Sudden Necessities Spark Trends in Home Office Design
Recently, and widely spanning across the globe, large numbers of people (especially folks that live in the bigger cities) are now working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with social distancing restrictions easing, working remotely for many Americans seems to be a new way of life that is here to stay. At Hampton Kitchens, we understand that as a result of this new integrated lifestyle, designing and creating a functional home workspace is just as important, if not more so, than the kitchens and baths that we have been providing to residents for nearly half a century.
We are a society that is continuing to evolve from an initial mindset of a temporary remote working situation that in the beginning looked like working from home might last a month or two. So we made due with the living spaces we have, spreading our work out on the dining room table or (despite the discomfort in our backs) checking our inboxes from the safety of our family room sofas and into a more permanent “living at work” (my take on the term ‘working from home’) way of life.
Due to the shifting of our projected working from home timelines, people all over the world are currently scrambling to adjust their home environments to accommodate a suitable place to work remotely and the demand for home office design and remodeling services are rapidly increasing. With the integration of our professional responsibilities into everyday living environments, spaces designed for flexibility and versatile function within the household are necessary. Many households are now needing a dedicated office space that allows for privacy, enhanced organization, comfort and versatility.
Ever since the beginning of my career, I have designed, built, and supplied all types of residential living spaces, including home offices, to residents across North Carolina and beyond. However, I have realized that most of the offices that were designed in the past typically were designed for professionals who had a previous knowledge that they required a home office area, which allowed for ample time during the design planning process.
HK fun fact: A couple of the clients that we designed home offices for and who worked from home actually told me they got dressed (coat and tie for men) and acted as if it were time to “go into the office” just as if they were commuting to a traditional place of business. Now, that’s what I call truly dressing for the part!
Remote employees now versus professionals that worked from home a decade ago.
Past home workers did not experience the rapid environment switch that the current remote workers and their families endured. It seems like one day we worked in our traditional business locations and the next day many were told to grab what was needed from our offices, as we were going to be working from home the subsequent day. These folks were not able to ease into the transition from business office to home office, much less given any time to plan ahead for such a drastic lifestyle change.
Family/household members also experienced the same rapid changes-- our children and spouses, they too began working/attending school remotely. Compounding the shared household situation further, were the strict social distancing restrictions that were in effect. For the sake of their health, family members remained in the same spaces of the home for long periods of time together without the enjoyment of personally interacting with peers, attending their events and forgoing all regular activities.
Recent clients, overwhelmed and unprepared, are coming to us relaying the challenges with having been thrown into the remote working arena. Some clients incurring the additional challenge of juggling parenting responsibilities while simultaneously attempting to work a full-time job from home. We (the design team at Hampton Kitchens) are experiencing similar, if not the same, lifestyle adjustments as our clients are; therefore, we clearly understand and empathize with the needs for a functional home office design that have presented to us as clients seek out our design-build services.
The good news is that virtual technology lends a tremendous helping hand to facilitate business collaboration and communications while working remotely; however, with increased virtual meetings the need for a workspace that is quiet, private, uncluttered and visually appealing are lending to current top priorities when designing a modern home office. Instances such as the sweet and well-intentions of the family dog repeatedly barking every time a delivery driver rings the doorbell and children aimlessly wandering into the backgrounds of virtual meetings beckon for office elements that may have seemed unnecessary in the past such as soundproofing, flattering lighting for video and backdrops are now typically requested.
Current challenges with home office design.
Due to the fact that even our most modern homes were not designed with the intention of fulfilling the unexpected and sudden needs this new way of conducting business within our homes requires, we must be creative and utilize a continuously flexible mindset.
Designers and remote working residents alike are presented with new and challenging situations in which to accommodate unique client needs.
Creating versatility within multi-functioning/multi-user spaces
Converting atypical residential spaces into private work environments
Not everyone has the luxury of a spare bedroom and because our homes were not initially designed to accommodate multiple household members working and following social distancing requirements from home; unconventional spaces such as closets, attics, garages, and even crawl spaces have been creatively converted to grant folks a dedicated space with the privacy needed to perform work-related tasks.
HK fun fact: We actually had a client that used a crawl space as a home ‘office!’
Whether the office to be designed and implemented is located at a traditional place of business, a converted room dedicated to remote working or a hybrid living space in a home, storage and organization are top priorities when planning an office design. Recently, even my own office remodel required some extra planning for files and catalog storage once I realized I would be working from home longer than I originally thought.
Today’s offices are designed for functionality, versatility and ease of organization utilizing specialized features, such as lighting and custom cabinetry, to best fit each client’s unique needs making modern office designs far more luxurious and pleasant in which to work. The combination of client needs, home and living environment, style, family considerations, and business operation necessities create an extraordinarily unique design outcome that is tailored to each client. No two designs will ever be the same.
A good office design will provide a functional space but an excellent office design embraces needs, reflects what is loved, creates a mood that inspires motivation and creativity and exceeds expectations of possibilities; an excellent designer goes above and beyond maximizing space efficiency, utilizes the latest in specialized features and leverages designer experience with industry knowledge.
Visit Our Process to see how our design-build process can work for your home workspace.
Hampton Kitchens provides excellent design and remodeling services backed by over 46 years of experience for a magazine-worthy project outcome that will be sure to get you out of your closets and crawl spaces and into a beautiful and expertly designed space that supports all of your needs.
Top 5 elements to make your home office more stylish, functional and flexible.
Lighting fixtures.
Stunning chandeliers are making statements in unexpected places, especially in home offices. Choosing a unique lighting fixture is a quick and easy way to add dimension, intrigue and style to any living area.
Integrated functional lighting.
We love installing functional lighting in all the right places! Examples here are lighting features such as lighting that illuminates inside drawers for ease of finding items and adding accent lightning in open shelving units to immediately draw the eye to specific areas of the room first.
Customized organization.
Type A personalities and both Type B personalities unite over the fact that the basics of hanging file storage and dividers for small office supplies have been pushed aside for the luxury of custom-built cabinets, cubbies and storage drawers along with colorful in-drawer organizers, custom shelving, and under monitor organizers make finding what you need a breeze.
Adjustable height desk.
These desks allow the flexibility to sit or stand while working and provide the user with a greater advantage from an ergonomic perspective. Sometimes you might wanna sit and other times you might need to stand. Basically, it’s the best of both worlds.
Interactive whiteboard.
The latest in office technology is the interactive whiteboard. A large board that employs infrared light, a computer and a projector to allow users to manipulate and interact with objects on the screen.