Whether people are starting their own businesses, paying monthly bills or have been sent home by their companies, home offices are cropping up in every walk of life and in many different forms. Recently, Wilsonart® International identified several people who run not your run-of-the-mill businesses out of their homes and set out to make their work environments more productive.
With professional design help and a lot of input from the owners, Wilsonart identified problems, opportunities and desires, and created some innovative spaces that are making working at home a whole new experience for these individuals. The two home offices featured here reflect the space, ergonomic and workflow needs of unique home-based business that go beyond the basic L-shaped desk.
- Ancient Sun: a home-based business designing and creating jewelry for selling to the trade.
The challenge was to create a workspace that effectively accommodates the diverse activities that take place in the work area: administrative; jewelry design and production; sales; inventory and raw materials storage; display; reference and file storage; office equipment; shipping; and receiving. Workspace must accommodate up to four people at one time for production with ergonomic seating and task lighting.
The design concept for this project was a natural result of the designers' desire to combine a visually stimulating space for jewelry design with the necessary functional aspects of production and supply. The challenge was accomplishing this in less than 400 square feet. The designers explored the possibilities of expanding the space by focusing on scale, form, color and light.
The jewelry theme is the unifying element for the design. This theme flows throughout and can be seen in even the smallest details. From the sleek metal hardware to the quirky crown molding, the designers create an unexpected, high-tech working environment.
The color palette was chosen to complement the jewel tones of the desert southwest. Designers working in New Mexico are intensely aware of color because of the quality of light. Color becomes a very important, and in this project, a fun element. Shapes and forms are the designers fanciful interpretations of some of the client's jewelry designs. Large-scale furniture components expand the almost square dimensions of the space, while scale reflects the energetic and dynamic personalities of the clients. The jewel-like sparkle from the halogen light sources enhances the total design.
- Choo-Choos Trains n' More: A home-based retail business selling, buying and repairing toy trains. Located in a former garage, combined store and office are open to walk-in customers and by appointment; sales and service also are provided over the telephone.
The challenge was to create a workspace that stands up to and accommodates the diverse activities that take place in the work area without losing storage space. Work space needed adequate trauma-resistant countertop space with well-defined areas to prevent overflow of work from one space to another, as well as easy access to tools, parts and supplies. Shelving was needed for displaying train sets plus a display table for demonstrating trains. The client also desired an area where customers/guests can comfortably "hang out" and interact with the proprietor while keeping in mind customers' safety, especially children. Ergonomic seating and adequate lighting was a must.
The Santa Fe train engine's classic war bonnet design, featuring black, yellow and red stripes against a metal background, served as the design inspiration for this office/retail space. The three stripes are interpreted as the top three shelves on the slat wall wrapping around the space, while the metal is interpreted using gray and metal on vertical and horizontal surfaces. At the back of the space, the work area features red laminate symbolic of the classic caboose.
