What you should consider when designing a home office

December 12, 2017

The National Association of Home Builders states that one in five Americans work from home. If you are that one in five, you will need to think about designing a home office that caters to your work needs. For those who work from home, a home office is a necessity as it helps to provide boundaries between the work space and home living areas. It’s great for getting away from the hustle and bustle of family life so that you can focus too. While home offices were included as a part of old home designs, over time, they fell away. In recent years home offices or studies have made a reappearance in modern home designs and for good reason.

If your current home doesn’t feature an office space, a spare bedroom or open space can be transformed into an effective home office with the right architectural additions, home office furniture and the professional design and installation of built in cabinetry.

Tips for Designing a home office

Below are a few things to consider if you are planning to incorporate a home office space into your home.

  • Will clients and colleagues visit you at your home office? A home office that’s purely for your own use and will not seen by clients and colleagues can very well be one that is accessed through the main areas of the home. If you are expecting business visitors and want to keep it professional, consider ensuring that your home office has a separate entrance that’s accessible from the outside of the home.
  • Don’t skimp on storage. Most modern home office ideas will include the custom design and installation of cabinetry, wall units, display units and shelving. It’s important that you consult with a professional cabinetry design expert about the various types and styles that would suit your specific space. With the right home office design team on your side, you can include cabinets that are aesthetically pleasing and highly functional, even if the space you are working with is small.
  • Consider your lighting and electrical access needs. There’s nothing more depressing than a home office that’s dark. If you have the option to include a big window and have a view, that will be great for inspiration and lighting. Make use of as much natural light as possible. You can also lighten up the room by including a mirror and choosing a light color palette for the wall paint. The lighting that you install must be bright enough for a work environment and it’s essential that you have sufficient plug points around the room, so that you don’t have to run extension cables or have messy wiring ruining the aesthetics of your new, modern home office.
  • It’s a home office – design it as such. A home office, while it might need to meet a corporate or business requirement, is still part of your home. If you don’t want to make it too severe in comparison to the rest of your home, include additional features such as comfortable home office furniture, pictures (or wall art), pot plants and similar, to give it a comfortable and homey appeal.

For more home office design ideas and for a quotation on home office cabinetry design and installation, contact us via email or telephone at Schrapper’s Fine Cabinetry Incorporated today.