Are you considering the possibility of including a home office in your new custom home on Sanibel Island? If so, it’s important to consider where it will fit best in your home, how you will use the space and what features are important to you. Sometimes, it takes a little inspiration to create the perfect design plan. Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Center the Desk

Centering your desk in the room frees up wall space for office essentials like bookcases and windows. It also allows you to situate your office chair at the perfect vantage point to take advantage of the amazing views in Sanibel, Naples or Captiva. It does, however, create one easily solvable problem: How do you keep all your cords from becoming an eyesore or a tripping hazard? If you know you want this type of configuration for the furniture in your workspace, the solution is simple. Build outlets into the office floor in the spot where you want to place your desk. That way, you’ll be able to plug in your computer, peripherals, desk lamp and other accessories without having a mess of cords running across the floor.

2. Create a Home Office Lounge

Of course, you need a desk and other office furniture in your workspace. What about including a comfortable lounge area too — perhaps a sumptuous armchair or a cushioned window seat? Situate it under a large bay window, and open it up to enjoy the refreshing and relaxing sea breeze. You’re likely to be more productive if you have ample space allocated for pondering, reflection and relaxed phone conversations.

3. Tailor the Furnishings

Choose a desk and shelving that are exactly the right size and shape for the space. For some, this might involve bringing in a small corner chair. Others might prefer a larger armoire and custom built-ins. Think about both how you’ll use the space and how larger or smaller furniture will make it feel when making this decision.

4. Maximize a Nook

If your custom home consists of a smaller footprint, that doesn’t mean you have to forgo an office space. You can transform a small bit of otherwise wasted space in a kitchen, bedroom or hallway into a home “command center” featuring a docking station, desk and organizers for mail and other essentials. While this might not be the idea space for office conference calls, you can use it for many different purposes – both work related and to keep your family organized.

5. Incorporate the Office into a Guest Room

Another idea for the home that doesn’t have room for a dedicated office space is to multipurpose one room in the house. Perhaps your spare bedroom has enough space for both a desk and a bed. If so, you can use it as both an office and a guest bedroom with the addition of a corner desk and futon or Murphy bed.

6. Make Space for an Idea Board

A cork board, white board, chalk board or other bulletin board is a productive use of wall space if you want a place to write your to do lists or pin ideas for your work in progress. An alternative to this idea that serves the same purpose is to paint one wall with chalkboard paint. This is particularly helpful if your office will be used for creative work.

7. Include Two Work Stations

If more than one person will be using the office, consider including two or more desks. That way, two children can both work on homework in the space, or two adults can collaborate on a project easily.

8. Customize a Corner Desk

There are unlimited ways to customize the desk in your office, but a corner desk is one of the most efficient types of designs to consider. You can organize multiple projects on a corner desk. Multi-tasking is easy; you just roll your chair over to the right spot and get to work.

9. Create a Workspace in an Outbuilding

If your property has a freestanding garage, shed or other outbuilding, consider using part or all of the structure for your office space. Any of these types of buildings could be transformed into an artist’s workshop, writer’s studio, musician’s practice space or other creative workspace.

If you’d like us to help you implement any of these ideas in a new custom home, we invite you to contact us. Whether you want to design a custom new beach house in Sanibel or simply add on a room to create your home office, we can help. Our team of experts is at your service and ready to discuss your ideas.