If your work requires calls or Zoom meetings, a good headset and Bluetooth speaker can enhance sound quality." 44% felt that technical upgrades would be the way to go, while 44% also felt that a dedicated office space was most needed.īarbara Segal of Barbara Segal and Associates elaborates on the technical aspects: “Most home offices aren’t equipped with the technology required for today’s work demands. When experts were asked what elements they felt that homeowners would be most likely to invest in in order to work from home, their answers were split. Technical Upgrades and a Dedicated Office Space are Top Priorities If you need help identifying such areas, it is possible to have virtual consults with designers, who have the ability to see your interiors with a fresh eye, helping you figure out which areas can be converted more easily. It may also mean creating areas that are multi-functional as Ana Donohue from Ana Donohue Interiors advises: “Don't overlook areas that can be truly dual functional." This may mean some hard decisions for homeowners about how they use their existing spaces and whether they’ll need that home office in the long term. Since most people will have had the spaces in their homes already allocated for other purposes, many will need to get creative to carve out the space that they need. This was followed by a lack of privacy as well. My dream office would have French doors that open onto a garden, for fresh air and occasional breaks." Lack of Space is the Biggest ChallengeĮxperts felt that a lack of space was the biggest hurdle that most homeowners would need to clear to make working from home a long-term prospect. Make sure it has a door you can close to block out household distractions. If you have the space and are able to do an office addition, create a space that has plenty of natural light, good sound dampening and sufficient built-in storage, so you aren't looking at piles of bankers boxes stacked up against the wall. If possible, choose a room for which the only purpose will be your home office (for example, not a guest room/office combination) to eliminate distractions. Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design explains: "If you are unable to build additional space, try to commandeer an existing room with a door you can close. This makes sense as it gives homeowners the privacy and set up they need, doesn’t bring outside workers into the home, and still allows for the space to be converted back again if the need to work from home ends. While some felt that people would continue to work wherever they could and others believed that a makeshift office would be the way to go, most felt that a DIY conversion of an existing room in the home into an office would be the most likely method homeowners would take.
The Top Home Office Solution Is A DIY Conversion Of An Existing RoomĮxperts were asked to rate on a scale of 1 - 5 what they felt was the most likely scenario for people expecting to work from home long term. Soft white is the color most recommended to help increase productivity in the home office.Noise-canceling headphones are the most recommended way to reduce noise.Desk lamps are the most recommended task lighting source.
They were asked a series of questions, including some multiple choice and some open-ended questions, and other questions had sliding scales to help give the bigger picture to those looking for this information. To that end, we asked 31 experts in the industry to weigh in on where they think home offices are heading. With the future still unclear, a lot of homeowners are making the commitment to begin working from home indefinitely, which includes creating a home office if they didn’t already have one.Īny homeowner who is currently working from home or who may be making the switch to working from home long-term, as well as those builders and designers whose job it is to make these conversions happen, may want to pay attention to which way the trends seem to be pointing. After the initial scramble to get set up and find ways to do their job in this new setting, most people are finally beginning to settle in for the long haul. When COVID-19 began to sweep across the globe at the end of the first quarter of 2020, many people suddenly found themselves working from home for the first time.