Home Office Basics

With many of us either bringing work home or working out of our house, a truly functional home office has become a necessity.  There is a lot of science, including space planning and ergonomics, that is used to make a space workable outside of placing a Wal-Mart workstation in the corner.  Follow most, if not all, of these tips and you’ll be using your space effectively plus reduce stress and fatigue.

Your home should start with about four linear feet and there is a reason:  basic office chairs need 24 inches and the smallest file cabinets are 12 inches wide.  Flank an opening for your knees with two 12 inch cabinets and Bam! - you are at four feet.   Anything under four feet becomes cramped, lacks file and/or drawer space and likely will be overtaken by today’s paperwork!

The desk depth could come into play as well.  A traditional office desk is a minimum of 24 inches deep.  Depending  on the depth of the adjacent walls, you may not want a deep desktop to avoid room blockage.   Eighteen inches is as small as I would allow for a useful space.

The actual desktop surface is also key.  Will you be using it for general writing, bill paying, etc?  Then a melamine or laminate top will work fine.  If you are using for crafts, say scrapbooking, the hammering and cutting would likely damage a softer surface.  Though pricey, invest once in a solid surface such as Corian or granite so you don’t have to replace it.  The color palettes of Corian and granite also allow for a nice contrast to, or tie-in, the room’s décor.  Remember:  30-32” is the standard height from the ground for good ergonomics.

 If the wall above the desk space is available, either open shelving or cabinets can be hung to maximize storage.  Most custom home office providers will match the style and width to the base cabinets.  I often put crown molding on top of the upper cabinets to provide a finished, and much more built-in, look.

Nearly every home office has a computer.  Laptops take up their room while desktops vary greatly in size and shape.  Even the printers, fax, scanner, copier and assorted modems will use valuable space.  Call a local custom closet, such as Closet Tailors, or office organization company as they can recommend proper spacing and options to manage your peripherals.

Most homes do have the space to place a small home office that can act as the communication center, mail room and computer work station.  Follow some of the tips above and you can make yours a reality!

Check Your Hardware Too!

Closet hardware may be an afterthought when considering an upgrade to your storage systems, but it does impact structural strength as well as add a touch of class if done right. The poles, handles, shelf pins and drawer slides all can impact the look and cost. Here are a few things to consider when discussing your options with a custom storage system expert:

Color
Most storage system providers will offer a few basic colors. Most likely, they will offer up a polished or matte silver as that is by far the most popular. Brass and a dark brown with the industry name of “oil rubbed bronze” are also popular choices. Of course, you can ask them to source handles to match the style of the nearby room’s cabinets or furniture. If you have a child’s room needing bright colors, there are plastic covers for underlying steel that may tie the rest of the room together.

Materials
All modern storage systems use metal poles of some sorts. They may be steel, plastic coated steel, chrome-plated steel or my favorite, aluminum. Generally the handles and shelf pins will be a matching material the coordinate the look. The aluminum poles are wider (1 5/16”) and have far less weight while carrying as much or more clothing. I would avoid any support material made of plastic as time will take its toll.

Finish
Polished, matte or oil rubbed bronze are your choices for the most part. We use matte finish unless requested as it does not scuff or show any inadvertent scratches. It is rare that any component would show any wear and tear, but matte finish provides a bit more protection. Some inlaid pulls have wide color variations, so make sure it matches the rest of the hardware.

Size
Chrome poles usually are an inch in diameter while aluminum usually is 1 5/16”. The handles range from a minimum of 3” (to accommodate your hand width) on up to 18” for the refrigerator look. There is no right or wrong on size. Just insure the handle’s screw separation is no larger than the face you try to attach it to. Consult with your storage professional on the allowable widths for your design.

Style
There are literally tens of thousands different styles of handles, shapes and themes to compliment any whim. I’ve seen starfish, Star Wars and Broadway star samples, so don’t let your imagination limit what you’d like the end result to look like. Hafele, SIRO Design and Keeler are all reputable and have a wide variety to choose from.

If you plan to provide a specialty handle, such as bamboo or oversized lengths, confirm your design can accommodate them and installers have the right tools. Closet Tailors has all of the experience needed to make your closet as personal, so contact them or other storage system professional in your area!

Murphy Beds Are Popular Again!

The stogy Murphy bed has now become a stylish staple of the multi-purpose room these days. With empty nesters or locations with high visitor counts (can you say FL in the winter?), making use of the extra rooms for things other than dusty collections of furniture only makes sense!

Murphy Beds were originally devised and patented in 1916 by William Murphy as a space saver for small rooms. As homes, hotels and even military locations were working on European standards, rooms were made smaller which allowed for higher densities. In actuality, it made for cramped spaces and thus the beginning of the “multi-purpose” room.

The Murphy bed as we know it usually is part of a larger wall system that incorporates shelving, drawers, full cabinets and sometimes televisions or entertainment centers. Needing a minimum of 16” depth to allow for a standard 10.5” high mattress, a custom closet or Murphy bed professional can devise substantial storage options if additional wall space is available.

The beds are sized based upon the single, double, queen and king size mattresses that can be bought at any bedding store. Mattress height is key and you should consult with your Murphy bed provider for their exact specifications. There are several options that could affect the allowable mattress height, such as spring tension and side panel materials, so do not stray from the specs.

The beauty of the Murphy bed is that it frees up so much space once closed. I have several clients that use the room as a workout space, home office and library when the bed is not in use. By adding drawers, shelves and possibly a clothes hamper, one could eliminate most of the furniture in what is likely a small room to begin with. If the side cabinets are 24” deep, you could have your clothes stored behind doors. That would allow whatever closet space there is to be converted into something used daily such as entertainment center or home office.

Murphy bed systems are also stylish with a wide array of finishes and colors. Most providers will come close to, if not match, existing furniture. We’ve installed dark cherry, white, maple and a few in-between colors to the customer’s delight!

For anyone needing to maximize the usefulness of a spare room, a Murphy bed will be a key component. Contact a local Murphy bed company or custom closet provider, such as Closet Tailors, to see how you can make double use of your room!