Photos Courtesy VM Concepts, Copenhagen and Robb & Stucky

As gas prices rise and
companies grow, more and more employees are beginning to work from home. Follow these design tips, and your home office will rival even the swankiest corporate suite.

Twenty years ago, the concept of telecommuting would seem as foreign as the concept of hybrid cars and energy-efficient light bulbs. But as the planet has warmed and freeways have grown more congested, some companies are allowing their employees to work from home – at least a few days a week. So, what does that mean for the home office? It’s simple – bigger rooms, plusher furniture, creative aesthetics and better gadgets.

For Fountain Hills-based designer Cheryl Sandella of Sandella Custom Builders and Interiors, the keys to current design are contemporary or Asian themes.

“Feng Shui and Zen ideas are also very popular,” she says.

When it comes to color palettes, Sandella recommends tones that inspire productivity and a sense of calm, like red, bronze, green and taupe.
 
Valerie Marcus of VM Concept agrees.
 
“Color is a very personal thing,” she says. “For example, some people find blue too cold and impersonal, while others find it uplifting and refreshing. In my work, the colors of the home office are an extension of the colorization of the rest of the home. Everything is not always the same color, but a family of colors that work well together – and always with a splash of the unexpected color somewhere for visual interest and excitement.”

Although it’s difficult to isolate a particular trend in home office design, Marcus adds that homeowners should emphasize finding a style that’s both comfortable and practical.

“The word ‘trend’ takes on new meaning today,” Marcus says. “Instead of following general tendencies, the trend is to go with a style you love. For some of my clients that translates into sleek and contemporary; for others, it is warm woods, rugs and fabrics; and for many, it is an eclectic mix. Comfort, function and versatility must be intrinsic to all styles.”

AND PERHAPS FUNCTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of home office design, given our tendency to spend hours on end on the phone, in front of the computer, shredding, faxing, bill paying and planning. What’s more, the ability to receive clients and visitors is of increasing importance, especially as more and more businesses are transitioning to home offices.

“The primary challenge for anyone’s home office is to be clever about creating proper spaces for machines (desktop computers, fax machines, phones, iPods, copiers, scanners, etc.) so they are immediately accessible, but not unsightly,” Marcus says. “Designing cabinetry to house the equipment allows you to close it up behind cabinet doors when not in use. The most helpful thing a client can do to prepare for a meeting with a designer is to have a list of all the technology/machines they require, with dimensions and information about how they use the equipment, so intelligent placement is built into the design. Good lighting and a comfortable, ergonomic desk chair are also important.”

Whether you prefer the sleek, contemporary lines of Copenhagen Imports’ furniture, or the solid American craftsmanship of Robb & Stucky’s designs, finding a good piece of office furniture is similar in many ways to finding the perfect automobile – it takes a few test drives.

At Copenhagen Imports, Dutch contemporary is the name of the game, and although the company’s home office furniture lacks the visual “what is that?” of an MC Escher print, the quality of each desk, chair and shelf is, in itself, surreal.

Most commonly constructed from cherry, maple or wenge, an exotic wood harvested from Zaire and other small countries of West Africa, Copenhagen’s home office furniture is easy on the eyes and the pocketbook.

Take, for example, the Mobelfabrik desk. Complete with a filing system and CPU storage component, the desk is compact enough to fit even the smallest home office, but large and sturdy enough to contain the detritus of a particularly stressful workday.
 
For a higher-end home office, visit Robb & Stucky, where the office items are as strikingly gorgeous as the upholstered furniture. Pay particular attention to the office concepts designed by design director Michael Scott. Comfortable and fashionable, they adhere to the standards established by both Marcus and Sandella.
 
Just as much as functional furniture is imperative, so too are electronics.
 
“Because a considerable amount of time is spent in home offices, some clients request amenities such as great sound systems, refrigerators and flat-screen televisions,” Marcus says.
 
And why wouldn’t they? If you’re at home and you have to work, you might as well make it as pleasant an experience as possible – even if that flat-screen is only to catch The Young & The Restless on your lunch break.
 
PM
— Kelly Kramer can be reached
at phxmag@citieswestpub.com.