By Linda C. Lentz

Touched with cool black accents to balance the electronics, the subtle natural wood hues of this well-appointed, gently contemporary home office provide a soothing environment to work in. Luxuriously furnished with a comfortable seating area, window shades of elegant coordinating fabric, and discreet accent lighting, this fully functional space boasts all the essential trappings necessary to get the job done—lots of built-in shelving with ample work surfaces, hidden file storage, a handsome desk chair, an ergonomic keyboard tray, a streamlined telephone, plus a slim LCD monitor and compact printer/copier. A neatly bound area rug keeps things cozy while at the same time protecting the light wood floor underneath.

Location, Location, Location
For better or worse, we have become a society of workaholics. Consequently, whether our needs be professional, educational, familial, or philanthropic, building some sort of office space into our primary and secondary homes is no longer a perk. It’s a necessity.

“We include a home office in just about every residence we do,” notes Denver-based interior designer Judy Gubner of In-Site Design. In large homes, she explains, these are dedicated rooms usually adjacent to kitchens and bedrooms, in which case they are outfitted with the likes of a wired PC, telephone, filing drawers, “mopier” (the popular all-in-one printer/fax/copier/scanner), and shredder. To accommodate the kids, Gubner and partner Colleen Johnson create fully equipped communal study spaces in areas such as hallways outside their bedrooms.

Fitting In
Smaller environs and vacation homes, however, demand greater flexibility. “We just did a condo in Vail where the office doubles as a guest room with a sofa bed,” says Gubner.

California Closets senior design consultant Lisa Lennard finds that more often than not people are opting for this multifunctional approach no matter what the size. “I’ve even put one into a walled-off section of a three-car garage,” she claims. “The key is to make it look like an integral part of the house, matching the decor in color and tone.”

To do this successfully, New York City–based interior designer Eric Cohler advises that you keep it neat and organized. “Pigeon holes are a great idea for envelopes,” he says. To create a comfortable, open work space he recommends hanging a cork or beribboned memory-board above a desk to keep papers and notes in place; installing a keyboard tray; mounting a flat-screen TV/computer monitor on the wall; keeping the all-important task lighting up and out of the way with undercabinet fixtures or retractable side fixtures; and using lots of baskets to hold files, magazines, loose papers, and office paraphernalia. For discreet placement in kitchens, dining and family rooms, he suggests hiding file drawers in the base of a custom banquette.

State of the Art
Ironically, the technology that once encumbered the aesthetics of the home office has now become its greatest ally. According to Lennard, “more and more people are going wireless.” As a result, wire management is not the issue it once was.

“The freedom is great. We used to be worried about including data ports everywhere in a house,” recalls Gubner. “Now wireless technology allows everyone in a family to set up an office where they wish.” Moreover, the once-bulky electronics are getting smaller—and better looking. “I find more and more, people are moving away from desktop computers and getting laptops,” says Lennard. Printers, too, she adds are so streamlined they can be stored on a pullout shelf within a slim cabinet for easy access.

The one thing to keep in mind, notes Johnson, is to make sure that everything in the home is networked properly. This way, if your home office can’t seat six people and you want to have a conference, you can network your PowerPoint presentation to a flat-screen TV in your living room or any other room in the house.

“Technology is part of our lives,” Gubner concludes. “And because it’s so slimmed down, we’re not complaining about it anymore. We’re embracing it.”