The Best View in the House Is From a Window Seat

white window seat built-ins in a home office

Sitting in front of a window, and just gazing out, is one of the simple pleasures of life.

From the warmth of your own home, you can curl up, no matter the weather, and watch a blizzard blow its fury across a bare field, or stare up at the night sky and wait for that first star to appear so that you can make the ultimate wish.

Edith Wharton quote

Open the window and listen – just listen – to the morning songbird, to the patter of rain on the roof below, or to the soft rustling of the leaves from a gentle breeze. Not only are your senses stirred, but it might just be the perfect form of meditation.

Add a book to this cozy scenario and you have the picture-perfect setting for fanciful musings and distracting reflections. British author J. K. Rowling said, “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”

The coveted window seat

At your favorite restaurant, you request a table by the window. If traveling on a train, plane, or bus and seeking solitude, the window seat allows passengers to escape into daydreams and creative imaginings.

If your pets could talk, they’d tell you that they’d prefer a comfortable perch in front of a window so that they could look out and wait for you to come home.

Health benefits

As home designs evolve, we want more glass so that our homes are bathed in natural light. We absorb vitamin D, which is important for normal growth and improved resistance to some diseases. If we don’t get enough, supplements might be required. Researchers have also found that a vitamin D deficiency was more common in those who were experiencing anxiety and depression.

Vitamins aside, sunshine is a natural mood enhancer. We can all relate to this. When the sun is shining, we naturally feel better. Sunlight helps to boost a chemical in our brain called serotonin, which can ignite our energy level, and help to keep us calm, positive, and focused. During the winter, when days are shorter, many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and doctors will often treat low levels of serotonin with natural or artificial light.

As mentioned, sitting in front of a window is a wonderful form of meditation. A popular mindfulness exercise engages all of your senses. While looking out, focus on five things that you can see. Then listen for four things that you can hear, followed by three things that you can smell, two things that you can taste, and one thing that you can feel.

Step through the wardrobe

Window seats conjure up a romanticized ambiance. Every child, if given a choice, would want a window seat in their room. Like a fort, it’s their own private space where they can retreat to their make-believe nirvana.

If listing your house to sell, window seats capture everyone’s imagination. They are always considered a sought-after feature, not only for the seating but for the extra storage space and books shelves that are so often part of the overall design.

At Organized Interiors, we have a real soft spot for designing window seats. The possibilities are endless.

Taking in custom considerations, we can transform what would often be labeled as dead space, and turn it into an enchanted sanctuary and feature wall.

angled photo of white window seat built-in storage

11 window seat benefits

Here are some great reasons for installing a window seat in your home.

Extra seating

If space is at a premium, a window seat can add a delightful chair alternative.

More storage

The space below any window seat can be multifunctional and provide precious storage. In order to avoid lifting the seat/lid, especially if you added upholstered items, consider drawers.

Transform a space

From functional to fashionable, a window seat makes use of unused space.

Not just for windows

A built-in seat can be added in a variety of locations, especially if space is at a premium. Consider installing one at the top of the stairs, on a landing, or in a passageway. These nooks and crannies are delightful alternatives.

Take it to the next level

From traditional to contemporary, window seats can be added to bathrooms, great rooms, and home offices. Because they are built-in, they are incorporated into the room and don’t overwhelm a space like a large piece of furniture might.

A getaway for guests

If the space is conducive, the window seat could be designed like a day bed. Adorned with lots of throws and pillows, it’s a reading retreat during the day, and a guest bed at night.

Rest and relaxation

Ultimately, a window seat is a go-to escape for respite and contemplation. Make it your own with all your favourite things close at hand.

A framed snapshot

A slice of life is captured outside your window. A window seat compels you to pause and absorb what’s right in front of you.

On the flip side

The right window, the right lighting, and the right position can bring the outside, in.

Window highlights

Furniture positioning can block a window. With a well-thought-out arrangement, a window seat can open up the interior space and offer additional seating.

A room without a view

If you’re positioning a built-in seat in an area without a window, consider the addition of lighting, wall finishes, and a contrast of textures for your personally inspired oasis.

Have a seat and talk to us

There really aren’t any downsides to installing a window seat or added storage. With the right design, it becomes an integrated part of any space.

If you are considering a window seat, talk to us. Schedule a free design consultation today. Organized Interiors can transform any living space to adapt to your specific requirements.

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Working From Home Is the New Normal. Are You Ready?

home office with two white desk, two white chairs, upper cabinetry

Working from home is an acquired preference, and requires discipline.

Prior to COVID-19, many people would say that they would have chosen to keep their work and home life separate, going as far to admit that they’d miss the social interaction with their colleagues, meeting people for lunch, and actually having a reason to get up and get dressed every day – so that they could put their best foot forward. Going out to work provided structure to their day.

On the flip side, many people spent hours commuting, rarely made it home in time for dinner or to put their kids to bed, and were stressed to the max because they couldn’t find that work/life balance.

Europeans like to say that they work to live, while North Americans live to work – and that sentiment is true. Many countries have a minimum of four weeks of holidays per year when the average allotment in North America is only two weeks out of 52 per year. It’s crazy.

In 2017, France introduced a law that allowed workers the ‘right to disconnect’ from after-hour emails. In addition, 9.3 hours of their day is devoted to relaxation and leisure. We have it backwards. In the Netherlands, the average workweek is 30.3 hours, they have a generous parental leave policy and are one of the highest-ranking countries when it comes to an enjoyable work/life balance for their citizens.

Multi-tasking work and home life

For those of you who found yourself working from home (not by choice), along with other members of your household and school-aged children, the home priorities took on a different light. Scheduled meetings, client calls, class time, and deadlines were all vying for your time. The chaos of domestic life was ramped up, and you no longer just had to think about yourself when you walked out the door in the morning.

There’s no doubt that young families bared the brunt of this pandemonium, as two-income earners tried their best to manage their work hours and attend to their children. In one-parent families, multi-tasking took on a new meaning. Down-time was an unheard-of commodity, and everyone became everything to everybody.

dark desk and cabinetry for home office and single chair

If for no other reason than personal sanity, having a designated office is now a priority. We’re not talking about make-shift work stations or sharing space with someone else, we’re talking about an organized environment that has a door, along with associated rules and times when others can enter.

And, this work-from-home space has to address all of your wants and needs as it relates to your profession, along with the compulsory measures that are vital in order for you to perform at your best. Organized Interiors can tailor specific requirements, as it relates to surfaces, storage, and organizational solutions for maximum functionality and efficiency.

Working from home is a good thing

Ultimately, these enforced changes to your daily routine can be viewed in a positive light. Change can be difficult for many, but when you take a situation and weigh the pros and cons, it can often tip the scales to a favourable outcome.

Work from home pros

  • No need to commute
  • More free time
  • Reduced travel budget
  • Less wear and tear on vehicle
  • Reduced wardrobe budget
  • Save money on eating out
  • Flextime
  • Ability to do more with kids
  • More aware of household operations
  • More in-tuned with family members
  • Time to cook nutritious meals
  • Able to schedule regular outdoor breaks
  • Factor in time for exercise and meditation
  • You’re no longer a clock watcher
  • The family budget is enhanced
  • Live/work balance achieved

Work from home cons

  • Feeling of isolation
  • Difficulty getting motivated
  • Miss quiet time when driving
  • Find it hard to get outside
  • Don’t have a reason to dress up
  • Nine to five workdays with everyone else
  • Workday + commute = no time with kids
  • Relationships become strained
  • Less professional feedback
  • Life is unbalanced

Big businesses are making big decisions to have their employees work from home

The pros and cons apply to employers, as well. They have less overhead, in terms of costs related to office space, parking permits, expense accounts, etc. Some may choose to have employees interact in an office space on occasion, but with Zoom calls, email, phone calls, and texts, information is quickly shared, rather than have everyone drive, or fly, to a business meeting. Of course, there’s a domino effect to everything, and hoteliers, restaurateurs, and other socially-focused businesses will be feeling this reclusive pinch. We’ll find our way.

In the meantime, it’s time to focus on your personal office space. Not only have these changes affected how we work, but they also affect the way that we work. You don’t need a study to tell you that an organized workspace leads to better productivity. That’s common sense.

Rather than lugging your computer, workout gear, lunch, and files back and forth, and then sitting in a de-personalized cubicle, you can create a home office space that suits you to a ‘T’.

new unfurnished home office with white cabinets and black desktop

Important things to consider when setting up your new home office

  • Do not work in the same area that you sleep in
  • Carve out space that is yours alone, and has a door
  • Spend money on the design of your new office
  • Have cabinetry custom made to adequately meet your professional demands
  • Choose a damn good office chair and furniture
  • Select paint colours that boost your mood and productivity
  • Make the most of natural light and add plants
  • Consider your background for Zoom calls
  • Make friends and family aware of your business hours
  • Take regular breaks
  • Ensure that there is definition to your day so that timelines aren’t blurred

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors for help in creating a personalized home office space that works for you!

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Is A Cloffice (Closet + Office) Right For You?

White cloffice with desk, chair, wardrobe closet.

When you do a dictionary lookup of ‘cloffice’ on Meriam-Webster, the result is, “The word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary.”

Dictionary editors spend their time reading and looking for changes in language. They look at publications and sites (like this one) and identify vocabulary that has entered mainstream life – terms like bucket list, sexting, and unfriend. A word gets into the dictionary when it becomes commonly used by many people who all agree that it means the same thing.

Is cloffice the right word?

Cloffice? Offclo? Closeoff? Offset? Maybe we just call it what it is – a closet that has been transformed into a home office. Now everyone has to agree on the right term to get it into the dictionary.

A bit of closet history

The closet, itself, has underlying connotations and hasn’t always been viewed in the best possible light. The word has been around since the 17th century, and is derived from the Latin word ‘clausum’, which means ‘closed’. Closets were originally associated with an upper-class status and were often small rooms that were adjacent to the bedroom where people would spend their leisure time.

Back then, closets were seldom a consideration in the construction of homes for the lower class. Wardrobes and bureaus were used to store one’s possessions.

As housing styles changed and storage became a part of the design, closets were added, but only accommodated a limited number of garments. A single shelf that was placed above a rod for hanging might hold a precarious pile of sweaters and boxes that threatened to tip every time the door was opened. The floor was a dark, secret cave of abandoned shoes and misplaced items that had nowhere else to go.

So, maybe it’s time that the closet has regained a prominent position in the house – one that can also house a leisure-like getaway or a workspace.

Working from home out of necessity

Being aware of trends and demographics is imperative for designer Jane Lockhart. As she points out, condo dwellers were already moving to the suburbs in order to get more space, boomers were already moving out of the city or procuring a second residence, and 2.1 million Canadians were already working from home. “The pandemic was like throwing gas on a fire,” says Lockhart. “It accelerated these trends that were already underway.”

As of June 2020, Statistics Canada reported that 40 per cent of Canada’s workers are working from home. In 2018 it was less than 10 per cent. Everyone in the family were trying to eke out their space for office work and homework. Zoom calls were now a thing, and private areas were difficult to find.

While the general public is now used to seeing a presenter’s dog or toddler enter the screen while watching the news, there are times when you need to focus and get away from the surrounding chaos of the home environment.

White cloffice with desk, chair, wardrobe closet.

10 great reasons for having a cloffice

  1. Closets have doors, which can be closed – whether it’s bifold doors on a small closet or a more-substantial door on a large, walk-in closet.
  2. Shutting the doors serves two purposes. It provides privacy and it also hides work that is in progress, so that you don’t have to tidy up every time that dinner is served or a visitor arrives.
  3. While there are pantries, broom closets, and front hall closets, bedroom closets provide an extra layer of privacy.
  4. Guest rooms were the first area to be repurposed as home office space. Without overnight visitors, it made sense to take over a room that could have more than one function.
  5. The closet in the spare room is a natural alternative to work space, as it’s more likely to be unused.
  6. At the end of a workday, you can literally turn it off. This is very important on a psychological level in order to define when you are working – and when you are not.
  7. If working in the kitchen, noise is echoed off of tiled floors and walls. Carpets, drapery, and furniture help to deaden sound. If your office is in a closet, you have an increased sound barrier.
  8. Closets make excellent Zoom rooms for those all-important meetings.
  9. Consider hanging fabric, or rearranging props for a suitable, studio-like backdrop during Zoom calls.
  10. You’re less likely to be disturbed if you’re not visible to the rest of the family.

Short term or long term cloffice?

Even if students are scheduled to go back to school, they are going to continue to excel if they have a dedicated study/work area at home.

Many people will not be returning to an office environment. Working from home is going to become the norm for a high percentage of the population. So, again, you’re going to want a space that is devoted to your particular requirements, with a suitable surface, drawers, shelves, and storage.

cloffice desk chair dark wood

Each work/office space should be individually designed to suit personal needs and wants. No one works or learns the same. Some kids are visual learners, while others or auditory. Some of us are messy and need extra room, and some of us are uber-organized. The designers at Organized Interiors take all of these requests and desires into consideration when re-purposing a space.

Put your closet to work with a cloffice

Organized Interiors can transform any living space to adapt to your specific requirements. If you are considering a cloffice, contact us to schedule a free design consultation today.

From concept to completion, we can reconfigure your space for maximum efficiency.

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4 Smart Toronto Condo Remodel Ideas

We all know that condo living has its advantages and disadvantages and one of the latter can be having enough space.

Organized Interiors has been dealing with getting the most out of small and unusual spaces for more than 40 years now. Our custom design expertise really got a workout on this condo remodel in Toronto.

The project involved redesigning a few areas in this small condo space.

condo remodel reach-in closet

This closet makeover in a Toronto condo adds built-in drawer and shelving storage and attractive sliding glass doors.

4 condo remodel ideas we used for this project

The following condo remodel ideas were used for this project:

  • a custom built-in wardrobe was added
  • a small home office space was created
  • sliding doors were installed in multiple closets
  • three bedroom closets were given makeovers

Let’s walk through each step that was taken for the condo remodel and explain how we dealt with some of the design challenges that were encountered.

Custom condo wardrobe

condo remodel wardrobe and home office

A built-in custom wardrobe and home office space were part of this condo remodel project.

Because closet space is often at a premium in condos, adding a wardrobe is a smart way to increase your clothes storage space.

A new wardrobe closet was needed for the condo’s entrance area. The tall cabinet section in the photo above shows the wardrobe that we built, complete with lower drawers.

You can see that the wardrobe drawers and doors have no pulls visible, so you may be wondering how they are opened. Touch-latch hardware was used. By avoiding installing handles or knobs on the wardrobe’s front, the clean lines of the design are preserved. The doors and drawers simply need to be pressed lightly and they pop open. 

We used LED strip lighting across the wardrobe top (facing the ceiling) to provide some ambient lighting for that corner, as the condo’s overhead light fixture in that area is a little further away.

On the immediate left of the wardrobe is the original entrance closet, which had sliding glass doors added. That closet is half-occupied by a stacked washer and dryer, with the remaining half being used for storing cleaning products and linens.

Home office space

Having a home office was useful even before the pandemic. Now a home office has become even more of an asset as working from home becomes the norm for many of us.

Along the adjacent wall to the wardrobe, we built a home office space. It includes a desk with upper drawers and larger file drawers down below, which both use the easy-open touch-latch hardware. An overhead cabinet with lift-up doors provides additional storage space.

As you can see, creating a useful office workspace at home doesn’t require much room. Having a dedicated part of the home you can use for work and studying helps you be more productive and avoid having to use areas like the dining room table to get work done.

The home office is situated between the condo’s entrance and an open kitchen. We used high-gloss white laminate for the custom cabinetry exteriors (including the wardrobe) to match the finish of the kitchen cabinets. 

Sliding closet doors

condo closet sliding doors

The existing builder-grade sliding mirrored closet doors were replaced with our glass sliding doors. The left closet has a drawer tower and a short hanging rod and the right closet is designed for hanging wardrobe storage.

There were two narrow master bedroom closets on either side of the entrance to the en suite bathroom. All the condo closet doors were builder-grade sliding mirrored doors, which were replaced with our aluminum-framed white laminated glass sliding closet doors.

The challenge with adding doors to these two closets was that we wanted to increase the access to the closet interiors, without affecting access to the bathroom in between.

The solution: our top-hung bypass doors. Using the same door profiles and glass as our regular sliding doors, we used top-hung hardware to create a single large panel for each closet. Each door slides completely to the side in front of the bathroom door, to reveal the entire left or right closet.

The top-hang feature means that there is no floor track in front of the entrance to the bathroom, so you don’t have to step over it each time you enter and exit. If anyone is in the bathroom and someone else uses a closet and forgets to close its door, the doors have the same grip on the front and back so they can be opened and closed from either side.

Sliding doors aren’t just meant for closets in a condo. Using sliding doors as a room partition is ideal for enjoying an open space, while also giving you more privacy when needed.

The Toronto Star included sliding doors (especially in open-concept living spaces) on their list of the home trends that will be popular in 2021.

Condo closet makeover

drawer tower in open closet

Deep drawers, easy-to-access shelving, and two hanging rods maximize this small closet’s storage space.

There was another small reach-in closet in the second bedroom. Once again, we added our sliding closet doors, this time with a standard bottom track.

For the interior, we used the same type of design that the left-hand closet in the double master closet has. To maximize the small closet’s storage space and functionality, the drawers are built extra-deep. The shelves above them are shallower to make them more useful higher up. Short upper and lower hanging rods were added as well.

In both closets, the drawers are designed with scooped fronts to once again avoid handles. In this case, it was to ensure any handles did not interfere with the sliding doors.

Talk to us about your house or condo remodel needs

If you’re planning a house or condo remodel, talk to Organized Interiors about what we can do to transform your living space.

Whether it’s giving one of your closets a makeover or you’re considering a bigger scale project like this that involves multiple upgrades for your home, we can help.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to make it happen.

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How to Create a Home Office Space Anywhere in Your House or Condo

home office space

If you’re anything like me, you have a family or you work from home and are no stranger to multi-tasking throughout most of your day.

I was initially doing my work on a tiny desk in the kitchen. Then the dining room table eventually became my “home office space”. My work area became very cluttered, which took away from my concentration.

Each time a task was completed or a family dinner took place, I had to pack up all my paperwork, laptop, and work supplies.

Notes and documents would go missing and my productivity suffered. It was difficult and challenging working this way on a regular basis and my frustration only grew with each passing day.

My need for a home office space became obvious

All of this improvising and the lack of stability when working made me long for my own proper home office space where all of my things could have their own place.

I was tired of “just getting by” having a working environment that wasn’t ideal and experiencing what happens when such a setup is used  – too much lost time and a level of work efficiency that could be much better.

Things needed to be more organized and functional. Ideally, I’d have enough space for a printer, shelves for books, and a comfortable amount of desktop space for papers, supplies, and my computer. I love to have pictures, mementoes, and knickknacks close by as well.

I knew that I finally had to seriously address my need for a home office space that made more sense for my work routine.

How a proper home office made a huge difference for me

Working with a professional company like Organized Interiors to design a home office space has made all the difference in the world to me. They were able to accommodate all my needs and offered a great selection of styles and colours for the room.

Using a spare room, we added a desk with a computer station and an ample work surface. Drawers keep supplies hidden, within close reach, and off the desktop. Additional built-in custom cabinetry creates storage room for files and additional supplies.

Deep shelving provides valuable storage space for my books and magazines, which are convenient to have at my finger tips. There’s also room for my personal effects and a printer. All of the wiring for the work setup is neatly tucked out of sight.

It’s wonderful upgrading to a room dedicated to getting the most out my work. Having a clutter-free space has cleared my mind and given me back the time I would waste looking for misplaced items.

I now know where everything is and my desk area makes it easy to write in the evening with a built-in light valance. Creating my personalized home office space has been well worth the time and expense.

Boost your productivity with a proper home work space

11% of Canadians work exclusively from home and 47% of Canadians work remotely in some capacity. Having a dedicated home work space will make a noticeable difference to your day and how productive you can be.

Routine is important so one can focus on the task at hand. If your work day has no structure and is dictated by too many other factors (like “is the dining room table available for me to try and get some work done?”), it’s difficult settling into a workflow that ends up being productive enough.

Whether you’re working remotely or desire a proper home work space for doing your taxes, managing your finances, or giving your kids a private study area, here are some tips for setting up the perfect home office space, just like I did.

Use a spare room for a bespoke home office

The most ideal situation is to use a spare room to create a home office. A spare room is wasted real estate that typically becomes a dumping ground for a home’s clutter.

Giving it a higher purpose as a private work space gives a home office design professional ample freedom to shape the room into the dream home office you have always wanted.

While you won’t have much say in where your spare room is located, keep in mind that the location of a home office is important.

The more privacy, the better. Having a home office located right beside a noisy laundry room or home entertainment room, for example, would not be ideal.

Your family responsibilities will also have to be taken into consideration. Although having as much privacy as possible is desired, you may have to balance parental supervision duties with your work duties. In this case, having an office space that is too separated from the rest of your home likely won’t work for your needs.

Create a multi-purpose room

What if you don’t have a spare room available? In this case, consider doubling up on a room’s duties and creating a multi-purpose room that includes a home office space.

The home office/guest room is one smart way to get more out of your living space. Having a dedicated guest room may not be practical if you don’t have the luxury of a lot of square footage or only have overnight guests a few times a year.

Have a room redesigned to incorporate a comfortable work space you can use year-round that can easily be called upon to house overnight guests when needed.

A Murphy wall bed is the “MVP” of this type of room setup. The bed stays hidden and folds up into the wall until guests need it, which means your room provides plenty of open space during the majority of time when you’ll use it for working.

The wall bed can be designed with built-in storage that beautifully complements the custom cabinetry designed for the home office area of the room, creating a seamless, stylish aesthetic.

Here are five other room uses that can be paired with a home work space:

  • library
  • reading room
  • fitness room
  • craft room
  • meditation room
home office and guest room with wall bed down

A Murphy wall bed with built-in surrounding storage provides an always-ready comfortable sleeping surface for overnight guests.

home office and guest room with wall bed up

With the wall bed folded up, there’s plenty of room to work comfortably at a highly functional work station that is surrounded by stylish décor.

No spare room? Create a smaller work space.

If your house or condo doesn’t have a spare room available, a useful home office space (or a study space for the kids) can still be customized to fit a smaller area of your living space.

Even a nook-sized office set up in the corner of a room, in an underutilized large closet, at the end of a hallway, or in one of those other awkward “dead space” parts of your home (like underneath the stairs) can work.

Add a built-in small desk with a computer station, a pullout keyboard drawer to save space on your work surface, a couple of desk drawers, and some small shelves for books, knickknacks, supplies, or a printer.

Once again, be mindful of choosing a location that provides some degree of privacy so you won’t encounter too many interruptions while working. Admittedly, this can be especially challenging when creating a work space in a more open area of your home.

Start planning your bespoke home office project

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with us to learn more about how a home office space can be customized to fit your house or condo.

One of our qualified design consultants will visit you at your convenience to begin planning your personalized home office project.

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