With unemployment up and wages down, more people are exploring home-based business options.
Nearly 50 million Americans now work from home in some capacity, according to the American Internet Users Survey, and more than 13 million work at home full time. Meanwhile, businesses are realizing the inherent savings of having employees work from home. Employment experts say about half of American companies are looking at telecommuting options for the coming year.
But parenting demands, phone calls, household chores, drop-in guests, the television and other distractions can make working at home a challenge. That’s why your old college desk and a kitchen table chair won’t do for a home work space, interior designers say. A comfortable, stylish work area, specifically designed for efficiency and productivity, is key to a successful at-home job.
“It’s crucial to have a great working environment, whether you are in a corporate cubicle or a home office,” says Frank Fontana, designer and host of the HGTV show “Design on a Dime.” “It’s worth putting some time and thought into designing a workspace to make you feel productive, creative and inspired.”
Space case
Take special care in choosing a space for the home office. In her new book, “The Work at Home Success Bible” (Adams Media), author Leslie Truex offers these solutions:
• Pick a room apart from other living areas to create firm boundaries between where you rest or play and where you work.
• A room with a door is best to ward off distractions.
• Make sure there’s enough space in that room to be able to push in and pull back a chair and file drawers. Also, have enough space to house all the materials or inventory needed for your work.
• Include natural lighting and task lighting.
• If clients will come to the home, create a separate space that is inviting and comfortable for them. Keep it uncluttered and well organized.
Mindful design
Approach home office design like any other home project. Decorate the space in the same colors and style as the rest of the home — or opt for a different style to create a sense of separation between work and home.
Here are some other home office design tips:
• Choose colors that foster feelings of refreshment and energy. Yellow hues are a good option.
• The home office can also be a good place for taking decorating risks by adding bits of personality to the space.
• Dust off those old diplomas and hang them up with nice matting and frames. Family photos might be a no-no in a corporate setting, but large prints of loved ones will provide inspiration in a home work space.
Centered energy
Boulder designer Wynn Waggoner uses feng shui techniques for her client’s home offices. Color palettes are derived from the elements — fire, water, wood and metal. She often gleans design ideas from a home’s natural surroundings to bring the mountains or landscaping into the space. Among her other home-office strategies:
• Avoid pushing a desk up against a wall. Try floating the desk in the middle of the room for better energy.
• When money is tight, be creative. Instead of buying a file cabinet, take a crate, paint it and put bars in it to stack files. Or take an old glass mug, paint it and use it for holding pencils and pens.
• Don’t be afraid to mix styles or colors. Grandma’s antique desk is just fine next to the right contemporary chair.
Furnish for the future
Avoid the tendency to toss furniture into the home office that doesn’t fit anywhere else, says Lisa Kanarek, home office expert and author of “Home Office Solutions” (Quarry Books). Also,
• Make the space functional with a proper desk, chair and storage. Aside from the cost of a computer, allocate the bulk of the design budget to a good desk and chair.
• Customizable, multi-functional furniture and accessories are big among consumers who want furniture that can do double-duty in other areas of the house. One of Kanarek’s favorite pieces is a computer armoire, which allows users to close the office away.
• The huge traditional desks of yesteryear have been replaced with sleek credenzas that blend in with existing decor and expandable, modular workspaces that can be pieced together, says Tim Danen, a design associate with Room and Board’s Business Interiors Design center. The company’s Parsons and Portico collections offer build-your-own steel or stainless-steel bases to fit custom tops in granite, wood, glass, quartz and marble. Keyboards and pencil trays can be added later for greater flexibility, while rolling files fit underneath the table.
• Furniture can be costly, so Fontana from “Design on a Dime” suggests checking for hidden treasures and office supplies at secondhand shops and hotel furniture resalers. Many hotels change out their decor every five years.
“On the show,” he says, “I have repurposed vintage wooden file cabinets I found at Goodwill, sanded them down and then did a white finish for a country look or black paint for a stark, modern feel.”
• Just don’t scrimp on the chair, design experts agree.
“Grabbing a dining-room chair may be a cheap alternative,” Danen says, “but if you are sitting in that chair for eight hours, (you want to) make sure you get yourself a good chair.”
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Sheba R. Wheeler: 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
Shop now, work later
If you’re thinking of hitting the stores to shop for your home office or workspace, it helps to know what you’ll find at some of the major retailers.
Room and Board Customizable desks with various options for bases, tops and legs are designed to foster creativity. Pictured here is the Portica desk, $1,059, Eames management chair, $1,179, and the Brazo lamp, $357.
Target Modular storage systems allow users to build and tailor offices to their specific needs. Various shapes, sizes, colors and materials are available. This is the itso storage starter kit, $39.99.
West Elm Workspace options incorporate a clean, modern look. Small, minimalist pieces are well-suited to loft and apartment homes. This is the small Bond desk, $299.
Crate and Barrel Classic designs have carved legs and brushed-metal hardware. Contemporary looks mimic Asian minimalism. Also, a “ready to assemble” collection. This Convertible Compact Desk is $499. The Pullman Side Chair is $199.
Work space update
It only takes a weekend to transform an unorganized, dysfunctional home work space into a den of productivity, according to HGTV designer Frank Fontana. These two quick and easy do-it-yourself projects can help. Fontana has additional home-office ideas on his website (frankfontana.net).
HIGH-HANGING STORAGE SHELF
1. Change a long, individual bookshelf into hanging storage for an easy, built-in look that also keeps clutter off the floor. This will take advantage of a room’s height, ceiling and walls; too many bookshelves can make an office feel more cluttered than it is.
2. Mount the shelf near the ceiling like you would crown molding, as pictured above.
3. Use traditional brackets and studs to hold up the shelf.
4. Dress up this new storage space by putting up cafe curtains in front of it. The fabric can either be bracketed to the ceiling or stapled to the top of the bookshelf.
HINGED DESK
1. Imagine a work space that folds up against the wall when you don’t need it. Similar to a Murphy bed, this idea is perfect for someone who has limited square footage to design their home office.
2. Pick up some sort of flat-surfaced material such as plywood, painted fiberboard or even an old door.
3. Back that new “desk” up to a wall and mount the backside to the wall with a piano hinge. This will let the surface lie flat against the wall when not in use, fold down as needed.
