Lexi Radcliffe-Hart
The move to working from home was a shock for many professionals at the start of the year, but for portfolio career professionals our place of working often crosses over into our home environment. The trend is here to stay, but how can you make the most of the space you have?
Founding member, Duncan Dalzel-Job is an architect with 20 years of experience in the residential and commercial sectors. He set up his own architecture business six years ago and more recently has diversified further to develop a portfolio career – with the support and the collective skills of his wife and wider family who have become a key part of his network –
“as a portfolio careerist you need family support more than ever!”
This includes renovating holiday lets, starting to establish craft brand Coo Concepts, and a wedding venue in the Lake District. Most timely is his latest venture where Duncan focuses on helping people adapt to working from home.
We asked Duncan for his advice on how to improve your working space in the immediate and long-term future.
What brought you to focus on working from home adaptations?
It is clear that home-office workers now need a long term plan; some are thriving but others are just surviving.
My aim is to help people by optimising not only their immediate workspace but also their whole work environment.
For those pursuing portfolio careers, the ability to work from home successfully is likely to be crucial.
It is clear that home-office workers now need a long term plan; some are thriving but others are just surviving.
Combining wellbeing practices and having innovative technical support available to you will ensure that you thrive in your home office environment.
Initially we all just “made do” during lockdown. Like many, I’ve been doing so by using the kitchen table or the small desk in the bedroom. However, now that we know that this way of working is more permanent I am creating the optimal workspace for myself, a garden office.
To minimise impact on the garden space we located the new office on the terrace. I have some experience of building but needed assembly to be quick and so chose a structural insulated panel system (SIPs) as it can be cut and sized in a factory and screwed and glued together on site.
Once the SIPs shell is in place (image above left) the walls need cladding (painted softwood example above right), doors/windows (upvc) fitted and the roof finish (single-ply membrane image below) applied. All these materials were available locally from a builder’s yard and door/window supplier.
The order took 8 weeks from first enquiries to delivery, including customising the shape for the long, thin site. A standard sized unit would be more like 4-6 weeks. In total construction will be around 4 weeks of part-time building, averaging 2 hours a day. The total budget will be around £2,500 which is between half to a third of the cost of buying from a garden office company.
How can I make a brilliant home office space right now?
Be realistic
The first step is to think of your space and be realistic about how much you need to carry out your work. It’s so easy to get carried away with big dreams of what you would “really love” but creating a space that works for you in the moment, and can develop as your career journey does, is just as important.
Optimise environments
Yes, picture windows would be ideal but you don’t have to think that big. The view you have and the orientation you sit within the room can really help stimulate thought and creativity. Staring at a wall less so.
There are many discussion points for creating an optimal environment, but the most important is your immediate comfort. Whilst the jury is still out on standard vs stand-up desks, you need more than just a desk and a comfortable chair.
When designing your layout and surroundings consider lighting, colour, ventilation and ambient temperature. The research on addressing these all point to improved concentration and performance.
Poor lighting or distracting colours will strain your eyes and increase fatigue; fresh air improves cognitive performance and health; too hot can impact productivity significantly – every degree centigrade lower improves results and performance, so getting the temperature right is vital.
Make room for you
Your personality should shine in your space, no matter its size. Personalise your workspace simply with things that bring fond memories as this inherently provides comfort and positivity to your working mindset.
Whilst keeping you at the forefront it’s also important to remember your audience if video calls and conferences feature heavily in your new normal. Allow your personality to be present – this could be via artwork and prints, or feature your branding as Ben does for his TPC office. Keep it clutter free if possible to keep the focus on you rather than the pile of washing behind you!
Keep it green
Plants provide a simple way to soften the space visually and acoustically while also helping to keep the air healthy. Not only do they introduce more oxygen into the room, they can cleanse toxic chemicals that inherently occur in household goods and substances such as formaldehyde and benzene.
Studies have also shown that plants reduce stress levels and fatigue, therefore increasing our attention spans and productivity, whilst encouraging better sleep.
Sound it out
One of the biggest disruptions for home workers has been the noise from all your surroundings, whether traffic, neighbours or family and unfortunately, this is often out of our control. There are, however, ways to reduce the impact of noise in our workplace.
Insulating or thickening your home office walls and floors is effective but will be disruptive and isn’t always affordable. There are cost effective ways around this.
Impact sound from footsteps from adjoining rooms or above can be softened with rugs. Similarly, acoustic wall panels such as MuffleStick Self-Adhesive Wall And Ceiling Panels (above left) and Fluffo TeleCut Soft Acoustic Wall Panels (above right) can be fixed inside or outside and the use of softer materials in your office will absorb the echo of a video call.
Quiet can be good for concentrating on detail but for creative thought the hubbub of a busy café is about right.
Find flexibility
Not everyone has a whole room to spare but you can use a fold down desk that clears away at night. Dividing your working and living space allows you to “shut down” between work and downtime which is especially important in lockdown situations.
Where do you draw your home office inspiration from?
We all need a little inspiration – even if it’s not quite within our reach quite yet!
For me, big views are exhilarating and Charles Gwathmey’s St. Barts Paradise high on a hill overlooking the sea would be hard to resist.
I’ve also always liked the idea of working somewhere really exciting like a treehouse and High Life Treehouses have some impressive examples of fun creations.
What does your home office look like?
We love to see how our community works – whether that’s from your career journeys or the literal space you hold. Here’s a glimpse into some of the home offices of The Portfolio Collective’s team!
What’s your space like?
Join our community to share your pics and comment below! Of course, you can also talk with Duncan about home office best practice on our forums too.
Think this sounds like the right path for you? Come along to our monthly Get started event for new members to find out what a portfolio career could look like and how The Portfolio Collective can help you take those first steps towards professional success – and don’t forget to connect with our community!
One response to “Give your home office the makeover it deserves”
Thanks so much @duncan-dalzel-job for your insights in this piece!