Unexpected Storage in a London Home Office

My husband and I designed our home office in our small London townhouse for two people—I would be the permanent fixture and another member of the family (my husband or one of our two sons), would be rotating temporary fixtures. The situation worked smoothly until about two years ago when the boys, both teens, had to start prepping for a series of national public exams. That’s when our once peaceful home office transformed into a family hot desking affair. Desperate to accommodate the overflow (and its accompanying mess), we figured out a simple way to create more workspace. Here’s a look at the original setup and our new addition.

Photography by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista unless otherwise noted.

The Original Office: Workspace for Two and Storage Galore

When we first moved into our house, what’s now the office was the kitchen. We moved the kitchen downstairs and got to work designing our office, which is situated at the front of the townhouse and shares the second floor with the living room at the rear. The two spaces are divided by a wall with door openings at either end that create an open flow.

Christine Chang Hanway Home Office London — Above: When we relocated the kitchen downstairs, we decided to keep the sink–now incorporated into our two-person desktop made from stained butcher block. The only source of water on this level, the sink has proved invaluable for art projects and watering the plants on the balcony in the back.

Christine Chang Hanway Home Office in London — Above: In the corner where I typically sit, there’s a monitor for easy laptop plug-ins and an ergonomic Aeron Chair by Herman Miller. The space has overhead spotlights, which we now realize aren’t in ideal locations for computer work because they introduce glare at night. Often we leave them off and create ambient light by angling up the Tolomeo Task Lamp and bouncing light off the walls and ceiling. See Remodeling 101: Lighting Your Home Office for more tips.

The Office Addition: A Laptop Counter and Charging Station

Creating more work space turned out to be easy: taking advantage of an empty wall right outside the office in the living room, we designed and installed a long, shallow counter-height desk with a white spray lacquer finish.

In reality, our needs are constantly shifting and the flexibility of the setup has served us well. Currently, the ones who swoop in and perch at our new work counter are my husband, who is constantly on the road, and our older son, who is spending a gap year traveling before he starts college. Meanwhile, our younger son, who is in the throes of exams now, and I share the home office. And when the exam mess becomes uncontrollable or my hunched-over shoulders cry out for a new position, I’ve discovered that the counter offers me the perfect change of scenery. And better yet, if I stand at it, it just may extend my life as well as my office. Photograph by Kristin Perers for Remodelista.