This client recently began working from a home office and although the design of the room and built in desk are beautiful there were some issues with the functionality. The clients punch list included one part design and remodel and one part organization and efficiency. At our first meeting I took an assessment that included the following:
- Purchase a new larger monitor (which wouldn’t fit on the original desk top)
- Re-arrange & relocate artwork
- Rebuild or bring in a new/different desk
- Purchase paper shredder
- Eliminate clutter and create more desktop space
- Keyboard tray/desktop had no room for use of mouse
- More leg room
- TV viewing in room -better positioned seating
- Crowded (too much clutter)
- Inadequate lighting
- Space to store supplies
- Storage for important archival documents
- Implement/redesign filing system
Desk area before
Office before
Upon my return last week we discussed this “Punch list” and the client had made some decisions with some close advisement of family, myself and a contractor (in this case my husband who had done previous work for this client). They purchased a new computer, all in one printer and shredder, we redesigned the desk and had it remodeled to fit their needs exactly and re-arranged furniture and implemented new storage/filing solutions. Some furniture and other items were removed from the room or stored away, we brought in a second desk, relocated the sofa and additional seating opposite the TV and added lighting (on artwork, in the bookshelf/desk and an additional lamp). We sorted through paperwork and created storage for archival documents, cleared out unneeded papers and equipment, installed a binder filing system (more on this type of system to follow in a separate post) and used existing storage and furniture to store items needed in the office.
Office in progress
As usual for any organizing project there came a point mid way through where the room looked worse than when we began. In the photo above you can see the papers, boxes and clutter floating homeless in the room but at this point the furniture had been re-arranged to fit their needs and the desk was in the midst of being remodeled. This project was done in about 4-5 days. Part of the fun of this was that my husband and I worked as a team and he did the remodeling, lighting installation assisted with installation of all the new technology (computer, relocating phones/modems, printer etc). In fact we worked so well together that we are thinking of trying more projects as a team in the future. The results speak for them self (I think:)
Office-second desk with printer after
Desk after
Office desk after
Office after
It’s not every project that comes together so quickly and efficiently. We had a successful week and I’ll be following up (as I always do with my clients) to be sure that the new space and systems we installed are working well. I’m not only proud of how beautiful this room is (which I certainly can’t take total credit for!) but also how well it will now function but customizing and thinking through all this clients needs.
Great Design is all about Form + Function!
Do you balance form and function as you design your spaces or do you lean more heavily towards one or the other?