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Pmaa 2D, WhItby Frue Presa, We&dy, JasiuarY 13. 1993 A HOME DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE Creating an off ice nyour home Do you constantly lug home work from the office, only te discover you have te vie for kçitchen or dining room table space with your children or spouse? Or, are you oeaof a growing number of people who are thinldng of going inte business for yourself and working eut of your home on a permanent basis? In either case, you need a place where you can have lota of pe *, rvacy and plenty 0f roSn te work _. without having te worry about getting butter s"ano or sticky fingerprints ail over your important papers. The perfect way te achieve this is with a home office. You con croate your own office by ither designating an eisting room within your home for this purpose or by creating a brand new space. Once you're ail set up, youll hava fewer distractions and youll ho able te, easily accoua everything you need. olIl find that this wiil help you get your work done much more quickly and efflciently. If youre considering using existing space for your home office - such as a family room or spore bedroom -- your main concern will ho how te furnish it se, that it~s practical, coufortable and attractive. If the office ise only for occasional use, you can incorporate a lot 0f extra homey touches. But try te avoid choosing an area of ,your home where moat of the household activity occurs -- like a room just off the kcitchen or living room. Aise try and choose a room with TUE JANUARY WHITE SALE lâ LEVOL OR A à A LEVOLOR VERTICAL Featuring Excaibur track system ACRYSTALE PLEATED SHADES *Crystale clear headrail -Designer colours and textures ASYMPHONY SHADES -Double honeycomb cellular shade %Vide vadety of colours -I ARIVIERA -112" & 1 " HORIZONTAL BLINDS * Lifetime Guarantee - Rainbow of colours & rinishes Choose From Canada's Largest Selection O! White lindow Fashions In Your Favonrite Style a good, solid door e that you con shut out any disruptive sounds. Basement or attie If ou have room avoulable in your b=sment or attic, you may want te consider renovating this usable spaca inte an office -- providing your budget' will accommodate such a project. These areas of the home are ideal for office space because they are generally for enough away from the reglar hustie and bustle of family life te afford the appropriate amount of peace and privacy needed. These sieas aise convey a sensa of 'separateneas' from the rest of the home, se yoi; won't ho readily tempted tu wander through the house if you become distracted or bored. Garage an optioun If you have a garage but rarely use it, you may want te explore this option as possible office space -- particularly if you plan te work at home on a permanent basdis. By using your garage, you have a separate entrance for business clients aud contacta. Ibis also provides a working environment that is tetally separate froen your home -- but close enough te it for quick accessibility. Keep in iind, however, that wth any type of major renovation prcject -- like an attic, basement or garage -- it's essential techeck your local building code te uee if you'll ho able te get a permit for your plans. Aise seek professional input te sec how much this type of undertaking will actually cost. You might ho surprxsed at how quickly cosacn build up, se if~s imperative te check firet. What te put ini yourhome Office If your home office is only for occasional use, you can incor- porate a lot of extra personal touches designed specifically with your own comfort and tastes in mind. If the room you choose aie dosa double duty as a spare bedroom or den, your choice of decor shouldn't matter as much. However, if your home office is going te ho your permanent place of woek, you'l pidbably want te croate a more profesional setting where you can meet with business associates and/or clients. When choosing furnishinga for your home office, keep coxfort and durability in mind. Good lighting la another essential element te think about when Space la at a preniium, espaciay in today's match-box apartmenta, se consumera are looking harder at ways te break up those tiny spacas. And, with the halp of sea inuovative furniture and accessoy manufac- turera, thayre doing a great Aobof it. Dividere con ho put te, remarkoble use. Tbey can create rooma within a room, privacy oreas and hide-aways. Available in laquer, woed, glass, rice paper and a variaty 0f sizes, clours and textures, dividers are beceming very fashionabla. DividêrS don't hava te ho the typical stand-up kcind. Anything con separate a room spae, particularly in loft-style apartmenta where yeu don't have any inside walls. An outward facing bookcase placed at the foot 0f a bed gives that al-important, night-time whiley stiil providing handy and attractive storage space. Hang a mrer on the back 0f the bookcase and you've created a email dressing area too. There's ne botter way teo oen DebOrah A. Irvine IN -Interior Decorator - Custom Service to Suit Your Personal Taste k D # tk t < For Consultation Please Cal (416) 623-7483 or (416) 263-4651 PROFEC CONAiNEmSRIC ELECTRoNICS HANDiÉG spECIAUSV ~ Moving Systems Bus: Oshawa (416) 728-1603 planning. Check eut furniture show- rooms and specialty shope te ume what types0f furnishinga would suit yo)u bu. if you)re unaure, try talking te a design consultant. This article is provided by local reait ors and the Ont ario Real Estate Association (OREA) for t/w benefit of consumera in the real est aie market. un a room than through the use of mirrors. And youve got style options beyond belief, not to mention fiiàhed and sizes to choose from. Wood, barnboo, glass wrought iron, ceramics, gilt, plastic -- the list je endis, and so are the pricea. You can spend a little or a lot. Where te, put them? Anywhare and everywhere -- walls, doors, floors, ceilings; mix and match different styles and sizes for a drarnatic effect that will have your fena adneighbours eviourofyour adgnavy There are los1 other ways to divide room spame in a clean and fimctional manner. Sofa tables, for example, are wonderful area-breakers, and an easel mirror makes a grat reflective space-breakar for th top. Beliy. it or net, pictures, posters and photographe con do wvonders to open up a room. And, they dont have to be expensive. You can change the entire look of vou home in a few minutes by just sitching the picturea. Decorative accessorias like vases and pedestals are maldng a strong comeback this year and the possibilities are limitiess. Add in some dried or silk flowers and you've get a wonderful centrepeice that you con change as often as you like. When it cornes to mamuiing space, the only rule for the ninoties is te maxumze your imagination. Fifty-five gallons of paint, 302 pounds of nails, 750 feet of copper wiring and 9,276 board feet of lumber go into a typcal new 1,700 sq. ft. single-faiy home. Divide and conquer your space dilemmasi and off whe colu: ely