Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Creating a space plan will help you to see if your ideas can work. Make a simple sketch of your current floor plan. Then decide which pieces you really love (feature these in the new layout) and which you would rather replace or get rid of entirely. Now resketch with changes. Incorporate images from the internet or magazines to provide visual aid.
Think about how to include your wishlist: a place to exercise and meditate, a place for power naps, or an area that is purely visual (artwork, collectibles, a shrine…) Or you may want an austere environment, so you leave any extra square footage you have open and minimal. Things can really start to take shape now. Decisions are being made.
Photo by David Macaluso
When sourcing new items, if possible, find things that serve multiple purposes, such as desks with adjustable height, or storage that also folds out to provide extra work surfaces. Your workstation can take many forms: It can be a conventional desk, a large table, or a series of smaller surfaces spread around the room devoted to different tasks. How do you work best? Do you like to plant, or do you jump up frequently to do various tasks over the day?
As you refine and edit, you’ll probably run into problematic areas. For example, not enough clearance for walking around, difficulty planning AV with the current electrical set up, or just not being able to orient furniture the way you want it. These are all common design issues. Depending on how deep you want to go, you can solve some of them through renovation, hiring an electrician or buying entirely new furniture.
If those aren’t options for you right now, don’t despair. You can alleviate many issues through simply moving pieces around on the board, so to speak. Consider every option for laying out the room, even the ones you don’t like or don’t think will work. You might be surprised.
Photo by David Macaluso
Remember to work with your space
If you have a high ceiling, draw attention to it with shelves that climb all the way up, or lighting that illuminates the architecture. Celebrate what is already there, but be selective in what you add. You’re the bouncer here — don’t let anything into your exclusive club unless it’s going to improve it. Make everything count, and leave nothing that doesn’t need to be there.
And above all, have fun with it. Include those touches you know will bring a smile to your face each and every day. Speaking of touch, you may want to include accessories, artwork and materials that allow you to step into that sensory realm from time to time. A soft, woven wall hanging can serve not just as visual art, but as a physical reset for the body, simply by running your hands over it. If you like to walk around barefoot, perhaps a polished concrete floor with radiant heating is the answer. You are a human occupying this space. Let yourself feel these creature comforts during your day, not just at the end of it.
Thus concludes my series of posts about designing your home office. This was just one example of a room renovation that you may be considering. Many of these considerations could be applied to other areas of the home. And, needless to say, you can save yourself some stress by hiring a designer, but I hope these last four posts have provided inspiration for how you might go about doing it yourself.
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