| Changing
Spaces
Office
Space
From an unfinished basement to a
cozy artist’s area
By Cassandra
Wentworth
Bob and Chris Nolin
love working from home, he as a digital artist and she for IBM.
Until recently, however, neither of them had an appropriate
place to do so. “I was crammed into a fourth bedroom and Chris
was jammed in a corner in the family room,” says Bob, who runs
his own photo painting business.
Jeff Morris, of Case
Handyman & Remodeling, based in Canonsburg, helped the
couple overcome their problem by creating an office out of
unfinished space in their basement.
“I see an
increasing number of people that are working from their homes,”
Morris says. “I would say that less than half of those I visit
with have fully functional, well organized offices. Folks will
use everything from the coffee table to the kitchen table, but
most such ‘offices’ are not fully thought out and planned.”
Because the space in
the couple’s Bethel Park home was completely bare, Morris had
to provide it with utilities, communication outlets, ventilation
and light. Utilities are well hidden in the space, some in an
unimposing corner closet and others in a ceiling bulkhead over
Bob’s art display area.
Now the space is a
warm working environment, with cool celery-colored walls, darker
green doors, complementary carpet and light yellow ceiling. A
window well allows in some sunshine, and three overhead panels
offer subtle lighting, not the typical glare of florescent
lights often found in spaces like this.
“We wanted it to
be warm, but not overpowering,” Bob says.
Bob’s work station
is a corner desk, where he creates his digital paintings from
original photographs clients send him. The end result is a
uniquely enhanced image on an oil canvas. Also adding to the
coziness of the space is Bob’s extensive pipe collection. The
intricately hand-carved pieces are displayed above his desk and
mounted on the wall. And the room is complete with a vent and
exhaust fan, so Bob can enjoy his collection whenever he wants
without bothering anyone else in the house.
One of Bob’s
biggest concerns with the remodeling was sound. He needed a
quiet working environment and thought the nearby laundry room
and furnace might compromise that.
Morris alleviated
that concern by insulating the walls and recommending a steel
insulated door. Now the only sound in the basement office is the
gentle hum of Bob’s fish tank.
Case Handyman &
Remodeling can be reached at 724-745-9888. |
