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What Do Home Office Designers Do?

Misty Amber Brighton
Misty Amber Brighton

Should a homeowner need to develop a workspace at home, he or she may call on the services of home office designers. Designers help turn an existing room into a home office. They also try to determine the best way to create office space in a section of a living room or dining room when there is no existing room available. This could involve making sure telephone and computer lines are accessible and that there is adequate lighting available. In some instances, they may suggest home office decor or help with organizing this space to make its use more efficient.

Some homeowners have a special room that may be intended for use as office space. Other times, a spare bedroom or utility room might be used instead. Home office designers sometimes look at the overall floor plan of a home and then try to determine which room is better suited for workspace. Some of the things that are considered include the number of people in a household and size of the room.

Home office designers help homeowners develop a workspace at home.
Home office designers help homeowners develop a workspace at home.

If there is no room to dedicate to this space, the designer could plan how to use a corner of a larger room for an office. This often involves rearranging furniture, building walls, or creating folding panels for privacy. When creating office space in an existing room, home office designers are sometimes faced with challenges when it comes to hooking up equipment such as computers and fax machines. This means these professionals may have to run telephone or cable lines to this area. Lighting is also a problem in dark corners, so a designer often chooses table lamps to illuminate this work area.

Home office designers might design a quiet, separate space in the home to promote a healthy working environment.
Home office designers might design a quiet, separate space in the home to promote a healthy working environment.

Those working in home offices can sometimes need to meet with clients or guests, and if this is the case, the right decor can be very important. In some instances, home office designers serve as interior decorators for this space. They might help with choosing home office furnishings or suggest accessories that help achieve a certain look. These workers could also help match paint, wallpaper, and carpeting samples whenever the office is being remodeled.

Home office designers can give tips on how to create a professional workspace at home.
Home office designers can give tips on how to create a professional workspace at home.

Furniture used in a home office not only needs to be attractive, but functional as well. Home office designers typically consider the type of work being done, the available space, and the type of supplies stored there when selecting pieces. They may also suggest rearranging the furniture to make it more efficient or they could simply help managers with home office organization in general.

Discussion Comments

backdraft

I have a room in my basement that is finished. I think it would make a great home office and I have been working from home a lot lately so my need for one is getting kind of urgent. My problem is that I can't decide whether I need to hire a home office designer or just go out and buy some furniture myself and set it up in the most convenient and logical way possible.

Does anyone have any advice? I am not looking for a beautiful or perfect office but at the same time I realize that I am no interior designer. If you saw the rest of my house you might immediately insist that I hire an office designer. But maybe this is just a waste of money for a space that I am mostly going to sit around in in my pajamas.

jonrss

Lots of people might think that they are cut out to be home office designers or to work as some kind of other interior designers. They look around their own homes and they watch the shows on TV and they assume that anyone can do it and that they even have a flare for it. Let me be the first to tell you that you would probably make a lousy interior decorator.

It takes a lot more skills and expertise than you would expect. You have to understand design, space, pricing, customer relations, spot trends and, most importantly, be critical of your own work. This is where so many talented people get tripped up, they cannot see their own mistakes.

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    • Home office designers help homeowners develop a workspace at home.
      By: Iriana Shiyan
      Home office designers help homeowners develop a workspace at home.
    • Home office designers might design a quiet, separate space in the home to promote a healthy working environment.
      By: japolia
      Home office designers might design a quiet, separate space in the home to promote a healthy working environment.
    • Home office designers can give tips on how to create a professional workspace at home.
      By: terex
      Home office designers can give tips on how to create a professional workspace at home.