Bay Area Home Remodeling Including Bathroom and Kitchen Remodeling in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto ...

Home Office/Guest Space

How many of us scrambled to find a space inside our homes to set up a home office when the COVID-19 pandemic made working from home the norm?

The rarely used guest room was the most logical place for many home-based employees, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have family and friends visit us anymore. To have a space that allows you to have a productive workday while also accommodating occasional out-of-town visitors, you need a plan. You’ll want plenty of desk space integrated into the room, but you also need to preserve floor space for a guest bed. You could consider converting the closet into a desk area, so you don’t take away any square footage. This space would also allow for storage and organization of equipment and files that can be hidden when you have visitors.

The office/guest room should have sufficient electrical connections for computers, phone chargers, and any equipment you need. Make sure you also have a strong internet connection in any room you will be using for work. However, you don’t need to worry about the bed being in the background for Zoom calls, as you can easily install a range of virtual backgrounds or blur the background in your Zoom settings.

The kitchen and family room areas are often utilized for this purpose. You can set up the island for a spot where kids can eat quick snacks or meals and do their homework. If you don’t already have electrical outlets installed on your island, it makes sense to install them now so laptops can be easily plugged in.

You can also dedicate one of the kitchen cabinets as a storage space for school supplies. If you have an island with cabinets on both sides, the overhang side of the island is a perfect place for them. Worst case, if your kitchen is big enough, you could replace your current island with one that has additional cabinets configured to your needs. Having your kids in or near the kitchen also makes it easier to keep them on task while you’re cooking dinner.

A basement or bonus room is a great place to watch movies and relax, but it’s also an excellent place for a home gym. For this space to work, you could create “zones” for seating, exercise equipment, and a television.

Ventilation is also essential, so the room smells fresh when you are not using it to work out.