7 minute read
FEATURE: Home Office Trends
1 The Bella Vita line by celebrated Italian furniture company Modenese is truly a study in elegance, boasting a sleek yet traditional aesthetic in the Chesterfield style that lends a sophisticated feel to any space. The bespoke walnut bookcases and boiserie are handmade to order in Italy and designed to fit precisely, offering many different options for customization, including drawers of various sizes, glass-fronted display nooks and locking cabinets, while the globe to the left serves double duty as a refrigerated bar cart.
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Trends inHomeOffice Design
By Kirsten E Silven
SPECIAL FEATURE
Once considered more of a luxury than a necessity, the last year has brought home offices to the forefront as the world has changed rapidly around us. Today, the home office is more of a “must have” than ever before, and design elements are trending equally toward functionality and aesthetic appeal.
“With more people working from home than ever, today’s home offices are designed to serve as highly functional workspaces that are comfortable enough to spend the whole day in and also look good in the background when you’re on a Zoom call,” stated Sherry Feeney of Forecast Interiors.
Whether you have an entire room available or have opted to convert a cozy nook into a designated work from home area, the space should inspire creativity and calm.
“We have found that many people are turning a spare bedroom into a dedicated office space, or even doubling up children in one room in order to have a dedicated space for their home office,” shared Bobbi Ramsay of Superior Paint and Decorating in Lexington. “So these rooms are being transformed from maybe a hot pink in what was formerly their daughter’s bedroom, or a darker color that works in a guest room, to a lighter hue that promotes a more peaceful and focused feeling.”
In fact, paint color is an essential element to consider for any at-home workspace, and it also happens to be one of the easiest ways to totally change the look and feel of a room.
“When I ask clients what feeling they would like to evoke in their home office, the answer is typically ‘calm,’ so I’m going into peaceful spa colors like 1564 Beach Glass, 1585 Wales Gray and OC-17 White Dove,” Ramsay said. “In the neutrals, we are seeing soft tones like OC-23 Classic Gray and 971 Olympic Mountains.”
Regardless of where your home office is located or what you might happen to do for a living, organization is—of course— also key. Instead of boring old file cabinets, consider adding a wall of shelving and drawers, or even installing custom built-ins that will provide an attractive place to file paperwork and store other items out of sight. “Custom built-ins are very popular for home offices, as they allow you to make the most out of the available space and can be designed to accommodate a wide variety of specific needs,” Feeney shared.
To decide where your dedicated work from home space should be located, think about how the office will most often be used, and also consider how it may be impacted by other family members.
“Depending on your needs, a home office can be created in a wide variety of different areas in the home, from a spare bedroom to an alcove, to an unused dining room,” Feeney said. “We have even added built ins and a small desk to develop an effective work space in a former closet, and have also created a user-friendly office space in the hallway leading to a laundry room.”
Working from home is both exciting and challenging, because it offers the opportunity to enjoy real comfort and enhanced productivity… If it is effectively designed and adequately separated from the home environment. And while comfort is essential, if the space is too casual, it could actually impede your ability to get things done. Since your desk is likely where you will spend the most time, don’t skimp! A myriad of excellent options are available today, so choose a desk that is both pleasing to the eye and easy to organize, with enough room to easily accommodate whatever type of work you plan to do on it.
Good lighting is also a fundamental part of any well-designed home office, and the more natural light it gets, the better. A combination of general and task lighting is ideal, since a high-quality task light is essential for working late nights and on cloudy days. To avoid glare and eye strain, don’t place overhead lighting directly above a computer screen, and you should also avoid putting a computer directly in front of any light source.
Finally, be sure to add a few personal touches to ensure that your home office reflects your unique personality. It should serve as a connection between yourself and your workplace, and you should enjoy being in the room. With a little imagination, it’s possible to adapt your home office to suit when and how you need to work. Creating a vibrant place to work from home is key to enhancing productivity and staying motivated, no matter what life throws at you next!
2 A modern wooden desk and open shelving that is connected by a low-profile storage cabinet works with ample seating, carefully selected pieces of contemporary art and a wall of windows with a striking downtown view to create a space that drives creativity, while the dynamic blue wall color energizes the room, giving the otherwise focused space a subtle playful vibe. Photo courtesy of Huseyn Kamaladdin.
3 This striking traditional home office creates a spacious, welcoming feel by placing the desk in the center of the room, while a wall of bookcases offers ample storage and a place to display accessories and other useful items. Photo courtesy of Decoist.
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4 This home office is truly fit for a king or queen, boasting marble flooring and elite Venetian Modenese furniture tailor made from Macassar ebony and finished in a soft ivory hue, along with custom walnut boiserie on two walls. Each piece is handmade in Italy and decorated with silver leaf applications, and the traditional writing desk is outfitted with a refrigerated bar compartment.
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5 With graceful curving lines and a timeless appearance, the Villa Venezia line by luxury Italian furniture company Modenese includes a custom crafted walnut executive writing desk and matching armoire with silver leaf applications, which is carved and inlaid according to the Classical tradition.
6 Clean lines and neutral tones lend this home workspace a light, airy feel, while a full wall of floor-to-ceiling built-ins work with the L-shaped desk to provide a polished appearance and plenty of storage space. Photo courtesy of iD.
7 Black wainscoting and a floor-to-ceiling wall of built in shelving gives this home office a sophisticated appearance, while plenty of drawer space helps keep the room neat and tidy. Natural oak flooring is finished in a silvery-brown tone to achieve a modern look that is complemented by the rustic neutral-toned rug and paint. Photo courtesy of Jackson HBA.
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