Inspiration Starts at Home
By Carmen Walsh

Imagine a workspace that provides comfort, enough privacy to focus yet a feeling of connection to the overall environment and inspires creativity. Nowhere are such wishes more carefully considered than in the design of a home office. So where better to seek ideas for a traditional work setting?

"With home offices, people have a clear idea of how they work most comfortably," says Joe Day, designer, of Los Angeles-based Deegan-Day Design LLC. "They tend to be more experimental." As an example, he talked about the seating in his home office, which includes a couch as well as Aeron chairs tailored to fit a person's body. In contrast to a typical office environment, where "you're often making due" with what's available, Day soon noticed the value of the high-end seats he selected. "I got so accustomed to being comfortable, I noticed I worked better and longer," he says.
Other designers agree.

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Donna Vining
"Contented employees are producing employees," says Donna Vining, FASID, of Vining Design Associates, Inc. in Houston. "When the user is able to create their own work environment, they usually are more productive and happy."

Office environments can take cues from innovative home offices, from chairs to lighting.
At the home office of Doug Suisman, FAIA, principal of Suisman Urban Design in Santa Monica, Calif., natural light was "absolutely key." North-facing windows provide ample light and having multiple windows helps to balance the light entering the office over the course of the day. To reduce glare on computer monitors caused by a South-facing window, Suisman implemented a light shelf; he calculated the extreme sun angles and built a bookshelf that helps to redirect light onto the ceiling.

Space is another consideration optimized in home offices.
"What really facilitates things is how organized all of your material is," Day says. The lion's share of his and his wife's home office went into shelving and filing. Their shelving system comes from Dieter Rams, designed by Vitsoe Ltd., "a beautiful track shelving system designed in the 1960s that incorporates shelving into the actual plan of the room," he says. The lower shelves are 13 inches deep (to accommodate design books) while the upper shelves are scaled back. "This really maximizes the wall area, and it determines the character of the room in a lot of ways," Day says.
Suisman saves on space by digitizing his practice as much as possible, decreasing the amount of storage space needed.

When it comes to décor, home offices have more room for expressionism. "At home, you tend to have intensely personal art, whereas at the workplace, you often include achievements of the company as artwork," Day says.
"When you are working at home, you are more intensely aware of what you like to be around when you work," says Day, noting that he prefers to limit distractions.
Over time, Day's home office has become more rather than less domestic. The space is split between the desk and a comfortable couch and chair where he and his wife often sit and talk. At his work studio, there is a magnified version of a dining table where he and his coworkers meet. "I think 'zoning' different activities, rather than trying to do everything in the same place, really helps," he says.
Because of the extreme comfort of his home office, Day says the environment is inspiring.
"I like working at home," he says. "It's definitely the place where I get my thoughts together most clearly; this is where things germinate."

Employee Friendly Zone

When H. Hendy Associates of Newport Beach, Calif., was selected to design the 13,600 square foot open office space of Workplace Resourse, an Orange County business furnishings showroom and certified Herman Miller dealer, the firm's designers decided to break the project up into zones.

Staying true to the Herman Miller corporate philosophy of building a space that blends functionality with design, H. Hendy created the Hosting Zone, Discovery Zone and Product Zone as areas where products on display are in daily use by employees. As its name implies, the Hosting Zone is a greeting area where the goal is to "make the client feel instantly comfortable, and at the same time create a certain level of intrigue and curiousity," says H. Hendy associate designer Sydney Eagan. A series of connected conference rooms lead clients next to the Discovery Zone, where technology is employed to stimulate interest in products and encourage conversation between customers and sales associates. Finally, the Product Zone showcases the Herman Miller product line, some in use by Workplace Resource employees.

Throughout, warm, natural colors are accessorized with wave walls, hanging translucent panels, bamboo floors and rich fabrics.
"The response from our clients has been wonderful," says Anne Alex, president of Workplace Resource. "The average showroom visit is half an hour, while our clients spend an average of two hours in this space. This has translated into a higher sales closing ratio. The design of the space really contributes to the success we have enjoyed.