Home Office Basics

Dividing the room into a butler's pantry and a walk-through home office, she created the 10-by-12-foot work area the family desperately needed, leaving it doorless so Mom and Dad can see what is onscreen.

Tip: Consider desk placement (back to the door, or not?), whether old furniture and bookcases can easily be fitted with electronics, glare that might obscure your computer screen, and whether you need a writing surface away from the keyboard.