Hawai'i Tech
Finding space for a home office

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Desks

Ergonomics

Lightning

Storage

Books

Accessories

All these things come in handy when you're trying to carve out a home office without cutting too deeply into living space.

Lo and behold, when the couple and their teenage daughter moved into their Hawai'i Kai three-bedroom house, there was far more furniture than floor space ... and certainly no place for an office.

"I wanted something for my computer, and I didn't want it in the bedroom," Marsha Hayakawa said. "You barely have room to walk around the bed."

The family consulted with Joette and Mike Colgan, interior designers, who settled on converting a guest-room closet into a cubby, with a cherry countertop for the computer and much-needed storage space. There's also a built-in wardrobe to accommodate the occasional guest's belongings.

Joette Colgan, just ending her term as president of the American Society of Interior Designers' Hawai'i chapter, said the trend here is toward smaller, modular furniture pieces that can fit a variety of spaces.

"We're finding that people are wanting to put things in different areas," Colgan said. "In homes that have larger kitchens, you often find people have an area there, a nook or countertop, for access to e-mail or recipes."

In most Hawai'i homes these days, Colgan said, designers are expected to make some allowance for office utilities — a place for PCs, printers, fax machines, scanners and other gear — whether it's just for household purposes or an actual home business. Creating an space that's comfortable, well-lit and attractive is important, but in these islands the premium placed on floor area presents the primary challenge.

Karren Barozzi, who this week succeeds Colgan as society president, keeps her own office in her home so she's learned what it's like to keep work from taking over the living space.

"Most people that are really trying to set up a home office, they're trying to find a separate space for it," she said. "But you might be able to divide a room with a screen.

"I like the D-shaped desk top, flat on one side," Barozzi added. "It's nicer to go around; you're not bumping into corners. And they're making ... (office units) more on wheels, so it's portable."

Home office furniture doesn't have to be so institutional and rectangular, she said. Colgan agreed.

"Now desks are coming in more organic shapes, one edge slightly curved, so they don't look so office-y," she said.

Whereas chrome was a popular accent a few years ago, Colgan is seeing more glass, metal and titanium finishes in the current "high-tech" motifs.

And with the growing popularity of laptops, computer stations don't always need to provide a pull-out tray for keyboards and can be less bulky in appearance, she added.

At the center of home-office design is a goal, interior designer Kathy Gurski said: Home life must predominate in the home environment.

"When you are incorporating technology in the home, you don't want it to overpower you so that work chokes you out," Gurski said. "We want to feel we have our living space, not that we're living in the computer's space."

	Five rules for proper ergonomics
	Ergonomics is the science of ensuring that you feel comfortable and stay healthy in your work environment. Here are some suggestions for creating proper ergonomics at home.
•	Avoid eyestrain from glare by keeping computers or laptops away from sunny windows. Low-level, ambient light from floor lamps used in conjunction with desk lamps also helps prevent eyes from becoming strained or tired after looking at a computer screen for a long time.
•	Make sure the top of your monitor is two to three inches above eye level and the monitor 16 to 30 inches from your eyes.
•	Invest in a good swivel chair that fits your shape, is adjustable in height, offers good lower back support, reclines easily and has at least five wheels at its base.
•	Choose a desk with an adjustable keyboard holder or tray. For adults, the portion of the desk where the keyboard rests should be 28 to 30 inches above the floor.
•	Make your home office pleasant. Personalize it and soften it with family pictures, plants, and non-office furniture such as comfortable sofas.
	— Gannett News Service