I Plus D Magazine - Sept Oct 2018

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.”

Living by Design

Home Offices

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.