As you have seen us post here on our blog, a home office can take a variety of shapes based on the needs of our clients. We have had clients who want a room (or two) designated as a home office or study, often used when one or both of the homeowners work primarily from home. Others want something a little smaller and more casual to work from, so we design more of a home management center close to the main living/working areas of their home, like the kitchen. Still others have young children and want shared work spaces for them to do homework and play games, often having to accommodate space for upwards of three occupants at once.
Builder Magazine's article includes pictorial examples of the variety of ways a home office is shaping up in today's home designs, featuring three of our designs (images #7, 8 and 9). Read on for the full article...
Design Details: Home Offices
No matter who your buyers are, the habit of working from home is likely growing within their ranks: According to a 2010 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 1 in 10 American workers operates out of their home at least part of the time—a number that's been growing over the past decade. As a result, home offices—once relegated to the move-up and luxury markets—are now in demand by buyers in all tax brackets. “We’re finding that even in affordable housing, people are saying, ‘Hey, I know it’s a one-bedroom, but is there any way you could squeeze in some home office space?’” says Oakland, Calif.–based architect Mike Pyatok. Such “offices” can take the shape of anything from a strategically placed built-in desk to a transition space that pulls double duty.
In the suburbs, single-family housing is seeing a shift as well, according to Nick Lehnert, executive director of research and development at Irvine, Calif.–based KTGY, who reports that today’s buyers are eschewing the tradition of placing offices at the front of the home, preferring instead to keep desk clutter out of view by putting work space toward the rear but connected to main living areas.
Fortunately, as these projects show, the work space equation can be as flexible as needed. So whether you’re working with 10 square feet or 200, there’s a home office that will fit just right.
For more information on some of our built-in home office and management center solutions, check out our blog post on Fetching & Functional Built-Ins.
