Home Office Design and Remodeling a Work Space

Many of us have been bringing work home for a long time. However, since the COVID crisis, many companies have sent staff home to work entirely remotely. In fact, for many businesses, remote workers will become permanent—a significant change as part of the new normal.

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For some of us new to remote work, it’s been an issue finding an appropriate place to work from home. If you’ve been working on the dining room table, and it looks like you’ll have to work from home for a while, it’s become essential to create a functional, efficient and productive home office.

Whether you’re running your new small business from home, or a quiet place to get work done is needed when you’re not at your regular office. Here are some home office design ideas that can help you to turn the spare room (or basement, or attic) into the office you’ve dreamt of!

Before You Start Your Remodel

Working from home is exciting, and for many of us, something we’ve been dreaming about for a long time. It offers an opportunity to create a space that is comfortable and efficient; however, if it’s too casual, or isn’t separated enough from your living space, you may lose peak productivity.

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While comfort is crucial in any office, if it’s too casual, it may severely impact your ability to get things done. Remove yourself from the day-to-day goings-on in your home while conveying a sense of “off-limits” to other home sounds, distractions, and interruptions.

Physical separation is one solution, but ultimately the best way to effectively achieve this is with the design of the space itself. Here are some questions to ask and answer before you begin construction.

What kind of work will you be doing in the space?
Will clients or colleagues be visiting for meetings or collaborative work?
What materials will need storage? Digital? Hardcopy? Books manuals, etc.?
What type of office equipment is indispensable?
At what time of the day will you be doing the bulk of your work? Will you need a soundproofed space?
Will you need to make conference calls? Doing video conferencing or Zoom meeting?

Answering the questions can help you to create a program for developing your home office, and take the next steps like choosing the right space in your home, and engaging a designer or design-build professional to begin planning your space.

Finding The Physical Space For Your Office

If you’re not sure where your home office should go, start looking around for unused space in your home. Some options to consider include:

Spare Bedroom

Do you have a spare bedroom that you don’t use or a guest room that gets used just a few times a year? This might be the perfect space for your home office! Bedrooms typically offer built-in infrastructures like good lighting, windows, and closet space that can be adapted for storage. If you need a guest room, consider splitting its use. For example, replace the bed with a comfortable fold-out couch or daybed, add an office “armoire” that includes desk space, storage for office supplies, and hook-ups for electronics.

Walk-In Closet

Maybe you have a walk-in closet that’s the size of a small bedroom. With a little planning, this can also work as a home office.

Basement

Sometimes the best bet for isolating yourself from your family to work is in the basement. If you have a finished basement, you can set up the extra bedroom or other space as your office and possibly even have access to a bathroom, and in some cases, a small kitchen and a separate entrance.

Attic

No room in your home? Maybe you have some space above it. An attic can work as a quiet area for work. It’s removed from the day-to-day activity and provides a little distance from the living and relaxing areas of your home for those late nights.

Library/Study

If you already have a library, study, or den in your home, adding work amenities can be an easy, cost-effective solution. Since the space is already dedicated to quiet reading and reflection, it’s the perfect environment for getting some work done!

Once you’ve outlined your needs, set up a program, and determined where your home office will be located, it’s time to begin the design process.

Design Your Home Office To Meet Your Needs

When it comes to designing your home workspace, you need to consider how you’ll use the space and its functionality. For example, will you need file cabinets for the storage of hardcopy data? Or a separate entrance for admitting clients and colleagues?

A good design, of course, should be aesthetically pleasing, but your goal is to concentrate on work, so a cluttered design filled with furniture isn’t ideal. Likewise, keep the plasma screen in the living room where it belongs. Here are some ideas for designing your space.

The Minimalist Approach

There’s something about clean lines that frees the creative process. White walls, sleek furniture, and minimalist décor can quiet the mind and open the creative floodgates. If you struggle with staying productive, a minimalist design approach can help you stay on track.

Comfortable Design: Good For Those Long Days

An ergonomic Herman Miller chair, soft relaxing colors, and a desk with plenty of unobstructed space to work can turn that ex-guest bedroom into the perfect command center where you can focus and tackle that project for hours.

this home uses a semi-private hallway nook as the perfect office space.

Finding Inspiration

Whether you’re a writer, designer, photographer, or work in another creative field, personalizing your workspace can help you to feel more compelled to finish projects. Think bright paint, eclectic furniture, exciting large art, and a mini-stereo system for the accompanying soundtrack!

Shared Workspace

Since the recent pandemic, more of us have found ourselves working at home, along with our spouse. Creating a shared space can be a great way to spend some work time together. Think neutral colors and themes. This way, the room feels equally productive for both of you. If you opt for a two-person desk, personalize your workspace with items that inspire you. But if you’re sharing a desk, be mindful.

Suppose you’re designing a “shared” space that needs to function as both a workspace and a homework spot place for the kids, or go to class remotely, blend styles that incorporate comfort, functionality, inspiration, and fun! Pair vintage chairs with boldly patterned rugs, motivation points, and storage shelves that mix color and designs to appeal to all.

Common Home Office Mistakes to Avoid

Remember, you’re setting up a workspace that you may need to utilize for the foreseeable future. Working with a professional designer or design-build-remodel firm can help. They will work with you to understand your lifestyle and needs when designing your space. However, for many of us, this transition happened exceptionally quickly. As you set-up your space, here are five common mistakes to avoid:

Thinking you can tune-out the kids or the big plasma screen TV?

this home office features a his-and-hers layout, with contemporary ikea furnishings including glossy wall-hung storage cabinets.

Do not hang it anywhere near where you’ll be working, and don’t set your office up anywhere where your kids will need to watch TV! Consider where in your home offers the privacy you’ll need to be productive.

Not Enough Storage.

Storage is essential. Consider how you’ll use the space, what you’ll need to access, and what you’ll need to store. If you’re using a spare bedroom, consider putting shelves in the closet to keep stuff organized and out f sight.

Lack of Space for Reference Materials

Make sure if you need access to manuals or other reference materials that you have plenty of shelving available.

Slow Equipment

Speed, efficiency, and security are critical at home, especially if you’re going to be accessing your company’s cloud storage, or internal network. Slow equipment can impact your productivity and add to your frustration. Spend the time and the funds to update your critical equipment, including phone, computer, printers, MFPs, and especially anti-virus software and protection.

Inadequate Wire Management

Make sure that you have proper outlets available and manage your equipment cabling. Cords and wires everywhere make it more difficult to trace a problem and can pose a tripping hazard if they get completely out of control. If you’re remodeling, consider having your office wiring put onto a separate circuit and hardwiring networking and cable, phone, and internet wiring into the wall.

With a little planning, you can have your dream office with a commute that is just steps away! The best course to take is to work with a design-build professional. They can help you to design a workspace that meets both your immediate needs and the needs of your family, with style!

If you’re planning an office conversion, or any other home improvement project and you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, give the award-winning design team at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963. With our expertise and your creative vision, we can work together to help you design the space you’ve been dreaming about!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 8/28/2022.

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