five and need a private space? Can it be a nook off of the utility room, or does it need to be fully closed? Do you need a secure space away from visitors or kids? Do you need to be on Zoom meetings where you don't want people walking in or walking behind you? Once you’ve answered these questions, see if any of the rooms you wrote down from the question above fit the criteria here.
For some, having an actual door to maintain separation of work space from home life is crucial. Being able to close off your work activities from the rest of the home can help with your sense of productivity and allow for uninterrupted virtual meetings. To achieve this, you can repurpose an extra bedroom or designate a finished basement as work space for your home office. Redesigning a spare bedroom with a Murphy bed and using the closet as storage space is a solution to have both uses, guest bedroom and office space, in one room.
Question 3: What furniture and storage will you need for your home office?
When choosing a space for your home office, it helps to write down what furniture and storage is actually required to get the job done. Consider your workflow and process: Will your office require extra seating, like a lounge chair or couch, for client meetings? Do you have stacks of paperwork that need to be stored in multiple filing cabinets, or does your work only require a laptop, small table and chair? Be realistic about what you need versus what you want. If a small desk and chair are all you need, there are plenty of creative ways to make this look beautiful.
Have any questions?
Although we covered a lot in this post, you may still have some other questions about designing your home office space. Whether you’re involved in the custom home process now, or even just considering it, join our free Facebook group—we’ll help you answer any questions you might have! Also, feel free to invite anyone that you think would benefit from this collaborative. You’ll not only get advice from me, but from other people who have been through this, too.
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When it comes to designing and building a custom home, nothing beats having a trusted, experienced team of architects on your side. Let’s set up a call to meet, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and settle your fears. We can’t wait to meet you!