The New Essential Room
by Linda Sechrist

   The emergence of the home office, the den or the home library as a necessary room in the majority of floor plans offered by Florida homebuilders conjures up the age-old question of which comes first, the chicken or egg. In either case – homebuyers requesting or homebuilders envisioning – we can say hooray for these changes that bring with them fresh new ideas, diversity and creative applications to fit the needs of many of Southwest Florida’s newest homebuyers.
   Offering a glimpse into “why” the newest essential room in the home is the home office, Builder Magazine’s 1999 statistics revealed that 46 million Americans work at home at least part-time. Of those who responded to the magazine survey, 54 percent reported that they worked in a home office. Adding in the startling fact that these statistics regarding home offices doubled in only two years – in 1997 the Department of Labor reported that 23.3 million Americans work at home – the reason for the most recent focus on this room becomes obvious.
   In The Home Office author Candace Ord Manroe touts one of the great benefits of working at home, “People who have a home office share a secret: They know the pleasure of rolling out of bed, getting a cup of coffee and diving right into work without fussing with make-up or finding a clean shirt.” Though many business people with home offices might be beginning their day in a more relaxed state wearing pajamas and bedroom slippers, chances are that they are enjoying surroundings that are more sophisticated than their corporate office counterparts.
   Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault, a French writer (1844– 1924) theorized, “Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another.” Southwest Florida’s astute interior designers and custom cabinetry builders working closely with new homebuyers would be quick to agree that this statement is still true today and that the home office has under-gone radical changes from its distant cousin, the den with a desk in the corner. Catering to the needs of Florida’s fully and partially retired male and female executives living in a second or vacation home, custom design experts are finding creative ways to make their clients professional lives more sumptuous, more comfortable and more productive.
   Sometimes accommodating the blurring of the functional distinctions of home offices, dens and home libraries, Paul Erwin of Paul Erwin Designs in Naples has been designing custom cabinetry for 25 years, most recently in Southwest Florida’s high-end homes since 1993.
   Erwin, who frequently contracts his custom cabinet creativity out to high-powered executives who are unwilling and uninterested in powering down for retirement, comments, “The majority of my clients are vital people who want to continue working past retirement age. Their brainpower and experience is sought after, presenting them with options for a lifestyle that includes the financial freedom to have sophisticated offices and libraries that suit their style and taste in their home.”
   Redefining retirement, Erwin advises that many of his clients serve on the board of directors for corporations or perform services for charitable organizations. In particular, these are the type of people who find working offices and libraries to be a necessity rather than a luxury. “Working libraries are popular in the larger homes,” says Erwin, who just completed a working library design in a home where he bundled several typical functions and one unusual one.
   Erwin’s cross-over project included integrating a home gym into a furniture concept that included open shelves for books and collector items, a computer work station, an attached formal desk, a larger cabinet to house clothes, a personal pull-out gym and hidden spaces for barbells and a TV monitor.
   “Not everyone lives in a single-family home with numerous rooms that can be utilized for different purposes,” Erwin continues. “This was a great scenario for those who want to work and exercise at home.”
   Erwin is also working with another homeowner to integrate a library concept with a study/den. “I’m designing cabinetry for a condominium where the owners live full-time and are still active in business. They want a fully functioning office with a library. Their primary needs: a comfortable working space for computers and filing records and a TV for daily monitoring of the stock market. The new plasma TV works well in this type of design because it can be put into a 12- to 15-inch deep bookcase unlike the old televisions that required a 24-inch deep shelf,” concludes Erwin.
   Often serving two masters and several purposes there are many things to ponder when designing a home office, den or library. The first step in planning the layout of your home office is to evaluate your fundamental needs for the room. “How much time will you be spending in the room? What tasks will you do here? What equipment and furniture is essential? How many square feet do you need? Will you be receiving clients or suppliers in the office of using it as a private space?” The second step is planning and using a checklist.
   Whether or not a room will be utilized for conducting business, reading, enjoying music or for handling personal or household accounts, its levels of complexity can be addressed with a custom homebuilder during the pre-construction phase. This allows for the custom cabinetry work to be done while the home is being built.
   When personalizing a floor plan offered by a builder, cabinetry designs should be planned prior to closing on the home so that the installation work can begin after the homeowner takes occupancy. Depending on the size of the custom cabinetry project, Erwin advises that from start to finish – communicating with the homeowner, creating the designs and working out the details – the planning stage can take from three to four weeks. “The planning takes time and collaboration, so it’s best that future clients call me as soon as they’ve chosen their home,” concludes Erwin.
   Being inspired to eliminate clutter and stay organized is easily accomplished by allowing your senses to take in the beauty of the many woods and finishes now being used in building one-of-a-kind cabinetry designs for home offices, dens libraries. Exotic wood imports from Africa and South America are gaining in popularity with cabinetry makers who incorporate them into cabinetry designs.The natural color of these woods is so beautiful that no stain is required, just a topcoat.
   Since a thing of beauty is a joy forever, inspiration to enjoy quiet moments, write your memoirs or finish all the “to do’s” for your busy day in your daytimer will come naturally.

Courtesy of PAUL ERWIN DESIGN, INC.
6189 Taylor Road, Naples, FL
239 514-7009
www.paulerwindesign.com

Photography by Giovanni Photography