Work at Home Secrets from Christopher Lowell

Versatility is key to a modern home office.

by Christopher Lowell

If you have the opportunity to work from home, you have two options: a dedicated room as a home office or a work center in the main part of the house. Which one you decide to create all depends on what business you’re in.

A Whole-Home Approach 

If most of your time is spent word processing—skip the dedicated home office. Personally, I work from home about 65 percent of the time. The last thing I want to do is relegate myself to a small room in the back of the house—it feels like self-imposed exile. The great privilege of working from home is that you have a lot of inspiring places in which to choose to work from, so you can actually enjoy the whole house.

For me, I got rid of the stationary, big mother ship of a desktop computer in favor of a really good laptop. This allows me to work from anywhere in the house. If I’m in my home office too long I get fidgety, so I move to the kitchen while preparing myself a tasty lunch. When the weather’s great, I like to be in my outdoor spaces. To make this happen, I put wireless airports everywhere possible so that I can remain online 24/7.

The Hidden Office

While part of your work will undoubtedly require a scanner and a printer too, it doesn’t mean they have to be hardwired into your laptop. Here again, wireless is the way to go. It solves the cord management issue and if placed centrally in the home, this still allows you the freedom and mobility you need.

Try converting a kitchen broom closet into a built-in cabinet where you have outlets and slide out drawers for your printer, scanner and fax, if you need it, or an all-in-one to save space. The kitchen is central to all the places you want to be: living room, family room and outside.

As far as being comfortable working on the laptop itself—purchase a lap desk. They usually have a beanbag style base that conforms to your legs. And now many have compartments and pouches for the post-it notes, clips, a small pad and whatnot. I know because I’ve designed them myself.

A Traditional Space

If you choose to have a dedicated home office, the decorating process is just as important here as the rest of your house. We’ve gotten so used to treating our offices like strictly utilitarian spaces that we forget these workspaces can be inviting too. Follow these tips to integrate your living style into the place you work: 

• Pick your favorite room and duplicate it in your office.
• Use lamps instead of overhead lights.
• Add color to those plain white walls
• Instead of builders-grade blinds, try some window treatments.

You’ll find that these additions will make you feel more relaxed and productive. Just because you’re working hard doesn’t mean it has to feel like work.