The laptop, tablet and smart phone have changed how we work and entertain ourselves. Their convenience and portability is also changing the shape of the home office. When we can sit on the couch to work on a report, do we still need a room with a full-size desk and storage dedicated solely to office work?
For those who do the bulk of their daily work from home, there will always remain the need for an organized and ergonomically-correct office space. But if the changing size of your computer gadgets has left your home office woefully neglected, it’s time to re-think what kind of work space will work best for you.
A horizontal surface with space underneath for a chair, and an electrical outlet are the new basics of a work space, and this allows you to insert a work station into most any room. As shown in the photo above, one corner of a kitchen becomes a work perch that keeps you in the social mix but also out of the way as you check your emails or pay bills.
In this laundry room above, an under-utilized space between the pantry and the window becomes a pleasant office nook. A Formica countertop, a shelf with under-cabinet lighting, an outlet and a chair are all that’s needed to be up and running.
As part of this basement remodel, a former utility closet becomes an office alcove that is easily hidden with the sweep of a curtain. As long as there’s enough room to install a counter and a power source, you can convert any awkward or forgotten space into a work place.
Multi-purpose rooms are a popular and sensible interior design trend. Shown above is a combination mud room, laundry room and home office. In this case, it’s a more traditional desk, but because it’s placed in a busy, communal space, it is used every day as the home’s charging station.
For this room that multi-tasks as a breakfast room and home office, the built-in desk echoes the look of the millwork and the countertops of the kitchen it’s adjacent to. The design remains stream-lined because the additional storage required is hidden in the recessed wall cabinet to the left of the desk. One of those doors opens to reveal a printer on a sliding tray.
All of these modern work spaces for modern needs were designed and built by St. Louis remodeling firm Mosby Building Arts. If you’d like their help inventing the perfect home office for your needs, call the Mosby office at 314.909.1800 or contact them here.