Designing a home office may seem simple from the outset but often people overlook the way in which they work.
Clients in Your Family Home
Firstly, consider if you will have clients visiting your home office. If so, ask yourself, do you want to keep your work and home life separate? If the answer is “yes” you need to think about how to separate your office from your living spaces. A good first step is to create a separate entrance on the exterior of your home for clients. If you have space outside you may also like to add a separate driveway and parking for clients. Your home design may use the garage to separate your home and office so you can walk out, close the door and literally not “see work” while enjoying family life. Maintaining boundaries between home and work from the beginning can help you create the lifestyle you dream off.
Integrating Work Space with Family Life
Some people enjoy working with noise, the hustle and bustle, in the office. If that’s you, think about whether having a home office separate from the living spaces would be effective. If you are isolated would you work effectively or could locating your home office adjacent to your living space be more beneficial for you. An office in the home would allow you to be part of what’s happening in your home and work in a way that meets your temperament. If you need to take calls or have zoom meetings incorporating doors can give you privacy when needed. When your work day is done you can close the doors, shut work away, and keep those healthy boundaries.
An Office Nook
If your work takes you primarily out of the office, you may not require a large space for your home office. An office nook with space for the essentials can be easily incorporated into your new home design. Again, if you like the hustle and bustle your office nook may be off the family room. Alternately, if quiet space allows you to be more productive a nook down the hall may be best. Adding a door is a personal preference depending on your work and family needs. Again, A door can be beneficial to “shut off” from work as your desk is out of sight and hopefully out of mind!
Work Life Balance
Custom designing a space that meets your personality, as well as work requirements, ensures your home office functions optimally. Once curated to your individual needs you are positioned to develop practices to enhance your lifestyle. A healthy work life balance requires deliberate decisions. You won’t regret taking the time and energy in the design process to ensure your work space functions well and gives you the freedom to switch off and enjoy all life has to offer. 
TIP: If space is limited, your home office could double as a quite room for one-on-one time with children or grandchildren. Add a couch for story time and have special books in your bookcase or add a coffee table to two chairs for games or puzzling. Alternately, you could do a custom built workspace that is incorporated into your living room design and closes away when you aren’t working. Your professional builder can help you think outside the box when designing your home to meet your needs.
