Designing a home office

I seem to be meeting more and more people who have moved their offices into their home or telecommute to their job from their home office at least one or two days a week.  At some point, I think we all do some part of our chosen profession from  home.   The most common comment I hear is that it is difficult to make these spaces fully functional for all purposes, while making them a true reflection of the person occupying them.

This serene, beachy home office would be very relaxing to work in. Notice the easily reachable storage and ample lighting.

Too often, home ‘offices’ occupy the leftover space in the corner of the living room or bedroom or they must share space with a guest room.  That doesn’t mean they have to be cramped or half useful.  Using built ins under a window is a great way to create a linear work space and allow the remainder of the room to function as a guest room or other type of space such as a play room or reading space.

A serene, functional home office and guest room. This is actually a relatively small space that functions well in several capacities. Yes, it can all fit into one small space! (apartment therapy)

We not only have space to work with when considering a home office, we have walls to consider as well.  Take a moment to think about how to best use wall space for storage or maximum impact.

Using built-ins along a wall allows us to take advantage of natural light. It also allows us room to move around the rest of the space. Clutter is easily stored out of sight. (pinerest)

Investing in our homes and home offices makes sense. Most people are staying put for longer periods of time, especially with the current economic climate.  Our dwellings now serve more functions than ever:   business space, entertaining space, meeting space, a place to unwind and a place for gathering the teams after a game or for a pool party.  Let’s not forget adult entertaining time such as a bbq or evening by the fire pit with a bottle of wine.    I’m sure many people have invited friends over only to have to shove papers or clutter into a drawer or cabinet and felt the frustration of not having a space that functions properly or looks suitable to serve many purposes.

J.Crew President, Jenna Lyons, and I have something in common (Huffington Post)

Working in a space that serves many functions is a great way to maximize the space.  It should be a definitive, well-thought out, beautiful, functional space,  whatever that means to you.  You are the user!

Using vertical wall space for storage, books and other personal items allows for more usable space in the room (pinterest)