Photography by Lisa Russman

While the trend toward fully remote or part-time work-from-home jobs is rising, the home office is also enjoying a revival of sorts in the design world. Interior design plans from the past several years have seen a decrease in dedicated home office space. As interior design and use of space have evolved, homeowners are looking to make better use of flexible spaces for work, play, and family activities. 

New homes increasingly have open-plan layouts that allow for flexible use of shared spaces, which can be utilized in many ways by those who work from home. And because homes are getting smaller, forgoing a dedicated office frees up valuable square footage to devote to other family priorities. 

Home Design Plans That Create Flexible Space
For many people who work away from the office, all they need is a place to sit, a reliable internet connection, and their thoughts. This can easily be accomplished in a wide variety of settings, including some away from home, like your local cafe, library, or park. Those with a more flexible workflow may decide that all they need at home is a desk to store documents and manage the clutter, or a place they can use from time to time for phone calls or video chats. 

In instances where you still want a dedicated space to work but do not necessarily need an entire room, a home office nook is becoming a popular trend. Everything from secluded corners to larger landings to space under the stairs can be enlisted to serve work needs. Or, how about repurposing the wardrobe your daughter has outgrown as a workspace? All you need is 20 square feet (or less), and voila! Instant office.

For couples that co-work as well as cohabitate, creating a shared workspace can be space-saving. And at the end of the workday, kids can also use this same space to practice music, do homework, or work on hobbies or crafts. A large island or farmhouse table, dedicated shelves or storage bins, and lots of outlets for portable electronics will suit everyone’s needs. 

When you need to be able to transition from work mode to family time quickly, hideaway or convertible furniture is a good choice. By day it is a desk, but after school, it folds away into a bookshelf or cupboard. You have the benefit of a space to call your own when needed which isn’t a permanent structure in your home.

When your home is small and bustling with noise from pets, kids, and media players, it is helpful to have a retreat that you can use from time to time to gather your thoughts, too. Some couples are embracing an office nook inside the master suite, which allows the adults to work in private while the kids have free reign of the rest of the home. This is the perfect interior design plan for when your teens and their friends seem to be everywhere all the time. 

The Future of Home Office Interior Design
As the generation of Millennials increasingly become homeowners, and the older generations reach retirement age, a different population is dictating home design trends. The rise of the gig economy, the ability to work from anywhere you have a reliable WIFI signal, and the shifting demands of “work” in general all have redefined what it means to “work” and “work from home.”  

The most important advice you can consider is to make sure that your home office space, whatever it may be, meets your needs and those of the others in your family. That’s your most important priority.

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