Editors' Picks: Our Favorite Home Offices Ever

From Desk Set, This Old House magazine, April 2006

This isn't your typical home office, but it is a typical location where one is a good idea. The kitchen is the hub of the house, and I know that when I'm cooking, I always have the TV on, music playing on my laptop, and my cell phone handy. It's just the way life is now—we're always "connected." So, rather than having all of these devices scattered about, creating an office nook for all your gadgets and the cords that charge them is a great idea.

—Jason Carpenter, Projects Editor

From Desk Set, This Old House magazine, April 2006

As a writer, I consider this office my idea of perfection: a view of the water while I'm typing away at my novel, lots of light flooding in, and another desktop across from my computer so I can just spin my chair around and talk to visitors (my agent, maybe?). It's my own little dream. But it could happen.

—Jason Carpenter, Projects Editor

The centerpiece of this office is not the keyboard and computer screen, but rather a beautiful mahogany writing table. I wrote my first book reports at my family's dining room table, and a pen and pad are still central to my work, so I can understand the need for an uncluttered, "wireless" space to spread things out. In keeping with the clean design, the architect tucked a filing cabinet and paper shredder behind beautiful built-in cabinetry. With a lakefront view to boot, the space feels like a place to concentrate, create, and if necessary, conduct business.

—Harry Sawyers, Editorial Assistant

From Desk Set, This Old House magazine, April 2006

I like this home office for its spacious design and cheery vibe. There's plenty of room for books and storage, as well as for visitors. The decorative art-glass windows, area rug, and extra chairs are particularly inviting. I'll take it all, minus the horse statues.

—Kristen Mucci, Associate Online Editor

From Desk Set, This Old House magazine, April 2006

It seems like you'd be the only person in the world in this high-ceilinged, wooded Portland retreat in the midst of a forest. This is a place to be alone. And quiet. The spare, open space with the clean pine desk and alder floors declutters the mind and gets it ready to create. You gaze out into the forest. And you wait.

—Susan Ryan, Copy Editor

I love being able to look up from my work and out a window (particularly one that lets in a nice breeze), which is why I love the centerpiece of this home office: its beautiful, large casement window. Surrounded by rich red walls, warm wood and skinny built-in shelves that provide useful storage space without overpowering the room, it seems like the perfect spot to relax in while getting all your tasks done.

—Natalie Rodriguez, Editorial Assistant

From Better Than Ever, This Old House magazine, April 2003

I know, it's small. But that's what I like about this secretary that was built in 2003 for the Winchester TV show project house. Well, that and the beautiful grain pattern in the tiger maple, the deep storage drawers for hanging files on the bottom, the little cubbies for sorting mail in the middle, and the wavy glass divided lights in the upper cabinet doors. Okay, I like everything about this little home office. But best of all is the fact that it fits neatly alongside a doorway in the kitchen, making the most used room in the house even more useful.

—Amy Hughes, Senior Editor

From "Desk Job," This Old House magazine, December 2001

I like this home office, which is really just a desk, because: a) it's compact; and b) it isn't in a closet, underneath a stairwell, or shoved into an armoire. The entire kitchen is the office space. I'm a procrastinator, so I tend to like having a view when I "work" at home.

—Hylah Hill, Art Director

From "Garage Garret," This Old House magazine, December 2001

Perhaps because my current "home office" is a small desk squeezed into a corner of my apartment's living room—which is also my dining room, yoga room, sewing/art/music studio, and guest room—this former detached garage remodeled into an office below with art studio above makes my heart go pit-a-pat. The 350-square-foot upstairs studio has tons of light (mostly from the north, the best neutral light for painting), plenty of space for easel, worktable, canvases, and supplies, as well as a seating area for visitors or an inspirational nap. What's cool, too, is that the homeowners did most of the work themselves, used a lot of salvaged materials, and gave it a homely, barnlike feel. A great, relaxing workspace, with just an across-the-driveway commute. I'm so envious it hurts.

—Leslie Monthan, Copy Chief

From "Texas Cow Palace," This Old House magazine, January/February 1997

It's hard to see it in this picture, but the top part of this converted barn space is a home office for a writer/photographer couple. To me, it almost doesn't matter what the actual space looks like inside; it's the setting that just gets me: lots and lots of openness and glass and warm light and a view of the scenery outside. The only thing that could make this place better for me is if the Atlantic Ocean were 50 feet away.

—Alexandra Bandon, Senior Editor

From "The Timeless Home," This Old House magazine, March 2002

The best thing about this 10x10 office is its central location: off the main entry hall, between the north-south hallway to the kitchen and living room and the east-west hallway to the master bedroom. That makes it an ideal spot to dump the day's mail when coming home, or to get organized before running out to do errands. With an office like this, there's no excuse for clutter to end up in any other room.

One more thing: This is no walled-off fortress. An 8-foot-tall interior window on one wall and a glazed door with full-length sidelights on the other open the office up visually to the rest of the house, and to the light. The only connection to the outside is the triangular bay window that overlooks the courtyard patio and the trees beyond. It's there to provide a soul-reviving glimpse of the outdoors when you need a break from all the office work.

—Thomas Baker, Building Technology Editor

From Details Make the Difference, This Old House magazine, March 2006

This built-in home office blends nicely into an airy, brightly lit great room. It features two computer stations (so your kids can Instant Message each other in the same room) and a large center cabinet for printer, fax and miscellaneous storage. The office area is part of the larger room but slyly partitioned off by a large sofa.

—Michael Stolper, Assistant to the Editor

From The Carlisle House, This Old House magazine, May 2005

Since I do my bill-paying, emailing and other work from home while most people are tucked in bed, I'm constantly getting up for midnight snacks. That's why I love that this home office is located just to the side of the kitchen, allowing easy access to munchies while staying separate enough that you're not distracted by other nighttime nibblers. Plus, the room is so open and bright that I would be tempted to hang out there in the daytime and actually get something done.

—Natalie Rodriguez, Editorial Assistant

I love that this space feels roomy (probably because there's nothing in there but a desk), and that it's open to the kitchen and the hall to the front entry, so it doesn't feel isolated but still feels enclosed. The unusual window configuration fills it with light and offers a view without putting you on display. There's unobtrusive built-in storage, from the low sliding-door cabinets topped with a wood shelf to the floor-to-ceiling units. And the two-person desk provides a large tabletop for spreading out paperwork. Since it was a TV project house and nobody was living there, it looks a little bare bones (wouldn't you at least need a wastebasket?). But I love the cool dot fabric on the chairs—it looks great with the mahogany desk top and really stands out against the all-white interior.

—Kathryn Keller, Executive Editor

From "Old Meets Bold," This Old House magazine, May 2003

I love this room because it feels like a tree house—windows everywhere, including a large picture window adjacent to the workspace. Imagine how much fun this room would be in a heavy rainstorm: lightning flashing, water streaming down the glass, and you (cozily checking your email while the sky rumbles).

—Michael Stolper, Assistant to the Editor

From A Perfect Addition, This Old House magazine, September 2006

Frankly, I'm a little turned off by any space dedicated exclusively to work (especially this claustrophobic cubicle I'm writing in right now). That's why I'm picking the built-in home office/breakfast nook in Richard and Gail Rapson's 1904 Minneapolis foursquare. Hidden behind a wall of warm, hand-crafted wild cherry cabinetry, it's got plenty of drawers and doors for your pens, PCs and paperwork, and it's situated in a room that can't help but inspire, with its new—but period appropriate—millwork and colorful Victorian mosaic floors.

—Keith Pandolfi, Associate Editor

When I'm home and not working, I hate to see stacks of unpaid bills, my computer, boxes of receipts for taxes, etc. That's why I love this area. Behind all that beautiful woodwork is a fully functioning home office. There's a Mac with speakers, a roll-out drawer for your keyboard, different slats to organize all your paperwork and drawers for everything you need to store. It's in a warm, sun-filled room with a view of the garden, not a bad place to work—and not ugly to look at when you don't have to work.

—Amy Rosenfeld, Design Director

From "A Fortress of One's Own," This Old House magazine, May 2001

I always liked the idea of having an atelier/studio/shop/personal space on the grounds of my home—easy commute, separate enough that you can work undisturbed and focused on a project, and close enough to be home in time for dinner or any family responsibilities. I was also drawn to all the simple, almost Shaker lines of the built-ins, and the nice mix of painted and varnished wood work.

—Mark Powers, Technical Powers

From "A Fortress of One's Own," This Old House magazine, May 2001

This captain's quarters home office would bring me supreme contentment. While it's not very Feng Shui, it seems that distractions would be kept at bay and you could have quick access to reference material. And, of course, after I'm dead, tours could be given showing everyone the precise location where my genius sprang to life.

—John W. Taylor, Deputy Art Director