Many of us are spending at least some of the week working from home if not the majority of our time. Creating a space at home that is comfortable, organized, and special is super important to me.

I love the work area we created in the photo above for a family in their townhouse. The double height space gave us the opportunity to play with scale and proportion. The shelves cascade around the walnut “work box” and provide a home for all of our client’s books and accessories. For many of us, a big part of the COVID adjustment is working or schooling in close quarters with our families. I always try to communicate my schedule and expectations, and make sure to hear theirs.

If your work area is out in the open, I recommend putting away all of your work things after business hours. Corral them on a tray so they can easily be stored until tomorrow. I always try to keep distractions to a minimum. That means, sometimes turning off my phone in order to focus on my work at hand.

With some schools only open part-time and others remaining completely virtual, many homes are becoming classrooms. All you need is a table and comfortable seating. This is a great alcove we created in a client’s library for game playing but can easily double as a productive work space.

I like to jump start my day with exercise so that I feel energized from the get go. I often take a brisk walk around my neighborhood. The fresh air always wakes me up. Everyone’s routine is different but my goal is to feel motivated and focused to start the work day. I decided to locate this client’s desk in front of their floor to ceiling windows in order to take advantage of the exhilarating views. I don’t think anyone could tire of this!

I’ve found that having a designated work area can make it much easier to focus. Ideally, I like to work in a room where I can shut the door to eliminate outside noise. I make sure to have all the supplies I need and that my space is uber organized. I find this to be essential since I am splitting my time between my home and office.

It is nice to wind down my day by spending quality time with my family. After all, having time altogether is a silver lining in this pandemic.