Design Tips:
| Home Offices that Work Creating an Efficient Workspace at Home By Olga Adler Do you know the feeling of rolling out of bed in the morning, getting a cup of coffee from your own kitchen and getting right to work without having to get your hair into perfect order, putting on makeup and deciding what to wear? I do. It is called a home office and I love it! More and more people work out of their homes these days at least couple of days a week, and with current gas prices this trend makes more sense today than ever before. But it is not just corporate types who choose to cut their commute costs and time. Many small business owners work from home permanently, as do some independent professionals, writers and artists. Who else needs a well functioning home office? Stay-at- home moms definitely do, as they are the CEOs of their households, responsible not only for taking care of the kids and all their countless activities, but also for managing all the house and property-related tasks. Everybody who works out of the house full- or part-time needs a home office. Whether it’s a section of the kitchen for a bill paying-mom or dad or a full-blown office for a corporate executive, there are certain principles that apply to both. For every home office the goal is to create a stress-free, well organized work environment without sacrificing the style of your home. Perfect balance of form and function can be achieved by making smart choices: choosing the right space, picking a desk shape that complements your personal work style (U-shape or L-shape?), investing in ergonomic seating, assuring the right task lighting and creating a good organization systems for paper and data management. Evaluating your specific office space needs is the first step. Here are some of the questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to function and form: 1. How much time will you be spending in your home office? 2. What tasks will you do there? 3. What furniture and equipment is essential? 4. How much space do you need? 5. Will the space be private, or will you see clients or vendors in your office space? 6. Do you prefer a plain space or one that is more visually sophisticated? 7. What level of privacy suits your needs best? 8. What color scheme would work best for your office? Some additional elements of an office space you might want to consider are sound system and TV screen, a small fridge or mini kitchenette with coffee machine and microwave, and exercise equipment. Flooring choices range from hardwood to wall-to-wall carpeting. Whatever your choice, the office flooring should be durable enough to accommodate not only foot traffic (your own and this of potential visitors coming from the outside world in all kinds of weather) but also your desk chair on casters, your mobile file drawer cabinets and the occasional coffee spills. Hardwood flooring always works well in office spaces but low-pile commercial grade carpeting is great too. Every office space requires both general and task lighting. Recessed or track lighting is best in the first role and traditional desk lamps serve the task lighting purpose just fine. If your office space has a window make sure the natural light is controlled properly, especially if your desk will be placed next to a window. Natural woven shades are my favorite for both esthetical and practical reasons as they fit almost any décor and they let you control light by gently filtering it. When placing a desk lamp remember to put it to your left if you are right-handed and to your right if you are left-handed so you do not block the light when you’re writing by hand. (Does anybody still do that, or did technology eliminate that task lighting principle forever?) Speaking of technology, the times when office space needed to be loaded with tons of equipment are gone. All-in-one printers/copiers/fax machines and printers are a must. More and more of my clients use laptops rather than desktop computers these days which is great when you deal with smaller spaces. When it comes to furniture, some of the elements my clients often request are lockable file drawers, flip-down keyboard shelves, printer and CD storage, docking stations for cell phones and i-Pods, paper management systems including custom designed filing solutions, sorting system for bills, letters, menus, etc., as well as paper and office waste recycling systems. Olga Adler is an interior decorator with design studio in Ridgefield. Her company Olga Adler Interiors is dedicated to life-style driven design. Questions or comments? Email: olga@olgaadlerinteriors.com or call 203 438-4743. You can find this and all past Olga’s columns at www.olgaadlerinteriors.com/DesignTips.html |
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