Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2021

51 www. ReadMPM. com | www. VOICE forRea l Es tate. com | www.MountPl easantBu i l der s . com work schedules,” said Irizarry. “Kids may need to have their own space other than the kitchen table, since so many of them are still doing remote school.” Now that both kids and parents are working remotely, many families are having to find spaces that are more than just a table and chair. Dining chairs and barstools may need to be swapped for a chair that will feel comfy throughout a whole workday, and the workspace can be moved to a quiet, low-traffic area in the house to reduce distractions. Of course, everyone has different starting places when they are putting together a remote workspace — some have an entire room to dedicate to designing their office, while others need to turn a desk in the corner of a room into a practical and effective area. The space will need to be tailored to fit the daily needs of an individual employee, but an office doesn’t just have to be a simple desk and a chair. No matter how big the workspace is or what kind of tools are needed, Irizarry pointed out there are ways to make a space work for anyone. “If we’re trying to fit an office space into an existing part of the home, where it’s going to have multiple uses, I generally tend to find ways to make it look cohesive and not just a desk stuck in the middle of the space. I tend to incorporate more furniture and cabinets in the desk areas,” she noted. One of Irizarry’s recent projects was to design a more productive, organized workspace for a client that had carved out a space to work in their bedroom. “The client is a photographer, so we designed a really cool custom space in their bedroom. It looks like a giant piece of furniture, but it serves as a desk and storage for other things. It’s her own office area but working within the space that they have. It doesn’t look like an old, messy desk sitting in the middle of the bedroom.” “If someone has a dedicated office, I find them trying to turn that into more of a living space that feels homey,” she said. “So, you might have your office on one side and maybe some lounge furniture or something on the other. A lot of people are getting used to working in different types of spaces now, and they’re not always sitting at their desk.” Ever yone has d i f ferent s tar t i ng pl aces when they are put t i ng together a remote wor kspace. “ I f we’re t r y i ng to f i t an of f i ce space i nto an ex i s t i ng par t of the home, where i t ’s go i ng to have mu l t ipl e uses , I genera l l y tend to f i nd ways to make i t l ook cohes i ve,” Irizarry said. Photo by Ca l l i e Cranford Photography & Graph i c Des i gn . Photo by Po l i shed Renovat i on and Des i gn . Photo by Le f t Lane Produc t i ons .