Dill House Diary // Workspace Tour

Today, I wanted to share our home office space. It's where I write everyday and also our "home base" as we set up Mark's personal training business. (Wait, what? Mark has a personal training business? More on that later. Stay tuned!) 

Our home office is located at the top of the stairs in a large, open "loft-like" space. The room stays flooded with natural light, which I love. I would love to show you a "before" picture, but sadly... this space did not even exist before we bought the house. Originally, this large open space was bisected by a wall, carving the area into a skinny-minny hallway and the tiniest bedroom you've ever seen. It simply made no sense. Unless your name was Ichabod Crane, you weren't going to be comfortable sleeping in that teensy bedroom. So, we decided to ditch the pint-sized bedroom and create one big open area. 

Originally, we contemplating making the area an upstairs lounge spot. But did we really need two living areas in a 1000 sqft house? A home office just made more sense. 

Can you guess who did the decorating? No, the pink orchid was not Mark's first choice. 

After knocking down the bisecting wall, we laid new flooring, repainted, and added new closet doors. I love the large plank-style flooring. Talk about fast and easy-- we laid the floor in a few hours. The sleek, sliding closet doors are ideal for our small space because they take up such little room. And their dark walnut stain perfectly coordinates with the dark flooring. 

I love this little spot. I spend hours a day, sitting here writing and working on Etsy orders.  So, trust me, the desk is not always quite this neat! Usually its covered in sticky notes, scrawled outlines, receipts, and a jumble of color-coded pens.

Most older homes don't have a designated office space; you end up having to sacrifice a bedroom. So it has been so nice to have our own separate "work" area. If you work from home, I think it's important to have a designated spot that is your working space, something distinct from your relaxing/living space. At least for me, having a distinct office helps me get in the correct mindset. I know that when I'm here, I'm at work. 

For people who do work from home, another option would be to utilize coworking office spaces through a company such as WeWork. With flexible memberships suited to your specific work needs, companies like WeWork allow you to cut down on your commute and have the flexibility you need while simultaneously still having an actual office. Because let's face it, sometimes you need a fax machine or a meeting room-- and not all houses come equipped with those amenities.
Plus, coworking spaces provide interaction with other professionals. The main drag about working from home? No more office banter, no bouncing ideas off your coworkers-- just you and the work. While sometimes this focused environment is beneficial, not everyone prospers in that type of environment. So if you crave interaction and hate the solitude of working at home, something like WeWork could be the solution. 
WeWork has several locations in the Washington, D.C. area. Currently, there doesn't seem to be a location in Frederick, but CoWork Frederick on E. Patrick Street offers a similar opportunity. 
Do you work from home? Do you love the solitude or crave interaction? If you do work in a shared office space, let me know how you like it!