Ask anyone who works out of a home office and they91裸聊视频檒l tell you the same thing: they can get a lot accomplished, but they have to be disciplined. And creating a great space to work within can help with both.
For some, a home-work environment is the only way to make any kind of work possible. Sarah Reid, runs her online art print gallery, , out of her home office in the Gorge Tillicum area and loves the fact that she can roll out of bed, make a cup of coffee and be at work right away. She recently renovated the second bedroom in her house to convert it into an office with great lighting and large desks where she can cut and frame her art.
91裸聊视频淚 bought my house three years ago and loved the room that91裸聊视频檚 now my office because it has great light,91裸聊视频� she recalled. 91裸聊视频淏ut it also had forest green carpet and a horrible lighting fixture.91裸聊视频�
Newly remodelled, the home office works well for her now that it91裸聊视频檚 been repainted, outfitted with new flooring and baseboards and had a new light fixture installed. The challenge now is making sure she gets out of the house enough.
91裸聊视频淚 can spend all day in my office which can be a disadvantage,91裸聊视频� she admitted. 91裸聊视频淢y office is right next to the bedroom and I can work 12 hours straight without even thinking about it. I have to consciously build healthy patterns into my day to make sure I have breakfast, go to yoga, take a walk and have social time with friends. If I didn91裸聊视频檛 it would be easy to put my head down and spend all day by myself.91裸聊视频�
Because Sarah prints, frames, packages and ships right from her office, the space needs to be functional. But she91裸聊视频檚 added a few touches to make its environment more approachable.
91裸聊视频淭he studio is full of records,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淢usic is a huge part of my life. There is nothing more perfect than printing art late at night with wine and records. Plus, flipping records is a great excuse to get up from the computer.91裸聊视频�
Working from home can make it challenging to separate work life from home life because the two become so closely intertwined. But it91裸聊视频檚 a luxury to work from the comfort of your home, says Larry Myers, an interior and exterior designer with .
91裸聊视频淚 started working out of a home office 15 years ago for practicality, lifestyle and convenience,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 have any staff and I don91裸聊视频檛 need a commercial space. So it made sense to work out of my home in Esquimalt.91裸聊视频�
Recently he renovated his home and opened up his living spaces. These days he91裸聊视频檚 working out of the great room, a main living area that includes the kitchen, dining room and living area. It contains a workstation with a desk and chair which is all Myers needs, since he works in a CAD computer environment with no need for paper or supportive materials.
| Designer Larry Myers in his home office tucked into an alcove off of his kitchen (Don Denton photograph) |
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a lovely convenience and luxury to working from home,91裸聊视频� he admitted. 91裸聊视频淔rom my home office I look out to a beautiful exterior landscape and love gazing outside. I91裸聊视频檓 not tied down to specific hours or a specific office station and I can work when I91裸聊视频檓 inspired to do so. But you have to be disciplined, organized and efficient to manage a transition from a commercial office space to a residential one. If you succeed, working from home can be a more efficient use of your time 91裸聊视频� and allow you the flexibility to have a more balanced lifestyle.91裸聊视频�
, a professional ceramics artist and single mom of children ages 10 and 14, built her entire home around her second floor ceramics studio when she moved to the Victoria neighbourhood of Fairfield eight years ago.
91裸聊视频淚 need to have my work space at home so I can accommodate parenting and control drying times for my art,91裸聊视频� she reflected. 91裸聊视频淎t this stage in my life, it91裸聊视频檚 perfect.91裸聊视频�
Samantha91裸聊视频檚 750-square-foot studio was designed to capture maximum light and engineered to withstand the weight of two large kilns and heavy clay.
91裸聊视频淲e added concrete floors, drainage and extraction ventilation specifically so I could have a healthy, safe home with the kind of work space I need,91裸聊视频� she explained. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 such an inspiring space and I love working there. My studio has bog windows through which I get a lot of sunshine and a view of the trees. In between my domestic responsibilities I91裸聊视频檓 able to get a lot done in there.91裸聊视频�
There are drawbacks to working from home as an artist and Samantha is the first to admit it.
91裸聊视频淢y work life is very interrupted by my responsibilities to drop my kids off at school or at dance. Also, I91裸聊视频檓 very isolated by spending so much time at home. If I worked artistically in an environment where there were multiple studios and lots of different artists I91裸聊视频檇 be surrounded by a community of people who mutually influence each other91裸聊视频檚 work and provide each other with creative touchstones. That would be ideal, but it91裸聊视频檚 not always practical, particularly if you91裸聊视频檙e parenting.91裸聊视频�
| Ceramic artist Samatha Dickie in her office on a landing outside her studio (Don Denton photograph) |
For now she finds a compromise to the isolation by making an effort to be involved in creative endeavours outside the home. Samantha does creative workshops at her children91裸聊视频檚 elementary school, participates in residency programs and shows her work in exhibitions.
91裸聊视频淲henever possible I try to work collaboratively and balance my year between doing residential design work, teaching and my own studio work.91裸聊视频�
, a registered designer with lawrie keo in Victoria worked with freelance writer Claudia de Veaux on designing her home office. (See tips below).
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e worked in a variety of spaces 91裸聊视频� from a cramped laundry room to a vast warehouse,91裸聊视频� says Claudia. 91裸聊视频淚 discovered it didn91裸聊视频檛 matter what the environment, if I had a big desk with lots of surface, I was happy and productive. So once I figured out how to maximize the desk size for this space, everything else fell into place.91裸聊视频�
She added: 91裸聊视频淲orking at home can be distracting, so I made sure my office was fun and inviting. Lots of art, memorabilia, and the garden view keep me in my seat even when I91裸聊视频檓 feeling restless!91裸聊视频�
| Writer Claudia de Veaux with her dog Rody in her Oak Bay home office (Don Denton photograph) |
Outfitting Your Home Office
If you91裸聊视频檙e thinking about transitioning to a work-from-home environment, give yourself the best shot at it by approaching it strategically and methodically. Lawrie Keogh, with Gabriel Ross, offers these tips to setting up the ultimate home office:
飦� Ensure your office is a comfortable space where you91裸聊视频檒l want to spend long periods of time.
飦� Add art, a comfortable chair in the corner and something that makes the space personally and distinctly yours.
飦� If you91裸聊视频檒l be at a computer all day long, invest in an ergonomically comfortable desk and a chair that91裸聊视频檚 height adjustable.
飦� Pay attention to the quality of light in your home office so you will have visual relief from a computer screen and no glare. Invest in window coverings if necessary and ensure you have good ambient lighting.
飦� Ensure there91裸聊视频檚 good shelving or storage if you need to access resource documents in binders or boxes.
飦� Examine your workflow needs so you can consider what kind of furniture you91裸聊视频檒l need.
- Story Lauren Kramer
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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