Washington Post:
More than 20 million people work from home at least once a week, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But whether you work at home full time or just need a place to sort mail, pay bills and check your e-mail, having a dedicated space to get the job done is essential.
“Even if people are downsizing, they want a room for an office. People who didn’t have a computer 10 years ago have them now,” says Nancy Itteilag of the Long & Foster real estate firm in Washington.
For a time, the typical home office was a built-in desk area in the kitchen. But that’s falling out of favor, experts say – the spaces end up being too small and easily cluttered.
“You’re always going to find a need for a calendar or computer in the kitchen, but you get so much traffic in there, and it doesn’t always make the kitchen look its best,” Broffman says. “People want to get away and get a quieter environment in which to work.”
But what if you’re short on spare rooms?
Look for “an unused pocket of space that can be fitted with shelves, cabinets, electrical power and a chair,” says architect Amy Gardner. She converted a bedroom closet in her Washington apartment into her work space. She removed the clothing rod and installed shelves and a countertop that flips down as needed.
“I just pull up a chair, and I have a home office,” Gardner says.
She also removed the closet door and replaced it with a bookshelf on wheels that’s connected to a ceiling track. When she wants to close up her office, Gardner simply slides the bookshelf in front of it.
(For the non-architects among us, keeping the door works, too. So does installing a curtain rod to hang a pretty panel in place of a door.)
Broffman likes to paint a closet’s interior walls and any installed shelving the same color, or hang wallpaper in the back of the closet for a more custom look.
Photo by lute1.