Are you planning your home office design? If you’re like many of today’s workforce, you have the option to work at least part of your time from a remote location. 
If everyone is out of the house, the basement is ready for finishing, the attic is ripe for conversion, or you have an empty spare room…. you have the space. Now all you need is the design and the remodel. Think about your current or future work-at-home opportunity and plan your home office design to include practical workspace.
If you’ve already planned your home office, call OTM Designs & Remodeling to make that design a reality. If you’re still working on your home office design, here are some steps to keep in mind.
Decide What You Want In a Home Office
What you do will be the primary basis of what you want out of you home office design.
• If you are an attorney at a law firm and regularly meet clients in your home office, you may want a traditional law-office feel. Partner’s desks, client seating, books, and secretary’s desks – your home office can include everything a firm office would hold.
• If you are a silk-screen artist making and printing bags, shirts, and note cards, you may want a sparse, open studio for your work. Stainless steel work tables, built-in sinks, and light tables will fill the space and still leave you room for drying wet ink.
• If you are a web designer with a multi-monitor setup, you may need ergonomic tables and chairs and specialized electrical outlets. You also have special HVAC requirements and the need for client seating. 
The good news is you can get the home office you need. OTM Designs & Remodeling will ensure the space functions as you need it to and that it does so with a sense of style.
Decide Where You Want Your Home Office
Not sure where you would put a home office? Don’t let it derail your design. You may have more options than you think.
First explore the obvious choices:
• Your child that just moved away to college and her room is not occupied.
• The kids have outgrown the basement playroom.
• You’ve planned to clean out the attic and donate the old clothes.
Then think outside of the box:
• The sunroom is never used anymore.
• The foyer is oversized and off centered.
• The garage only holds sports gear and Christmas ornaments.
A good home office design can easily turn an attic, basement, or spare bedroom into a custom-designed workspace. From built-in cabinetry, to natural lighting, to specialized ventilation or electrical needs, a good home-office design will incorporate all of your needs and make the most of your unused space. 
A garage can easily be turned into a studio for an artist, a craft room for a scrapbooker, or a design space for an architect. If your home has a large foyer that seems off-centered, you can fit a small office nook into one side, perfect for an editor or writer. That sunroom that you rarely use, can be converted into a comfortable place to meet clients, a spot to spread out designs, or a bright spot for color matching.
Perhaps more important than where to situate the home office, is the question of where to locate it in proximity to the rest of your home. If you have small children in the home and/or in-home care, you may not want the office near the kitchen or nursery. Similarly, if you have a lovable, but loud pooch, you may want to ensure the dog stays on a different floor while you’re on the phone.
Finally, if you tend to let laundry pile up or dust bunnies live a little too long under tables, you should ensure your office has a separate entrance from the rest of your home, especially if you expect frequent visitors. It’s easier to quickly tidy one room for a client visit than to also have to mop up Rover’s muddy paw prints or clean out Tiger’s litter box.
Decide What Furniture You Need in Your Home Office
If you know what you want and where you want it, you now get to do the fun part of your home office design – pick your colors, furnishings, and fixtures!
If you manage independent bands, your color schemes should ensure the bands feel welcome and comfortable, so florals may not be the way to go. On the other hand, if you’re an interior designer specializing in traditional kitchens, all black walls and red carpet might not make the best first impression.
Do you generally work with one client at a time, or does a group generally come to meetings? Is a computer desk enough room for you to spread out, or do you need deep, wide countertops to hold your different tools, paints, or papers? Do you require tall tables for drafting or short tables for sitting? Look at design catalogs or use online design tools to help you get your furniture ideas on paper so you are prepared when you meet with the designer.
As you consider furniture, think about any out-of-the-ordinary requirements you may have. If you keep a server and run several computers and monitors, you may need extra electricity, a tied-in backup power source, and adequate air conditioning. If you’re an artist who works with hazardous materials or noxious fumes, built-in ventilation is necessary for your health. Kilns require special outlets, and certain types of arts and crafts need access to a sink or dedicated oven.
Often overlooked, ensure you work adequate storage into your home office design. Paper, paints, blueprints, books, pens, pencils, files, disks… think about everything you use on a daily basis and ensure you have enough room to store these items.
Are you ready to talk with an expert designer? At OTM Designs & Remodeling, our remodeling and design specialists are ready to help you on your project!
As a Design+Build General Contractor, I offer my clients a one-stop shopping approach to all of their home remodeling projects. I work with my clients from initial conception of a project through its completion. Every aspect of the job is managed by me and my professional crew. You will be included in every step of the design process until the final drawings are completed. No detail is left to chance. General Contractor Specializing in Kitchen & Bathroom Design and Remodeling Throughout the Los Angeles area.
Written By:
Offer Steuer
President
OTM Designs & Remodeling, Inc.
For more information you may contact us via email at service@otm1designs.com or you may call us at 888-981-1415. Our website is www.otm1designs.com.