i+D - September/October 2018 - 60

Living by
Design
Home
Offices

Work/Life Balance
Chicago-based interior designer Susan Brunstrum, principal of Studio
Brunstrum, says, "A home office space is a 'given' now, even in newly
built, luxury rental apartments." But, when working at home, "personal
boundaries can be an issue. The place you use as an office can be an entire
room, a closet, a nook, or just a corner, but it must be defined as your
workspace. Using the kitchen counter or master-bedroom bed blurs
the line between work and other activities, so the space becomes shared
and multifunctional. To be your most creative, productive, efficient self,
the space must be your own."
Headquartered in Calgary, Melinda Richardson, principal of Premise Design,
notes, "Ideally, the home office is located so that it can be hidden from the
rest of the home. But, that can't always happen. When it's exposed...I focus
on solutions to deal with clutter. Sometimes, that means a secretary desk
so [my client] can 'leave work' by folding up their desktop and hiding it from
view. That simple act of closing something can be the trigger to switch to
personal time."
Last, and agreed upon by the other interviewees, she says, "It's imperative
that pieces coordinate with the rest of the home so they blend in, helping the
client to not feel assaulted by seeing their office space during personal time."
But, "it's easy to get distracted-laundry, dishes, young children-when
you're 'at work,' in the home," says Jolanda Slagmolen-Flores, co-owner
and general manager of Casa Flores Custom Cabinetry, also in Calgary.
"On the other hand, when you're 'at home' you can be tempted to tackle
work commitments if they're sitting right in front of you. The best solution,
of course, is to have a space conducive to getting your work done, and, most
important, to be able to hide everything away-printer, laptop, paper, etc.-
when finished for the day."
It sounds good, but many studies show a down side. One, revealed
in the "The State of Remote Work 2018" report from research firm Buffer,
found that while "90 percent of remote workers plan on working remotely
for the rest of their careers," loneliness (21 percent), collaborating and/or
communicating (21 percent), and distractions at home (16 percent) are
their biggest struggles.
One way to lessen the feeling of loneliness is broached by Brunstrum.
"Often, we place two desks (his/hers) in one office. It's a question of
space, the work being done, and functionality, of course, but it can help."

Clever storage systems in home offices
can maximize every inch of space.
(Image: Casa Flores Custom Cabinetry)

A smaller space
can become an
ideal home
office-especially
when it is carefully
designed to
maximize the
floor plan.
(Image: Premise Design)

60

Sleek furnishings that
incorporate natural materials
and encourage proper form
can make the home office
a more comfortable place.
(Image: Knoll)

Ergonomics
and Research
"Our philosophy is to approach design from a functional,
problem-solving perspective," Humanscale's Vardar explains.
"Throughout the product life cycle, we work closely with
our team of in-house, board-certified ergonomists, as well
as rigorously prototype and perform user-testing to ensure
unparalleled quality and performance. Sustainability, too,
is a huge part of our mission...from the very beginning of
the design process."
"We are the Vancouver Island Herman Miller dealer," says
Taft, "and look to them for innovation and new product.
Herman Miller is first and foremost a research and design
firm. And, as they say, 'Every real design solution begins
with research,' which ranges from the study of the body-
movement, muscles, etc.-to the six fundamental human
needs: achievement, autonomy, belonging, purpose, security,
and status. This approach means we always have something
new, like the soon-to-launch Cosm chair."
Continuing on the topic of research, Somers of Knoll says
"we conducted a number of studies prior to introducing the
Generation chair. One was a video of people working at their
desks. At first, they sat posture-perfect. As they forgot about
us, however, they began to relax and sit as they normally
would, cross-legged, leaning backwards, hunching forward,
one leg over an armrest, an arm over the back, etc. The
chair performs perfectly because its elastic design and
eco-friendly material innovations respond to user movement-
an engineering detail resulting from the research. By the
same measure, our research into the contemporary workplace
resulted in our collaboration with David Rockwell to introduce
his Rockwell Unscripted furniture."
Another important research topic is lighting, according to
Vardar. "Our latest research is looking at the benefits of
biological lighting for enhanced health and wellness at work.
So far, we've developed a few prototypes with lighting
technology designed to increase productivity by mimicking
the physiological effects of sunlight. This effect offers health
benefits, thanks to improved circadian rhythms and hormone
regulation in the body. Biological lighting could help people
feel healthier, happier, and more productive," she explains.
i+D - September/October 2018

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