His office packs in
storage and still has
a view.

Remodel that Works Double Time

If you live in a roomy two-story home and have empty bedrooms, you can customize your upstairs by making some decorating changes and adding a pair of home offices.

The core of the idea is built around the master bedroom suite, which incorporates home office spaces, each custom-designed to meet the distinct needs of the couple's working lives. Also included is a spacious bathroom and a cozy sitting area.

His work space is secluded and private. Although adjacent to the master bedroom, this 8x11-foot office is sequestered from daily hustle and bustle. There is an anteroom, formerly a closet, between the master bedroom and the office that houses a double-drawer filing cabinet and a copy machine.

Designed with technology in mind, his office houses a computer, fax machine, printer and other equipment, without interrupting -- or being interrupted -- by family activity in the core of the house. A bookcase holds technical books as well as computer components and a large work surface wraps around the perimeter wall.

 

Her office accommodates
drawings and documents
with custom storage.

Her work space is carved out as a niche in the second-floor stair hallway which makes it more of a "public" space, open to both floors to keep her in contact with family activity. By raising the space a few steps, the office has a feeling of separateness, as well as looking out over the gardens and woods beyond.

The architect who worked on the plan says a second-story master with office areas makes sense, especially where there is a view from the upstairs window. The second-floor rooms express the charm of the oak trusswork inherent in the home's roof and dormer design.

By blending their respective needs for privacy and work space into their master suite, the homeowners were able to achieve a house that works and plays as hard as they do.