With the new world we have been forced to live in, the “home office” has become one of the most utilized rooms in the house. I put home office in quotes because it means different things to different people. To some, it’s a room with a large desk, big windows and all the amenities – to others, it’s a small extra closet or a just a space at the kitchen counter. Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it as “a room in a person’s house where he or she does office work.” As boring as that sounds, the average person spends 8-10 waking hours in their office.
In a recent article in the Bloomberg City Lab, David Hart, president and CEO of the Steinbergy Hart architect firm, indicated that before the pandemic, 10% – 15% of his clients requested some type of dedicated office space in their home design. He predicts, going forward, that will most likely increase to somewhere around 75%. Interior Design clients of today who need to work from home are now having their designer seek out nooks or alcoves that can be turned into a small home office.
As I sat and looked around my own home office, which is an afterthought of mix-matched furniture, I wondered what my perfect Home Office would look like. Outside of sitting at a desk in the tropics under the sun, I started thinking of what a comfortable, productive, and creative space for me would include.
The time has come for us to stop thinking of our home office or workspace as an afterthought. This room is now demanding to be a top priority – just like the kitchen – when we think about Interior Design. Office designs of today are erasing the old images of what was once considered a home office. In today’s world, the home office is more than just a desk and a chair. The home offices of today include televisions, coffee bars – sometimes even liquor bars – chairs, couches, live plants, and even places for our kids and furry family members to be comfortably by our side. The old dark wood is now being replaced with bright and vibrant colors that allow our senses to waken and our creativity to flow. This is the one room of the house that homeowners can create their personal sanctuary away from the main living space.
