The Ultimate in Home Work

Once upon a time, “home office” meant a card table strewn with mail and un-paid bills set up in a corner of the basement. Those days are over. Today’s home offices are vital and revitalizing, providing the functionality needed for today’s busy families as well as the aesthetics people expect in today’s homes.

With ever-changing advances in technology plus the increasing number of people working from home, home offices are transforming the way people live. Whether it’s a room dedicated to a home business or an area carved out in a multi-purpose room as a place to check e-mail, do homework and pay bills, today’s home offices represent comfort and convenience.
Personalize your space

Laurie Adams and her husband, Jon, have been running two businesses out of their home office in Johnson Creek since October 2006. At first, Adams wasn’t sure if the spare 12' x 12' room could fit more than a desk and some chairs, but after working with Techline Workspace Studio in Middleton, she was amazed with the finished product.

“We now have a T-shaped desk sitting in front of a window,” says Adams. “My husband can sit on one side and I can sit on the other. We can face each other and be in constant communication throughout the day.”

They also purchased three computers — one desktop and two laptops — in order to have more freedom when working alone or with clients. If Laurie or Jon has a business meeting in the office, the desktop computer is at their fingertips, and the laptops can be utilized anywhere else in the home or on the go.

Although Adams was hesitant to put such a large workspace into the room, it’s set up in a way that utilizes the space. “The room is so much more functional now,” she says.
Where, oh where, should my home office be?

“Home offices can be located anywhere in the home, depending upon a family’s needs,” said Gerri DiMaggio, owner of DiMaggio’s Euro Design in Madison. “Some create dual-purpose rooms … others allocate a specific room for an office.”
Before deciding where to place a home office, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of different locations. For example, a dedicated room away from the general living area offers privacy and hides paperwork and bills from guests’ eyes, but also may feel isolated to some, or make it more difficult for parents to monitor children’s computer use.

Some people choose to incorporate a home office into their kitchen or great room. With the plethora of choices in home office furniture, desks, shelves and even filing cabinets can be designed to match the existing décor. Having an office tied into a common area also makes the space easily accessible to all family members. Individuals can surf the Web, pay bills or check their e-mail while watching TV, keeping an eye on dinner or overseeing homework.

Centrally located home offices, however, can be noisy and are visible to guests. And some people prefer a separate room, so they can have more privacy and don’t always have to keep the area clean and clutter-free.

When building a new home, plans for a home office are usually worked into the blueprints. But that doesn’t mean a dedicated room is impossible to find in a pre-existing house. Jill Peterson — co-owner with her husband of Techline Workspace Studio — has often worked with clients who own multi-bedroom condos, where the guest room is converted into a home office.

“This is very common, especially downtown,” she says. “You can keep things out of view, but still have an area that’s peaceful and comfortable to live in.”

However, if the office isn’t used regularly, the room may go to waste. It may not get used as often because it’s not as convenient as a space in the kitchen or great room.

When Julie Underwood of Oregon, Wis., purchased her current home, clutter was the biggest reason for converting an unused bedroom in the basement into a home office. But, she also didn’t want to completely give up her guest room.

“The main reason we created this area was to provide a good study space for my teenage daughter,” says Underwood, the dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The office was created so the family could work without distractions. Under-wood purchased shelving, a corner desk, a one-drawer filing cabinet and a fabric-covered bulletin board to help her and her daughter stay organized. And still, Underwood hasn’t lost her space to house overnight guests: A Murphy bed — also called a wall bed — and a closet allow the space to double as a guest room.

Furnishing your space

Home office styles run the gamut from the warm woods and leather of British vintage to the light wood with metallic accents of high-tech minimalism. But no matter what the style, there is one thing all home offices have in common: a lot of wear and tear. Many furniture pieces today are created with a sturdy wood base and a solid laminate surface to address this concern.

“The laminate is used because of its durability and resistance to scratching,” says Peterson.
For those who want the look of solid wood throughout and don’t want to rely on a desk blotter, a glass surface can be custom-cut and fit to the top of a desk for protection.

When choosing size and type of furniture, decide from the beginning whether the office will be used strictly as a personal space or will also be used to entertain clients. A typical personal home office requires a desk or work surface with a comfortable desk chair and plenty of filing space. Bookcases and covered storage units are nice additions. Frequent visitors, however, require more furnishings.

“Furniture for a larger home office designed to serve clients would have all of the above, plus seating [and a work surface] to accommodate clients,” Peterson says.