How windows and doors can transform and organize your space, make it more comfortable, beautiful, and healthy
It has been quite the year and a half. “Unprecedented” has become a common word in our vernacular as the world has changed and adjusted to meet the new needs and demands our daily lives in the wake of a global pandemic.
According to Statistics Canada, ever since the pandemic began early last year, a whopping 5 million people have shifted to working from home. In fact, the work from home population now sits at 39.1% of all workers. This a stark increase from 2016 numbers, were only 4% of Canadians worked from home. What this means for homes is that they now have to double as offices. The problem is most of us who work out of the house didn’t purchase their property with the intent of it requiring a usable workspace.
Many people have moved to new properties to accommodate their new reality. Many more, however, have looked to their existing homes to find ways to create workspaces out of spare rooms, sheds, or even closets. That’s right, the ‘cloffice’ is now a real thing.
Whether it’s space consideration or traffic and noise control, people who work from home now need to get creative with how they balance their spaces between being both livable and workable.
Get trendy
What is a trend, anyway? Generally speaking, trends are brought about by innovations, current events and social movements. COVID-19 is both a terrible virus, and a trend that is shaping our everyday lives. It wasn’t that long ago, kids went to school and parents off to work. In the wake of the pandemic, what was once a single use space, now needs to serve multiple functions. Children are learning in one space while parents are working in another. Where once, roommates parted ways from 9-5 and then regrouped in the evenings and weekends, now they need to find spaces within their homes to work.
If you’re a parent working in one room with a child trying to learn in another, we don’t have to tell you the value of noise control. That said, you might have not realized the added importance of making your workspaces, for everyone, more conducive to a healthy work environment. That has led to a trend in windows and doors to minimize sound while maximizing comfort and convenience. Remote working might be getting trendy, but unlike wood paneled walls and avocado appliances, this trend is likely to have some serious staying power.
The “cloffice”
Not everyone has room for an office in their home. With space at a premium, many people are being inspired by a growing trend among bloggers and influencers to build a closet office, more affectionately known as a ‘cloffice.’ These multi-functional spaces are a fantastic way to include a comfortable place to work, but they come with some challenges.
You need every inch of space you can get in a closet when you’re planning to sit in it and be productive all day. Choosing doors that allow maximum access will create a larger usable space, taking your closet from clothes holder (and junk hider!) to workspace. For these tight spaces, pocket and barndoors are an ideal solution that eliminate potential obstacles in hallways and bedrooms when the “office” is in use. Another option is a bi-fold door, which folds back compactly, giving you optimal space in an otherwise tight space. You can opt for a flush style, moulded or custom doors to make your space reflect your style. Selecting a beautiful door to complete your cloffice is an affordable solution to introduce a workspace that doesn’t change the overall décor you’ve tried to achieve in your home.
As important as doors are, remembering there is a world outside your office will help make long days behind a desk feel a little less constrictive. With the trend towards creating home offices, it is vital to consider the benefit natural light has on your ability to work, be effective and support your mental health and well-being.
Obviously, a cloffice doesn’t have a window. That’s why, if you’re looking to make your closet double as a workspace, you’ll want to consider the doors and windows in your surrounding spaces that provide the most light. Fixed windows are great choices for both aesthetics and lighting. You’ll also need to ensure to include a window that opens nearby, such as a Sliding Window to allow for airflow.
The return of the wall
Remember when the open floor plan was all the rage? So do we, because it was just last year. If there’s one thing this shift to work from home has shown us, it’s the downside of a lack of walls, and more specifically, doors!
If you’re going to be in your office all day, you’ll want to consider two important factors: noise control and lighting. If they can help it, no one wants to be sitting in a windowless cavern all day. Letting a ton of natural light in through beautiful windows is a great start to get light in the room, but don’t overlook the value of the door selection you will make to transform your office to a beautiful workspace.
When looking to update your office door, consider a French door with glass panels. These are a great option to make small offices feel larger. Also, glass reduces energy consumption during the day because of the addition of natural light. Increased lightning is also good for your health, eye strain, and improves mood and energy. If you’re concerned about visual distractions, opt for textured glass as it provides privacy with a modern design and also makes a beautiful visual statement.
If you’re looking to enhance your curb appeal and make your office a place you love to be, awning windows are both beautiful room enhancers while at the same time allow for an abundance of light into your space. In a larger room, you may want to consider at least one window, like the Single-Hung Window, to be able to open and get some fresh air in.
Procore the Quiet Door
There are lots of amazing products that JELD-WEN offers to complete your home aesthetic but JELD-WEN®’s innovative ProCore the Quiet Door® is the solution that helps solve the problem of having lots of people in a single space at home, all at the same time. Unlike hollow doors, which work well to separate spaces but don’t dampen noise in any meaningful way, ProCore gives significant increased noise reduction, while giving the added benefit of beauty, weight and a higher-end feel for your home office.
ProCore the Quiet Door® helps reduce sound by up to 50%, resulting in an environment with fewer distractions as well as keeping family and pets from interrupting. They are also more resilient than moulded panel doors, resisting dents and dings and have a 20-minute fire rating in 1 ¾”.
The shed effect
Garden sheds were once just for lawn mowers and rakes. Now, a growing number of them are moonlighting as offices. When space is at a premium and every square foot of your home, inside and out, needs to do double duty these days.
Enter, the shed office. It does take a little bit of work, but with a few solid choices, you can up the ante from shed to office and have a perfectly workable alternative office space. If you’re going to update your shed, vinyl windows are likely going to be your best option and are a popular choice. Consider the size of your windows, keeping in mind you don’t want to feel like you’re in a shed.
Because your shed isn’t your main property, you can have more fun with the types of windows and the doors you put in it, because they don’t necessarily have to be mimicked on the main property. Updating your shed to be an office space offers a fantastic opportunity to have some real fun with the exterior and interior elements, creating your perfect office space.
Whatever design element you think best suits your style, there are solutions that will help complete your vision and turn your dreams into reality.
Life will return to a new normal once this pandemic moves into the history books. We will once again be able to entertain and go to the office, eat in restaurants in large groups and attend weddings. For all of the things we look forward to, returning to the office might not be high on that list. The reality is, the expectation that it’s required might join the pandemic in the history books. JELD-WEN recognizes the need to be healthy, comfortable, productive, and loving the space you are in. That’s why we have taken on the challenge of creating usable workspaces to help you make the transition out of the office building and into a residential office setting.
