Creative Solutions for Work From Home’s Biggest Space Challenges
I started this blog with the introduction of my home office makeover, a space I sped-up due to the impending need to work from home for the foreseeable future.
For me, design is never one and done. My friend and cousin by marriage, Bailee, made a poignant observation after I sent her my exhaustive list of reasons the couch wasn’t working in my office.
This is all true, I am a Gemini and I am a (at times sloppy) perfectionist. Nothing is ever perfect and I will always make changes chasing the unattainable. www.mid-centurymillennial.com had been sitting for over a year with a draft posts started and stopped for fear they weren’t perfectly communicating my ideas.
But I am glad I shared the first stab at my office space which will undoubtedly keep evolving. I hope dissecting what makes a space feel right and meet practical needs will help you create a space you love with a bit more confidence to just get started instead of waiting for perfection.
So far three “final office photo” iterations
Let’s dig into a few challenges I noticed the past few weeks, how i’ve tackled them and some more general lessons that can be applied beyond my office.
Challenge #1
Claustrophobic Space
For the office, I went from originally having a daybed for “overflow” guests that made the room feel like a hybrid guest room/office, to the green couch you see pictured in my re-design photos. The couch was a step-up, fitting closer with my desired aesthetic for a modern office that had multiple zones and we already had the couch. When I measured the space originally, I checked the box that it technically “fit” and moved on to fuss over something much smaller and less consequential.
But from day one of actually working in the office I felt hemmed in. The couch loomed, and yes, couches can loom. I felt like I was a guest in my dogs’ napping room. Additionally, the color matched well with my palette but the dark green in combination with the velvet felt to heavy.
Before
After
my Solution
I did what I always do and spent the next week staying up half the night researching every couch option on the market and hunting for something that didn’t loom.
Here’s what I was looking for:
Something that converted into a better sleeping option i.e.: a futon, pull-out, or less bed-looking daybed
Smaller footprint in the room, if possible no arm rests to let the room breathe a bit
A different pop of color, moving away from a matchy forest green and pink palette to brighter, more playful color story
Beyond these parameters I didn’t have an exact color, design or style in mind. This helps when you are shopping secondhand, like Facebook Marketplace or Buy Nothing to be more open-minded to new possibilities.
And there you have it, I landed on this Novagratz Palm Springs Futon barely used from Facebook Marketplace in a condo that was supposed to be an Airbnb and never was, settling on a $200 price tag vs. $300 new +shipping, etc.
This change shifted the look and feel of the room entirely. It opened up the shelf unit that was carefully styled but crammed behind the previous couch, made space for a side-table and lamp, brightened the room and varied the color palette, and created a more viable guest sleeping option.
tip for your space
Because you made a decision doesn’t mean you have to live with it, use secondhand marketplaces and join local buy nothing groups as your key to a revolving door of furniture trade-ins.
Challenge #3:
Lighting Balance
During the day I benefit from a naturally light-filled room, not requiring any lighting fixtures but as a design element I did carefully choose a lighting fixture I aesthetically loved knowing at some point it would get dark and I might need it.
Cue nighttime. For the first week of working in the space when I would burn the midnight oil it actually felt like burning the midnight oil. It felt like I was secretly working by candlelight with my single spotlight over my desk.
before
After
My solution
Swag lamps fix everything. I pick these up whenever I find one I love, usually of the vintage variety because I feel like these can make a room feel more authentically vintage, change a space easily and let me play with the lighting in the room without making dramatic changes or make enough light when there is literally no natural light to be found. Make sure you use ceiling hooks with anchors to support the weight effectively.
I added a swag lamp over the couch, playing off a similar shape as the other fixture but adding a new texture and balancing the room with equal light distribution on both sides at night. I added a funky table lamp next to the couch for a supplemental reading light, especially when this is being used by guests as a bed in the future.
Tip for your space
lighting can help define a dedicated space. A challenge that seems to be cropping up for a lot of you is that you don’t have a dedicated office and you’re now working from home, possibly co-working from home with your partner or roommates. If all you have space for is a low-profile desk, a shelf you use as a desk, or even a closet - you can use a swag lamp over your work station as a way to make that space feel intentional. Find a light you love and use it as a key anchor point for your “office” setup wherever you can find the space.
Challenge #3
Over-editing useful office items
A common thread in most “home office” Pinterest photos, especially the good ones is that they lack the tools we use everyday to do our jobs. It’s 2020, and I can’t think of a single job that would require a desk with carefully arranged paperclips and matching binder clips, yet no computer.
I thought I was doing myself a favor by simplifying and removing relics of cubicles past like post-it pads, pens in every color, white-boards and realistic spaces for my corded chaos. But in reality I was setting myself up for hunting and pecking every time I needed something and “setting myself up for the day” each morning.
Before
After
My Solution
I kept close account of what I actually missed when I had nothing on my desk. This list may vary for everyone but I landed on:
A place to visually see my priorities for the week, like a white-board
Chargers ready to go for everything I use regularly
A hook for my headset
Notepads & pens
In addition, I noticed that my curated bookshelf didn’t feel relevant to anything I was working on. I wanted books that I continue to revisit for inspiration or motivation, so I pulled together a selection of my favorite books that inform my work and career.
Once I had my list of needs, I thoughtfully surveyed my existing office storage for these items and where there were gaps, I looked for design friendly options to retain a simple, clean aesthetic.
Tip for your space
Track what you use and what you don’t use on your desk and in your office space. Write it down for a week. Then, edit and decide what you might supplement. Don’t order a 12-piece matching desk accessory set to display if you only use tape to wrap presents and you don’t wrap presents at work. Alternately, don’t get rid of all your office supplies because you’ve decided you’re a minimalist all of a sudden. This will help you evaluate and make meaningful low-risk investments like a fancy pair of scissors if you actually use scissors, or for me a pretty acrylic memo board that I will actually use every week. My sister is obsessed with the idea of buying a really heavy nice mug as a way to completely change your life for under $30.
Challenge #4
Ignoring ergonomic needs
Disclaimer: I haven’t completely solved for this one yet but I have made some progress and have some ideas. To be honest, I didn’t even think about this on the first pass.
solution
An ideal seated ergonomic setup is:
Chair: correct height has your knees level with your hips, thighs parallel to the floor and your feet flat on the floor, if they can’t reach you would have a stool to rest your feet. Your arms should rest naturally on your armrests with your shoulders relaxed.
Monitor Placement: arms-length away, eye-level or just below, tipped slightly down to reduce glare with the monitor directly behind your keyboard.
Keyboard and mouse: should be placed on the same surface, while using your wrists should be straight and your upper arms close to your body with your hands at or slightly below the level of your elbows.
Not perfect, but closer.
Apartment Therapy covers the mistakes they constantly see in office space design
Before
after
I made a few simple modifications to bring me closer to this ideal setup:
Added an acrylic riser to bring my laptop to eye-level
Purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse
Swapped back to a chair that has arm rests and is a better height fit. I am not quite ready to give into an office gamer chair, so we’re going to see how I feel with this setup to start.
Adjusted the placement of my monitor
In addition, I plan on exploring a comfortable and attractive seat pad and standing desk options. I do think no matter what minimal, shallow desks are going to pose a challenge to meet the exact requirements for ergonomic perfection.
Tip for your space
I have yet to settle on an exact standing desk option for my space but I know it’s something that I want to implement. This is equally a tip for my own space - give yourself a standing option. I know I am not a courageous full time standing desk person, but I would like the option and know that it will likely add years to my life to stand up every once in a while. These options are all affordable (under $150) standing desk options that also work well for smaller spaces:
I’m hoping that sharing the evolution, process and details will inspire you to keep chasing a space you love and learn from my experiences in the meantime. I am planning to do a deeper dive in future posts based on some the challenges you’ve shared including home office organization, my endless quest to get my Zoom lighting right and options for designing even the tiniest office spaces available to you. If you have a challenge I didn’t discuss, i’d love to hear about it.