Carving out home office space

Even in houses with open floor plans, there are ways to make it work.

Though many have returned to the office, some companies have taken a hybrid work approach. If you haven’t established a home office or have no moving plans, you’ll have to make some changes. That means adapting your home to fit your needs — especially if you have an open-concept home.

“Instead of witnessing the end of the open concept floor plan, I believe we are seeing the creation of spaces that work in tandem with the open concept to give homeowners more options,” Jay Kallos, SVP of architecture at Atlanta-based luxury home builder Ashton Woods Homes, told Architectural Digest. “With all of the hustle and bustle taking place in a combination living, dining and cooking space, people do need a space to retreat to that is peaceful and quiet — maybe even a Zen room or Zen den.”

You’ll also have to plan how to minimize distractions. Luckily, there are ways to do that without putting up a new wall.

One method is to rely on furniture to create privacy and separation.

“I’m a big fan of rearranging things periodically,” Noz Nozawa of Noz Design told Real Simple. “It’s fun to look at rooms with an open mind and think, ‘What else could go here, or how else could I use this space?’”

Placing a desk behind a sofa can create a new space, according to interior design firm Modsy’s blog.

A swivel chair and a desk lamp can make a simple office space. Another method is taking advantage of an unused nook, such as the corner of a bedroom or an area next to a fireplace.

Good Housekeeping suggests putting your office by the stairs. You can also set up a workspace in the kitchen. If you’d rather not work in a room with an existing function, repurposing a closet can be an option, too.

“People are setting up workspaces in their garages, in their bedrooms, in their spare rooms, wherever they can find the space,” Michael Ackerman, Coldwell Banker Bain Seattle real estate agent, told Realtor.com.

TEXT BY LORI JOHNSTON AND KELSEY E. GREEN/FASTCOPY NEWS SERVICE; PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO PHOTOGRAPHY Above: David Swales of Province Homes helped Jim and Terri Guthrie transform their once formal dining room into a stylish office, with French doors from Robert Bowden. The bookshelf that dominates one wall is actually two smaller bookcases with a computer desk and hutch sandwiched in the middle, all from the Brookhaven line at Hooker. The cream patterned rug, from Macy’s, and walls painted off-white help balance the darkness of the wood.

TEXT BY SHANNON DOMINY; PHOTO BY REYNOLDS ROGERS Above: Adam Perry’s office is the only room in this 1951 home that he and his husband didn’t change structurally during their renovations. “It’s super cozy,” said Perry about the space, which has a low, slanting ceiling. On his office wall he also has a wooden clock in the shape of his home state, Massachusetts, purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond.

TEXT BY LORI JOHNSTON AND SHANNON ADAMS/FAST COPY NEWS SERVICE; PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO PHOTOGRAPHY Sliding doors from Rustica Hardware make it easy to create instant privacy in the office or open the room to the foyer and the rest of the home. An urn pendant from Capital Lighting hangs overhead, stylishly illuminating the foyer.

TEXT BY LORI JOHNSTON/FAST COPY NEWS SERVICE; PHOTO BY REYNOLDS ROGERS/FAST COPY NEWS SERVICE This home’s couple share an office, which was among additions in 2000 and has views of the backyard. Though much of the home has family heirlooms, the round table was found at a garage sale.

TEXT BY SHANNON DOMINY/PHOTO BY REYNOLDS ROGERS Above: Swivel chairs from Bungalow Classic paired with RH drapes lighten up Angel Traverso’s home office.

TEXT BY LORI JOHNSTON AND KEITH STILL/FAST COPY NEWS SERVICE; PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO PHOTOGRAPHY Left: French doors separate the formal living room from this family’s office space.