What to consider when renovating the home office

TAMPA, Fla. - As a realtor, Pattie Meek is aware of just how important the home office has become over the past year.

"People are starting to realize that they're not going back to work as soon as they thought they would, and they like being at home," said Meek.

She wanted a functional and stylish office for her own condo. 

"A happy place to work. It needed to have natural light. It had to have organization," she explained.

Meek brought in interior designer Karen Post of Home Frosting to help her out.

"You want to look at your available space. You want to look at your available natural light and where you're going to place the most important pieces of furniture and what furniture do you need," said Post.

Once you decide on the space, which in Meek's case was a guest room, then plot where to put the furniture. 

"Take measurements of your space and start putting boxes in the space before you buy the furniture so that way you're evaluating the flow, the design," advised Post. 

And when it comes to finding the right desk, consider different styles. 

"The space is not really big so when we were searching for the desk we were looking for unique sizes and we ended up with a half-moon desk which fits perfectly in this space," Post said. 

Then there's finding the right chair. 

"It is the Goldilocks rule because we tried several chairs. It had to swivel, it had to have a comfortable back and I wanted arms," said Meek.

"You spend a lot of time sitting in your chair. It's almost like a mattress," agreed Post. "You want to make sure that you're comfortable. That your posture is good. That your hands are in a good flow zone with your keyboard."

Stylish storage pieces are also a good idea.

"Even though we live in a digital world, people still like to touch certain files. So by adding this credenza, we've got good storage. We've got a good display area," said Post.

Also consider your background area for those online meetings. 

"This client is in real estate. She's in luxury real estate so she likes to show pictures of properties when she's doing her Zoom call," Post pointed out.

And utilize closet space. 

"We did baskets so that she's super organized. You can even do files. She's got her paper shredder, all of her supplies, her marketing materials. If you can get electricity in your closet like Pattie's situation, we were able to put her printer in her closet," said Post.

"I love my office renovation. I never dreamt it would be so much fun working from home," added Meek.

LINK: Get more tips on home office renovation from Karen Post of Home Frosting