Work alcove has fresh look
You don’t need much real estate to work from home. In fact, you might only need a smartphone or laptop. The days of packed file drawers, and stacks of catalogs, books and binders are gone, for the most part.
Technology is one of the best friends of small spaces. It makes communication and data collection simple.
But people still differ regarding the atmosphere they need in order to be productive. Lots of people have trained themselves to focus in a coffeehouse environment, so an open home office works for them.
If quiet is necessary, there is always a headset to block out ambient noise.
When I work in my home, I sit near a little dormer window. I have grown addicted to the quiet upstairs, the filtered light that streams in through narrow shutters and the sound of birds outside. I adore my small corner desk. There’s a bulletin board covered in bright yellow fabric that’s cluttered with family photos and phone numbers for reference.
Supplies a must
Most can function in a fairly petite area, but you will still need pencil drawers, a printer, a trash can, and maybe a paper shredder, and one or two file drawers.
Depending on the work you do, a built-in unit might be preferable to an off-the-shelf desk.
The challenge is to create a place to which you are drawn to sit and focus on work. For some, being in the center of activity, such as the living room or family room, is preferable to being hidden away. Other people aren’t as picky and might carve out a small work area in a wide hallway like the one featured here.
This work alcove is made unique with geometric wallpaper. When you convert a bedroom or hall closet into a work center, consider installing a large mirror over the work surface that will reflect light at all times of the day. If possible, make sure you have overhead lighting that is adjustable to avoid shadows.
Be certain to include a few duplex outlets to plug in your electronics and an appropriate work lamp.
Lighting has also become a little less critical because computer screens are illuminated, but you will require a decent amount of artificial light in order to see and read printed materials, bills, mail and literature after dark.
If you are fortunate enough to have an entire room to devote to your home office, then more elaborate decor and functionality can be included. Often, a sofa bed or a futon is placed in the work area so the room does double duty as the guest quarters.
Give careful consideration to how many guests you will generally need to host, so the bed is appropriate.
An upholstered chair-and-a-half that can be made into a twin bed is popular as well, but, obviously, that only serves one. Sometimes the home workspace doubles as a media room or library.
Barn doors are popular when a closet is retrofitted to accommodate a work desk, a chest of drawers and clothes hanging from poles. If you have a closet with a swing door, consider capturing that space for office storage by replacing the swing door with a barn door.
Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego based interior designer and author of Small Space Living. Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@ sbcglobal.net.