The demand for a dedicated home office space is higher than ever. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of people working from home tripled between 2021 to 2022, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
If you fall into that group, do you have a dedicated place to work in your home? Is it away from the hustle and bustle of home life where you can focus and get quality work done?
If you want more square footage in the form of a smart, functional addition, a home office is the perfect solution. Not every house has existing square footage for this type of room, especially if you need it to be a quiet, closed off area. Luckily, you can write off business expenses in your taxes, and if you work from home, your office can typically qualify as a business expense.
As you embark on a home office addition, consider the many ways you and your design team can make it a stylish, comfortable and efficient room. We’ve got a few ideas:
Include Custom Storage
The best home office additions have the perfect balance of efficiency and practicality. There are tons of ways to add more storage to your home office while keeping it stylish. Floor-to-ceiling built-ins are a classic, functional choice whether your preferred style is contemporary, traditional, or something in between. Plus, custom built-in storage is a fantastic way to take advantage of the added square footage and keep your office organized.
Add a Cozy Fireplace
One of the benefits of working from home is the ability to wear comfortable clothing and snuggle up in a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Why not add a cozy focal point to your home office addition with a beautiful stone fireplace? Use it to keep warm while working, or show it off in the background of your conference calls.
Promote Natural Lighting
When building your home office addition, make sure to include plenty of windows to bring in natural light. Exposure to sunlight while working is beneficial for the body and mind — research shows that vitamin D deficiency is associated with lower employee work productivity. If you don’t have enough wall space for plenty of windows, consider adding a skylight or two.
Create a Space for Two
Do you and your spouse both work from home? Create a dual workspace in your office addition. You can do this with a custom desk that spans the length of a wall and features a dividing cabinet in the middle. This gives each person their own semi-private portion of the desk and the ability to work side-by-side. Talk to your contractor about the amount of square footage you’ll need to have enough room for a dual workspace.
Add Your Personality
Who says a home office addition has to look boring? Bring some unique flair to the room by adding bold colors (if that’s your thing), wallpaper, crown molding or chair rails, your favorite patterns, luxury lighting, and more. This is YOUR space, so give it a vibe that makes you feel at home and fits your personality.
Make it Tranquil
Is your job stressful? Your home office should evoke a feeling of calm and peace as much as possible. You can bring tranquility to the room by designing it with blue color tones, neutral furniture, and comfortable flooring. Promote more natural lighting by using gold accessories, which reflect light. After all, if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your home office, why not make it a haven that feels beautiful, inviting, and peaceful?
The team at Dave Fox understands how to turn an addition into a functional, stylish space. In one of our projects, we added on over the garage/off the primary suite instead of adding more space and taking up more footprint on the main floor. This helped to situate the office and laundry room in the most ideal location.
Talk to us about how we can bring your home office addition to life.
Remodels, Renovations, and Additions in Columbus, Ohio
Dave Fox is an employee-owned company that makes our clients our number one priority. We design and build remodeling, renovation, and addition projects for our clients in Central Ohio and deliver the best value through exceptional craftsmanship, excellent materials, and ethical business practices. Contact us today to learn more and sign up for our newsletter here!