Anyone who’s visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s masterpiece of a home, has a favorite memory. While the gardens are spectacular and the house filled with clever inventions, I’m partial to Jefferson’s office which was situated so he could roll out of bed and get to work. Of course, in Jefferson’s time, homebased businesses were more common than long commutes, but still, he must have created the shortest commute ever.
During the several decades following World War II, home offices all but disappeared as people went off to work in someone else’s office. Except for the freelance writer or artist who created a home studio, work meant moving to another location.
That’s all been gradually changing as more and more of us opt to work from home. About ten years ago, I began to notice that many model homes were including a home office, usually located near the front door making it possible for clients and customers to slip in and out easily.
I really knew a trend was brewing when I got a letter from a woman who said that she and her two small children had been given a tour of a friend’s new home. When they finished looking at all the rooms, her daughter turned to her and said, “Mommy, where’s the office?” Unlike most of us, the next generation may assume that work and living space just naturally flow together.
Developers are taking that notion a step farther. Several new communities now have areas zoned for home businesses with the houses being designed with offices, waiting areas and, even, public restrooms. An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune spotlighted another trend: living above the shop. The article featured several new apartment complexes which were designed with first floor commercial space and living quarters above or behind the shop area. New towns, like Celebration, Florida, include both of these ideas with zoned home business areas and above-the-shop apartments.
The home business movement has had another impact on our living spaces. When we live and work in the same place, it takes on a new importance. Consequently, people tend to care even more that the place they call World Headquarters is beautiful as well as functional. Has anyone designed a home office to resemble a cubicle?
Then there’s the health factor. Eliminating stressful commutes has a positive health benefit, but that’s not the only one. Homebased businessowners also report that they find it easier to eat healthier food when they prepare it themselves and don’t have to depend on the company cafeteria or a fast food place. Home exercise rooms get more regular workouts from entrepreneurs who recognize the importance of taking care of the boss. And it’s not at all unusual to see a pet or two curled up in a home office providing companionship.
Best of all, this new workplace revolution is bringing beauty, sanity and health into the lives of millions who have redefined what environmentally healthy means to them.
The long view, beautifully painted, from afar! LOVED it!!