3.5 Tips to Help You Improve Your Work From Home Space
Articles and Interviews / August 24, 2020Working from home is quickly becoming the new expectation between employers and employees alike. Some of us have already been working from home for quite a long time, but many are new to the idea. If you are new to working from home, we hope our tips for improving your home office space.
Tip #1: Pick a Dedicated Work From Home Office Space
Our top tip is that you pick a space and dedicate it to becoming your work from home area. Typically this is best done (and WAY easier) if you’ve got a spare room you can turn into an office, but even finding yourself a little nook in a place with as few distractions as possible is a win.
Wherever you pick for your space to go, we recommend avoiding the bedroom and kitchen, if possible. The kitchen can be high traffic and multi-purpose, making it a prime region of your home for distractions. And, avoiding the bedroom as your work from home space will allow you to separate “the office” and the place where are supposed to unwind and comfortably sleep.
Tip #2: Staple Home Office Items
Make sure you’ve got enough room for all your home office equipment. We like Wirecutter’s example work from home starter kit, which includes:
- Computer (laptop or desktop) – You’ll need one of these. The stationary nature of a desktop computer can be good for maintaining work in one area, but we prefer laptops for the added benefit of being able to “take a break” from your “office” and work from outside or the couch for a bit.
- Docking Station or USB Hub – You may not realize it, but a lot of devices charge or receive power via USB ports. Grab a powered USB Hub for charging and supplying power to any of your many devices you may suddenly find yourself using outside of the office. Nothing kills productivity like dead devices!
- Headphones or earbuds – Wirecutter recommends noise-cancelling headphones or USB headsets for virtual conferencing events.
These are all great things to have in your work from home space. To add a flair, try using cheap fake plants or small shelf décor to dress up your desk and make it a space you want to be in.
Tip #3: Creating a Welcoming and Productive Environment
To build on tip #2, making sure you have ample space for storage will help you make space to create a work from home environment that you actually want to go to. Think about what’s on your desk at work…maybe pictures of you and your friends, pets, family. Perhaps that cute pencil holder you found at Target recently on clearance. The point is, spend some time picking objects that mean something to you or make you feel comfortable or productive.
Tip #4: Call a Professional
Okay okay, so this isn’t really a tip. But, when you need help dressing up your work from home space, consider an office design consultation from an experienced professional like Diane Rosen. Diane Rosen Interiors has been helping redesign St. Louis and St. Charles interiors for many years, and has plenty of experience with project management. Call 314.359.0890 or fill out our online form to discuss your project with us and we’ll reach out to you as soon as possible!
This is all about you: focusing on you and your family, your office, your home and your vacation retreat. With 20+ years of experience, Diane Rosen helps you create a beautiful, energy efficient, environmentally friendly space that you can call your own. From Design Guides™ hourly consultations to whole-home renovations, together we can create a complete plan for your home and/or office space, working with your budget, your vision and your timeline.
5 Basics to Expect During Your Office Design Consultation
Articles and Interviews / August 6, 2020Step 1: Determining Your Needs
The first step of any design consultation, not just office design consultations, is to hold a meeting between you and your prospective designer to hash out needs your designer will have to meet in order to maximize your office’s potential and atmosphere.
Step 2: Planning for Your Space
After the initial meeting, your designer will start drafting plans for your new office design. They will provide drawings and (sometimes) 3D renderings of your new space to really nail down the aspects of their design that fit both your wants and needs. A site survey is normal during the planning stage in order to discover any potential building hurdles in the underlying infrastructure and confirm dimensional accuracies.
Step 3: Starting Your Office Design
After the planning stage, it’s finally time to start defining the details. This is when your designer will put together a final design, including all the notes made from the earlier drawings. Things like lighting, finishes, and flexibility to rearrange the space will be discussed here.
Step 4: Cost Estimates and Calculation
Now it’s time for the dirty work…figuring the cost of your office design! The office design consultant will provide you with an itemized list of costs and expenses necessary to renovate your space the right way, the first time.
Step 5: The Proposal
“A thousand times yes!” is what your designer aims to make you say. By this point, you will have a complete package of preliminary materials, including your original brief, the space planning drawings, 3D renderings, the project scope, and the list of expenses. Upon acceptance, your project will start, and it will be just a short time remaining between you and your dream office!
When you need an office design consultation in St. Louis, Missouri, don’t settle for less. Call the best interior designer in the metro area, Diane Rosen. Diane Rosen Interiors focuses on sustainability in design as well as universal accessibility, leaving you with an environmentally friendly, all inclusive solution to your new office. Expand the limitations of your space with a professional office design consultation from Diane Rosen. Call 314.359.0890 to discuss your consultation appointment or fill out our online form to reach out to us via email. We will get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to helping you make your dream office a reality!
The Importance of Sustainable Commercial Design Services
Articles and Interviews / June 30, 2020
It’s a common misconception that sustainable commercial design can’t also look great—but that’s just not true. Making the decision to design in an eco-friendly way simply does not mean you have to sacrifice the perfect look. Every day, designers and engineers are uncovering new ways to design and manufacture products that are both beautiful as well as functional for offices, all while maintaining green sustainability. Gorgeous solutions that exhibit a utilitarian and “minimalist” style are being employed every second! Here are three tips for sustainability in office design from the commercial interior designer Diane Rosen.
1. Commercial Design Should Focus on Energy Efficiency
As with any other form of sustainable design, energy efficiency within offices is the main problem-solving area when hiring for commercial interior design services. This makes sense, as the most sustainable way to do anything is to reduce the carbon footprint and waste production by as much as possible. Common luxuries like climate control, plumbing systems, and office equipment are also frequent stops while designing for the environment.
2. Use Sustainable Materials
Repurposing old or antique furniture is a great way to practice sustainability and add collections of furniture and décor that tell a story and offer their historic character to your space. Not only this, but it keeps more materials out of landfills, which is an integral step in sustainable commercial interior design. Plus, this is typically a more budget-friendly option!
3. Bring in the Outdoors
One of the absolute best ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your commercial space is to have a “green wall” or “living wall.” Living walls are entire walls covered in plants, usually paired with a hydroponics system to keep them thriving. They’re both environmentally friendly and incredibly stylish. If you don’t want to or can’t afford to install the hydroponics system, fret not, as green walls can be grown outside as well!
See? We told you that sustainable commercial design doesn’t have to break the bank or the environment. With a world headed toward environmentally friendly interior design and energy efficiency, do your part to help save our home planet by making the right choices when designing your space. When you feel you need extra help, don’t hesitate: call 314.359.0890 today or fill out our online form, and chat with us about our commercial interior design services. Diane Rosen Interiors focuses on designing for accessibility and sustainability, so you can trust us to help you make the best decisions for your next project.
Creating Your Space…Your Way
Articles and Interviews / January 1, 2020Everything old seems new again. A surprising tip on the newest decorating trend—wallpaper!
The Future Office Space: Will We Still Need A Desk?
Articles and Interviews / December 11, 2019I want to introduce you to the PoppinPod. While the open office layout has become the accepted norm, privacy is still a priority when doing business.
Before You Throw It Away…
Articles and Interviews / November 11, 2019Rummage sales/garage sales are all great in “getting rid of” what we no longer want, desire, or need. But, what do you do with the “stuff” that no one else wanted either?
Universal Design: It’s Not Just for Aging
Articles and Interviews / October 11, 2019We’re beginning to hear more and more about this term, “universal design.” While it has mostly been associated with aging in place, the definition of universal design is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”
Your Home Design
Articles and Interviews / August 10, 2019We love our large windows and bringing nature in to the view all four seasons in a collective treat. The only downside is the sun in all its glory does what the sun does naturally – fading almost everything it touches. Here are two suggestions to minimize the fading, damaging, and costly repairs.
Interior Lighting How Critical Is It?
Articles and Interviews / July 11, 2019Interior lighting has many functions: decorative lighting creates the atmosphere you want to express; task lighting is direct, to help you work, and communicative, such as an exit sign; and outdoor lighting to give direction and safety. Decorative ligting, on the other hand, brings out the shape of objects in the room, the “Feel” of texture , and important features such as art on a wall.
Creating Your Space…YOUR WAY
Articles and Interviews / January 11, 2019Everything old seems new again. A surprising tip on the newest decorating trend – wallpaper! “Yes, it’s back, but with a new creative textured twist. You can still get your basic stripes, small and large patterns and prints. But if you want more pizazz, bling or faux textured artisan walls, check out Romo’s Mexico series. From soft rubbed faux to replicating stone textures on your wall(s), it’s the perfect accent for that extra wow factor. These papers are fun, eclectic and add that wow factor in the most cost-effective way.”
What Makes It “GREEN” and what does it really mean?
Articles and Interviews / December 11, 2018To quote Jan D. Strensland, MS, ASID, LEED: “Building materials used prior to WWII were predominately made from natural materials. We now live, work and play in what the EPA called a “chemical soup.” With over 60,000 chemicals now in use, the individual effects of even 10 percent of which are not well understood and the combination of which may never be known.”
Universal Design
Articles and Interviews / November 11, 2018Elaine Ostroff, considered one of the main founders of Universal Design (UD), defines UD as an approach to design that honors human diversity and acknowledges the right for everyone from childhood to their oldest years, to use in all spaces, products and information in an independent, inclusive and equal way.
Color, Give your Home Your Personal Touch
Articles and Interviews / September 11, 2018With 20+ years of experience in Residential and Commercial Interior Design serving the St. Louis Metro area and beyond, Diane Rose Interiors will provide you with both simple and cost effective design elements to add to your home. Adding color will give you that surrounding sense of relaxation or energy you desire when you’re entering that space. Paint is the one factor that expresses your mood, personality and sets the tone in your home. It is the framework that surrounds all of your treasures and gives you harmony and balance flowing from room to room.
Equestrian Turned Residential
Articles and Interviews / June 8, 2018When designer Diane Rosen was tasked with renovating a 100-year-old stable and turning it into a set of three suites that included a swank bathroom, she knew she’d have a big job on her hands.
The building was sectioned off into three parts, with the horse groomsmen on one end, the horses in the middle and the groundskeeper on the other end.
Kitchen/Bath Design Trends For 2019
Articles and Interviews / March 11, 2018Top of the lists is the Smart Kitchen. When do we not use our iPhone, iPad or tablet with blue tooth enabled? In my most recent renovations, I’m including USB ports to be strategically placed along the backsplash walls of the counters for every new wall socket installed. This thought also is a win in the bathroom along then splash side walls of the vanity. Connecting with Siri or Alexa, we’re living in an age where fridges, ovens, even your BBQ grill connects to the internet and yes there’s an app for cutlery!
Expertise: Chosen As One Of The Top 20 Best Interior Designers In St. Louis
Articles and Interviews / May 1, 2017Our goal is to connect people with the best local experts. We scored interior designers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analysed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best interior designers in St. Louis, MO.
Design Elements: A Lakeside Retreat
Articles and Interviews / March 9, 2017When the client wanted help creating the perfect lakeside retreat for her family and friends, Diane Rosen of Diane Rosen Interiors stepped up to the mast. Rosen had done the client’s house in St. Louis and was now helping with her house at Porto Cima in the Lake of the Ozarks.
As Featured on Houzz
Articles and Interviews / July 12, 2016Diane Rosen Interiors was hand-picked to be featured in an editorial ideabook on the homepage of Houzz.
Creating Your Space…Your Way
Articles and Interviews / October 9, 2012Everything old seems new again. Rosen shared a surprising tip on the newest decorating trend – wallpaper! “Yes, it’s back, but with a new creative textured twist. You can still get your basic stripes, small and large patterns and prints. But if you want more pizazz, bling or faux textured artisan walls, check out Romo’s Mexico series. From soft rubbed faux to replicating stone textures on your wall(s), it’s the perfect accent for that extra wow factor. These papers are fun, eclectic and add that wow factor in the most cost effective way.”
Design Tips For Summer For Ever: Sustainability
Articles and Interviews / August 9, 2012Diane Rosen is a wisp of a woman with a pixie haircut that both defies and defines her bold forward-thinking approach to design. Hoping to glean a few decorating tips from her twenty plus years of experience, I got, in addition to some great ideas, a fascinating, brief education on the future of design.
Tracking Trends: Two Homes That Inspire: Sustainability
Articles and Interviews / April 5, 2012Green design provides an environmentally healthier home for you and your family, while being cost-effective, as well. Interior designer Diane Rosen, Allied Member ASID, remembers the days when she would play games with her children on the carpet. It never occurred to her that the flooring could be releasing formaldehyde and toxins now show to contribute to asthma and other health problems.
Designer Trends 2012: Dual Sink Kitchen By Diane Rosen
Articles and Interviews / January 1, 2012This is never more apparent than in the most functional room of the house – the kitchen. Diane Rosen of Diane Rosen Interiors says “The trend has been to have more convenience – warming ovens, wine coolers and a separate ice compartment in the wine fridge.”
Hail To The Holidays: Look Up
Articles and Interviews / November 3, 2011When remodeling or creating a smaller bathroom, use the ceiling to give the room character and personality. The scale of the wood and the height of the ceiling are critical components to complement a new vanity and shower.
The 10 Most Beautiful Houses in St. Louis: Creating Your Room, Your Way
Articles and Interviews / August 9, 2011Transforming a garage to a guest house can have its challenges. By establishing great communication with the client and contractor, the project came together to be a true winner!
Kitchen Essentials: Maximizing Space
Articles and Interviews / June 1, 2011When designing a kitchen for a gourmet cook with limited space, use every square inch wisely to accommodate storage of various specialty trays and pans used for preparation and entertaining.
Designing Woman: Uptown Magazine Sits Down With Interior Designer Diane Rosen
Articles and Interviews / January 9, 2011Uptown Magazine sits down with interior designer Diane Rosen. Making your surroundings pleasurable, attractive and inviting is what professional interior designer Diane Rosen does best. Uptown gives you a glimpse of what sets Diane apart from other interior designers.
Where To Fix Everything: Thinking Of Painting Your Home?
Articles and Interviews / August 1, 2010Take a deep breath standing in the middle of your great room, bedroom or any room for that matter, is it a refreshing aahhh or followed by a couple of coughs? Building materials used prior to WWII were predominately made from natural materials.
The Design Issue: Creative Environments That Express Your Lifestyle
Articles and Interviews / April 2, 2010Best Design Advice: Not everything needs to be new. I always talk with my clients about what’s most important to them, and I’ve designed entire rooms around a single personal item. Favorite Design Element: Color is very important, and I love using it in florals.
