Trending Now: 4 Ways to Design a Home Office
Take a peek at these popular photos showing dedicated home offices, flex rooms and hardworking alcoves
Houzzers, not so long ago your favorite home offices were a collection of beautiful rooms that looked like they’d been styled solely for photography or a show home and may never have been touched for actual work again. Many of us dreamed of that lovely drawerless desk that had no apparent room for plugging anything in or leaving out a single piece of paper. But the favorites this quarter had many more practical solutions. While the designs are still striking, it appears you were thinking more personally and practically about what would work for your jobs, your household paperwork and your family’s lifestyle. Here are the four most popular ideas for setting up workspaces right now, as measured by how many people saved these photos to their ideabooks from April to June of this year.
Carving a closed dedicated office space into an open plan can be tricky, especially in a loft that may have windows on only one or two sides of the unit. After all, you don’t want to feel like you are toiling away in a closet all day. Large aluminum-framed glass doors here keep the space open while also keeping it quiet.
Another office idea that’s on the uptick for stand-alone offices is dark walls. Now that we’re looking at screens so much and going paperless, it is possible to have sexier lighting instead of bright task lighting too.
A busy real estate agent had a small bedroom in her home transformed into this pretty home office. By outfitting the closet with shelves for baskets, boxes and trays, she’s able to keep the room clear of piles of paperwork.
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See more of this office
2. An Office Nook Within Another Room
The office nook is more efficient than ever, especially now that we’re so paperless and portable. However, if you do need supplies, filing cabinets and unsightly accessories like printers, shredders and the like, it’s best to conceal them in a neat way. Built-ins that fit in with the rest of the room’s design can contain clutter and let you relax when you’re not working. This is a great solution for a bedroom, family room or living room that needs a workspace within it.
The office nook is more efficient than ever, especially now that we’re so paperless and portable. However, if you do need supplies, filing cabinets and unsightly accessories like printers, shredders and the like, it’s best to conceal them in a neat way. Built-ins that fit in with the rest of the room’s design can contain clutter and let you relax when you’re not working. This is a great solution for a bedroom, family room or living room that needs a workspace within it.
This hardworking alcove is tucked to the side of a living room. The acrylic chairs practically disappear, while the shelves are a mix of hardworking baskets, books and personal items. Note that each workspace has its own light built in overhead to save space.
3. Command Central
This type of office keeps the home running with schedules, invitations, thank-you notes, bill-paying space and more. The one here is in the middle of the first floor, complete with two desks and a view of the family room. The French door can be closed for quiet during buckle-down time or when the kids do homework in here.
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This type of office keeps the home running with schedules, invitations, thank-you notes, bill-paying space and more. The one here is in the middle of the first floor, complete with two desks and a view of the family room. The French door can be closed for quiet during buckle-down time or when the kids do homework in here.
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Command central is often located within or just off a kitchen in a mudroom or laundry room. Check out the clever cabinetry here that hosts the bulletin board and organizers for files, notebooks and calendars.
This office space in a laundry room enjoys some of the best views in the house. A setup like this is good for writers or those who have embraced the paperless office.
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See more of this office
4. The Flex Room
These versatile spaces move easily between home office and lounge, reading room, media room or guest room … or all of the above. With the desk (if there is one) placed against one of the walls and any necessary paper and appliance storage in built-ins or a closet, the rest of the room is left free for a sofa and chairs, a daybed or Murphy bed, media, TV and more.
These versatile spaces move easily between home office and lounge, reading room, media room or guest room … or all of the above. With the desk (if there is one) placed against one of the walls and any necessary paper and appliance storage in built-ins or a closet, the rest of the room is left free for a sofa and chairs, a daybed or Murphy bed, media, TV and more.
This vacation home in Florida keeps that easy-breezy feeling going strong while providing a large desk for working within a loungey, relaxed space. Again, paperless plays a role here, so the designer was able to use a wonderful live-edge table as a desk.
If you’re planning your own home office, it’s imperative that you check out one of the most useful Houzz articles of all time, Are You a Piler or a Filer? first. It will help you plan your organization strategy properly when it comes to shelves and built-ins. And if you’re dreaming of going paperless, check out Online Tools Help Paperless Plunge, The Great Paper Push: Just Say No and Avoid the Great Paper Pileup.
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With more people telecommuting either every day or on a regular basis, the dedicated office space has become a necessity for many work-from-homers. This one is full of favorite personal effects collected on travels, like the Moroccan rug and objects on the shelves. It’s a good reminder that hard work can pay off with a rewarding trip in the future.
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