Home Office Meets Lifestyle

+ Story by Nicole Burdick

Here in the West, mountain living and the home office have become synergistic. As the professional and personal merge, the office may be the most important room in the house, balancing style, autonomy and work flow to foster productivity and efficiency.

For her workspace, Renée Dietrich chose Marmoleum flooring; lively and creative tangerine orange paint; and stressed, black alder cabinetry, maximizing space for fabric and gadgets. Full spectrum lighting is easy on the eyes and brings out the true colors in her work.

In this, the information and service age, families, full-time professionals and the semi-retired have found interesting ways to honor their lifestyle while accommodating their work. Here in the West, mountain living and the home office have become synergistic. As the professional and personal merge, the office may be the most important room in the house, balancing style, autonomy and work flow to foster productivity and efficiency.

Renée and Steven Dietrich exemplify the mountain home/office fusion. The couple made their Driggs, Idaho, vacation home into a primary residence. He, ready to move beyond the corporate life, took his investing expertise to a new level and started his own company. She, passionate about sewing and domestic comfort, turned a hobby into a business, making custom faux fur throws. They are now putting the finishing touches on a full-scale remodel.

"When Steven started working from home, we quickly realized I also needed a space to fulfill my own sense of focus and purpose," says Renée. In order to accommodate administrative business and family tasks, plus sewing machines, her office blends technology with a quotidian sense of style. Often, Renée sews in front of the office flat screen or listens to her beloved satellite radio. Awash with light and mountain views, her office provides a getaway from the hubbub of the living areas.

Foremost, home offices should make sense. Strategy is key. Consider how you move from point A to point B. What is your work style? The first step to home office bliss: compose a list of personal habits and preferences. In "Home Office Solutions: Creating the Space that Works for You," author Lisa Kanarek notes that “collectors” should consider storage space while those “bouncing ball,” distracted types should choose closed cabinetry rather than shelves. Eliminate clutter and take advantage of dual-feature technology, cutting down on equipment, space and electricity.

Ergonomics—Greek, ergon for work and nomoi for natural laws—is an applied science that regards all factors of the work environment as they relate to human capabilities. And for those who spend a lot of time in an office chair, ergonomics are probably more important than most of us realize. Keep the neck from protruding toward the screen and sit with the knees a little lower than the hips to maintain the natural double C curvature of the spine.

Crescent H home office by Gallinger Trauner Designs. Garth Dowling photo

Crescent H home office by Gallinger Trauner Designs. Garth Dowling photo

But for some, the home office is more than just a place at home to get work done. For the second-homeowner, the home office may be the primary office when working remotely. Cheryl Gallinger, of Gallinger Trauner Designs, describes some of the home offices she has helped clients with as “the executive suite away from the office.” Much more than just a transformed room or shared space in the home, the executive suite can become the office of tomorrow while exuding the personal style of its inhabitant. The latest in technology, including computers, Internet and networking solutions, and audio/video components—often all tied together—melds with the finest in interior design to create a fully functional space that can be both a refuge during work and private time as well as a place to exhibit one’s personal side to guests while entertaining.

A home office often reflects your work style, personality and the nature of your business, whether it’s clean or cluttered, contemporary or western, artsy or all business. "The first thing I do in the evening is snuggle into one of my faux furs," says Renée. "We all deserve pleasure in our lives. Creating these throws is all about comfort, and my work space now reflects that."