Pocket doors in home offices - creating privacy without sacrificing space
The changing needs of a family home can be difficult to accommodate, and in extreme cases we may need to consider moving house in order to establish the space and comfort we require. Families grow in number and size, of course, but circumstances change too, and work needs and lifestyle choices often dictate what space we need around the home.
You might decide on a health kick and fancy a home gym, the kids might need a playroom to themselves so they aren’t hogging the TV with computer games, or there might be a hobby you have taken up which merits a dedicated space in the home. These are common scenarios where we might need to adapt the home to meet our evolving needs, but perhaps the most widespread home improvement in recent years has been the creation of a home office.
How the home office has become essential in many homes
The 2020/21 pandemic changed everyone’s lives to some extent, and for some people permanently. The requirement to work from home was easily accommodated by some, and was already an everyday or at least occasional scenario for many. But for others it came as a seismic shock and was a completely alien way of working and living. Of course, some professions – such as hospitality, leisure, healthcare etc - simply couldn’t be done anywhere but the established workplace, but others had to find new ways to work and pretty quickly. In the same way, some people enjoyed working from home and began to think differently, while others didn’t like the sense of isolation.
By the end of the pandemic businesses were beginning to expand their thinking and home working was considered by many to be a practical and cost-effective alternative, and people were instructed to work from home or given the option to be flexible, even after business offices were allowed to reopen. In the 21st century, commercial businesses have become far more adaptable and innovative in terms of working patterns and generally speaking, working from home is now very common and accepted as the norm in many cases, even without the pandemic forcing businesses to think more radically.
Using the pocket door to create a home office space
In addition to work needs, a home office is a useful quiet space for catching up on bills and family finances, researching holidays or pursuing a hobby. So, in recent years many family homes have been adapted to create a home office, because working at the kitchen table or perched on the end of a bed in the guest bedroom wasn’t practical long term. But where space is limited in the home, what do you do?
It is an option to build upwards with a loft conversion or outwards with an extension, conservatory or summer house, but where finances or land availability make that impossible, the pocket door is an affordable solution. Often the key is making a room multi-purpose and thinking outside the box to make the best and most efficient use of space, in this kind of scenario the pocket door is the key to creating sufficient space to accommodate all the fixtures and fittings you need.
How the pocket door is ideal for a home office
A home office doesn’t necessarily need to be a single use dedicated space, particularly where space is limited in the home. A home office five days a week can become a kids playroom in the evening or a guest bedroom at the weekend, and the pocket door opening into a wall recess rather than encroaching into the room can give you the ten square feet of extra floor space you need to accommodate both a bed or a kids play space, along with a desk and chair for your workstation.
Even if a small space does become a dedicated home office, the pocket door is critical in making this happen. Any small space can be turned into a practical office space, particularly if you use a glass pocket door and allow light to flow in to create a more airy and less claustrophobic environment. Typically you will be spending a lot of time in this small space, so it needs to be comfortable and appealing in order to make your work productive and ensure your mood is conducive with optimum performance. A glass pocket door can be supplied with satin opaque glass to make sure you can still maximise the natural light in a home, but can also maintain an element of privacy.
Contact the Pocket Door Shop for help in creating your home office
At The Pocket Door Shop we hear from many people who are looking to create a home office and the pocket door has been fundamental in making this happen. Whatever your work situation and whatever your lifestyle requirements are, the pocket door is the ideal solution for creating a quiet, private space you can retreat to as required, even just to escape the general bedlam of a typical family home. We all deserve this type of space, but particularly if your work needs make this a necessity. The pocket door is a practical and affordable mechanism to create this space without sacrificing the general flow of the home, and without facing the expense of moving home or making significant structural changes to the property.
So contact our team at Pocket Door Shop to discuss our range of pocket door systems, and we can advise on the best solutions when creating your home office.
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