As I mentioned in an earlier post, my home office happens to be in a loft, which is shared with a playroom. One nice thing about it is that there is plenty of space; it’s a large square room. However, the room needs to function for both purposes, independently. In other words, when it’s a playroom it’s a playroom, and when it’s an office, it’s an office. And those two things need to be kept separate, in order for the room arrangements to work.
This is the case for many of us with either 1) smaller spaces, that we’re trying to make multifunction, or 2) open floor plans. The most important thing to do is to create boundaries for each function.
Below are several ways to establish each function its own space:
Rugs
Rugs can square off areas, and define boundaries.
Screens
Screens work well to define an area as a room, and block views.
Plants
Plants can also semi-block views, as well as create a visual boundary.
Storage with drawers /doors
Smart storage that keeps things fully enclosed helps minimize visual clutter and distraction.
Furniture with the back finished
Desks/bookshelves/dressers with that you can face out help set up boundaries of a space, so you don’t have all furniture around the perimeter of the room, and so you don’t face the wall at your desk (for good feng shui you want a view of the door, and the largest view of the room possible).
Similar color schemes
Similar color schemes in paint colors, wood finishes, baskets, decorative items, etc. will tie the room together, keeping it easy-on-the-eyes, and visually functioning as a whole.
