Ever since COVID-19 took over everyday life in March of 2020, the number of people working & learning at home has skyrocketed. In some households that meant trying to find space not only for mom & dad to work, but for the kids to “go” to school. Where to put everyone so that they weren’t disrupting the others became one of the top reasons’ homeowners reached out to Built by Design last year & even as life slowly starts to return to “normal”, it is still a top remodeling motivator in 2021.
Sometimes it’s an easy answer…convert a rarely used dining room into an office, remake a spare bedroom into a schoolroom, or finish a lower level with multiple areas for working & learning. But what options are available when the answer isn’t so easy? You’ll just need to carve out a workspace in a room that’s also used for something else. How to do it right…
Create visual separations between work & living space. Position a bookshelf or folding screen/room divider to function as a partition. Add a fun area rug or carpet tiles to further emphasize that it’s a separate area. The visual distinction will help the mind focus on work or school matters in the workspace…& leave those matters behind when you’re in another part of the room, whether the room is a living room or a bedroom.
Choose a desk that shuts. A roll-top desk, secretary desk or Murphy desk can be closed when not in use. Closing the desk hides clutter & helps create that “out of sight, out of mind” feeling. For school age kids, making sure they have a drawer, bin or basket to store school items will help them put the school day behind them almost as well as physically leaving the school building.
Choose storage pieces that look like residential furniture: Metal filing cabinets & open shelving full of notebooks & folders look jarring & out of place in your living area. Try choosing shelving that fits the room’s décor & encloses messy files & other work/school clutter in attractive closed boxes or bins that slide easily onto these shelves. Personally, I love the storage & bin options available on Wayfair.com & ContainerStore.com. Storage units that offer double duty as seating or footrests are also practical options. In 2021 there are so many pieces doing double-duty you’ll have no trouble finding styles that will work in your space.
Orient workspaces so you can see the room. When work/school spaces are crammed into small spaces, desks are typically pushed up against walls – sometimes they’re even built inside alcoves or closets. Facing a wall stifles productivity & creativity – who wants that? If a desk or worktable must be pushed against a wall, choose one that has casters (or put furniture sliders under the legs) so it can be pulled away from the wall while being used. Or hang a mirror above the desk so that views into the room, or better yet outside, are possible.
I promise, you’ll work better & feel better in a dedicated or semi-dedicated workspace. Now is the time to contain the clutter, reclaim your kitchen & calm the crazy that comes with living, working & learning from home. 2021 is calling – it wants Built by Design to help you get your home back! Visit http://www.builtbydesignkc.com to submit a Request for a Bid for a lower-level finish with dedicated work & learning spaces today.