Say goodbye to the Dilbert office drone, and hello to the liberated home office worker.

“A mere 10 years ago, working at home was peripheral, almost taboo,” says Neal Zimmerman, a home office designer and author of “At Work, At Home”. Today, working at home is considered mainstream, even cool. You’re in control of your environment now. That sort of liberation can be overwhelming, though. How do you create a home office that’s efficient and aesthetically pleasing?

Zimmerman uses an acronym—CAMP–to define the four basic areas you may need in your office:

Computer. The good news here is that computers take up less space now, with developments in flat-screen monitors and wireless technology. Zimmerman has a wireless keyboard and mouse, which makes it easier to create desktop space.

Adminstration. Ideally, you’ll have a separate space to open mail and review paperwork. An L-shaped desk provides this.

Meetings. Will you be meeting with clients in your home office? If so, consider those needs, such as extra seating.

Projects. Do you need space for special projects? For example, a graphic designer may want a specific area to review slides.

Multi-Use Offices
Home owners should also consider what else they want to do in their home office besides work. Designers say that many clients request a multi-function room. Zimmerman recently designed a home office for a Manhattan couple, which also doubles as a guest room.

“It sounds simple, but many people don’t think it through,” says Anita Beyer, an Atlanta-based designer. “Will children be going into the space? How many people at one time? What other projects do you want to do in that area?”

For Pamela Beal, the answer was crafts. A business owner who operates group homes for the mentally disabled, Beal owns a 1940s bungalow and wanted to convert a home-office-cum-sewing-room into a home office that also served her craft-work needs. Beyer designed the dual-purpose space for her.

For added storage, she put built-in filing drawers under a window seat. “It’s functional, but it looks cozy,” says Beal. Electronic gadgets like the printer, scanner, and wiring for DSL are hidden in a cabinet she can close (hi-tech developments like Bluetooth wireless printers mean homeowners don’t need to have every gadget connected to their PC).

Beyer didn’t want the crafts to interfere with Beal’s office work, so she also created a rolling sewing table that measures 2 x 6 feet, with a fold-out top that doubles the space when needed.

Beals says she likes her new office so much that when her company relocated its headquarters to a new space this past fall, she didn’t even have an office created for her there. “I’m at [company headquarters] a couple days a week, so I just work out the of conference room.”

Stow It
When it comes to storage, it’s important to think outside the box—specifically, the ugly plastic box. “No Rubbermaid…you should have attractive storage that you like to look at,” says Detroit-based designer Sue Aprill. Leather- and fabric-covered boxes are some reliable choices for storing items in open shelving, she says. “Or, if you like shabby chic, get some antique wood boxes at a flea market.” For separating an array of small office supplies, an antique pharmaceutical cabinet works well; other designers recommend using spice-drawer dividers in desk drawers, to keep paper clips from intermingling with push-pins.

Whatever your storage preference, make sure you have enough of it. “People shortchange themselves in this area constantly,” says Laura Barnett. The Chicago-based designer has been working with clients for more than 25 years, and has seen people outgrow their home office too quickly. Folks who are new to telecommuting assume that one filing cabinet will cut it, and forget about all of the office supply storage that was spread around their corporate office.

This doesn’t mean that efficient home offices must consume an entire room. Just ask Barnett. Her home office is a repurposed 3’ x 2’ linen closet. “I have an all-in-one fax/printer/scanner, and a pull-out counter for my laptop, with open shelving above. And when I’m done, I close a paneled door, and it’s completely hidden.”

Her rule of thumb for: If it’s something you use constantly, have it within arms’ length. Otherwise, you don’t need all equipment in close proximity. Desktop space is a precious thing, so be particular about what you keep there, designers advise.

If you use a piece of equipment frequently, it doesn’t have to be visible to the world. One of Beyer’s clients shredded a lot of documents, but she wanted it hidden. The solution: A deep desk pull-out drawer—with an electrical outlet built in—which held a shredder and a waste basket.

Take a seat
No matter what your budget, designers agree on one thing: don’t skimp on the chair. There may be some weeks where you spend more time in that chair than in your bed, so make sure it’s comfortable and ergonomic. “We have put more Herman Miller Aeron chairs in people’s home than anything else–even homes that have traditional, antique furniture,” says Barnett.

If you have the space, Aprill advocates getting an armchair or loveseat to add in the room. “That way you can read documents, but don’t have to be at your desk every minute of the day.”

The perils of privacy
Do be realistic about your needs, says Barnett. “Do you really just need a place to write a few notes? What is your need for privacy? How much do you want it separated from rest of the house?”

Barnett recalls how this issue affected one client: “We created a beautiful room for her office, but she was so lonely she ended up bringing her paperwork to the kitchen table so she could be with her family. One possible compromise would be to have an office with French doors (and roman shades) off the family room, so home-office workers can feel connected to others in the home, but still have privacy when they need it.

Zimmerman says the vast majority of his clients are boomers, and he expects that trend to continue. For their lifestyles, they recognize that the need for a working environment is something that won’t go away, he says—not even in retirement. “For them, a home office isn’t a short-term thing.”

–Sandra Swanson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 8:42 am and is filed under Careers, Real Estate & Homes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.