apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I live in a studio, so seperating sleepspace and workspace is especially important. I have my desk facing the wall so I can't see the other areas in my apartment while working and get distracted by them. I've found that making the bed is really helpful too, I make the bed as soon as I wake up and turn it down when I'm getting ready to go to sleep. During the day I sometimes will bring my laptop into bed for working (I work from home), but never under the covers. It's also important to be able to clean up your desk at the end of the day so you don't lie in bed staring at the mess and worrying about work.

No-no! Falling asleep within site of your workspace = bad.

I do have an office in my walk in closet, but why would I want to work in there when I have a nice living room? I plop myself on the couch with my laptop on my lap, right near the window.

It depends. If I had a bedroom like the one above, I wouldn't mind. My boyfriend and I are both web/graphic designers, so we're on the computer a lot. When we move in together next year, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing to have a small desk in the bedroom for a laptop so that we can be together in the same room. I currently am using my dining room as a workspace, and honestly, I miss having a dining table! (I just have a huge Galant desk in there instead.) But ideally, it would be in another room, like a spare bedroom, etc.

Laura
http://www.justalittlebit.net

This is a tough one, and I think it depends on your work habits.

You can have your desk in the bedroom if you manage your workspace and work habits well. Ideally, when you've finished working for the day, you can close up shop: straighten up your desk, put things away, turn off the computer and printer, push the chair in, and walk away. Even better if you can actually close your working area off from view with a curtain, door, or screen.

But if you have difficulty closing up shop and walking away, having your desk in your bedroom can be a disaster. Before you know it, you've got a laptop and/or papers in bed with you. Maybe some food or drinks will find their way in, too. And the phone. Post-It notes. Pretty soon your bed is part of the workspace, and your sleep will be compromised.

I keep my desk in the bedroom because there's no space for it in the living room. I keep it as neat as possible (no messy stacks of papers and books) by tucking everything away in boxes, file folders or on shelves. I have a laptop and the only peripheral is a printer I keep in the closet (thanks to bluetooth) so there aren't a lot of messy wires or clunky electronics in view.

If you don't have the space then you don't have the space. In our current apt, we were able to put her workspace in the office/music room, and my workspace in the living room.

But in our previous 590 sq ft loft, there was no other choice. My workspace was downstairs in the walk space between the kitchen and living room, and her workspace was in the bedroom loft area.

You can't manufacture space, and if you can't live properly (by that i mean working while he's watching tv) without the desk in the bedroom then so be it. We can have our workspaces in the same room, because when she's studying for exams I'm usually listening to music or watching movies on my PC, so that doesn't work for us.

I think it's best if you can separate the spaces somehow. I lived in a small studio for a while. The bed went in the corner with a big bookcase to hide the rest of the living room/workspace from view.
Where I live now I couldn't FIT a desk in the bedroom, but if I did I'd have to make sure everything looked as classy as possible or it'd be flash backs to my college days.

Enormous no no for me.

oops edit: 'can't' not 'can' have our workspaces in the same room

I live in a studio so my desk sits literally across from my bed. I know that people preach that work and sleep should be separate and in an ideal world, I'd have an office.

But to ensure I get my sleep, I ensure the computer is off at least an hour before I go to sleep and I sleep facing the other direction so I'm not tempted to run back over and squeeze in some more work.

For me, it doesn't affect my sleep schedule at all. Actually, next to nothing can affect my body's ability to fall asleep within a minute of getting in bed. As long as it's not interrupting your sleep, I don't see a problem.

Both myself and hubby work from home. We have a full-length (all along one wall) home-made desk that we share... right next to the bed! :-) For the insomniac it's ideal - for the needs-more-sleep, the typing can get a bit noisy. But with the nature of our business (wireless internet suppliers), it's great to have that computer right at hand when something goes beep in the night and needs attention.

At other times I'd love nothing more than my own space, tucked far away in the corner of the (non-existant) yard - but the realities of a two-bedroom apartment with three people in it mean we work with what we have.

who makes these rules? is it the "no white after labour day" people? i do understand the need for no disruptions in your bedroom, but if your space is limited, so be it.
i think you can only play by the rules if you live in a suburban mcmansion with 3000 square feet of space, otherwise, there's this little thing called the real world.
just keep your desk tidy, hopefully with a bit of separation between it and the bed, and i have faith that you'll survive beautifully with very little psychological damage!

i don't see the need for a large home office, unless you work from your home. why such a big desk? i can pay bills from my sofa. why sit at a desk? i sit at one all day at work.

I think for a lot of us in small apartments, we have little choice of where to set up our workspaces. Our bedroom is so small we were barely able to squeeze our dressers in there! The room in our 700sf apartment which is supposed to be the dining room serves as my workspace/studio/computer room/ironing room/dining with our food in our laps room.

The point is, I dream of the day when I have a real dining room and a real home office space. But no matter what, I wouldn't blend it with the bedroom.

I have trouble falling asleep most nights and have had brushes with full-blown insomnia, so the fewer distractions there are in the bedroom, the better. Among other things, that means no TV and definitely no laptop. Even when I lived in a studio apartment, I kept my computer in a closet. I get that a work space in the bedroom doesn't bother some people (my husband, for instance, can fall asleep anytime, anywhere) but it's an absolute no-go for me.

Get a shoji screen to hide the desk when you go to bed.

Who can actually get some peaceful sleep w/ a computer, all that electronic stuff and paperwork/files in the bedroom constantly reminding you that there's work to be done?

Before taking sleeping pills, try getting the electronic stuff/exercise equipment/etc. out of your bedroom first.

Great comments! The compromise thus far has been that the desk is where I work, but once done the desktop gets cleared off and the laptop moves into the living room to get charged. So far, so good.

I so no. For a long time I have always felt the need to have a desk, chair, with all my art supplies super organized, printer, my mac and tablet, etc. Well soon after I graduated school I really cracked down on my minimalism and confided my supplies to a large Art-Bin box, hid my printer in my credenza, used my MacBook where ever I wanted, ditched the office chair and really like that since I'm a professional Designer now I don't have to feel like I'm at this work desk but rather able to enjoy the rest of my home (living room, dining room table, bed).

I think an office winds up being typically a whole room hog, or at least a substantial amount of space. And its kinda of an eye-sore because it screams WORK. Now I just keep all of my minimalized "office supplies" hidden in my credenza.

I'd love a convertible room. A murphy bed that folds up onto the wall by day, and an office (closet) with closet doors that close off when work is done.

If your bedroom is one of the nicer rooms in the house, with good windows and light, it seems a shame to not use it 24/7!

I think it just depends on the type of person you are. Clearly some people can't rest with work accoutrements in the room. But they don't bother me at all. Actually, I'm considering moving my work space out of the living room, because I'm starting to feel like I never leave work. If I worked from the bedroom I could walk down the hall to the living area when I finished, instead of just turning around or moving to another chair. And since I sleep in the dark with my eyes closed, I won't be looking at my work stuff.

If done right, I think some workspaces can be a nice opportunity for a living vignette, which is my compromise for mixing the spaces. I'm in a small studio, so it's either always there or it's not at all.

I have a writing/drawing desk that I'm constantly arranging as I work and whatever I pile there seems to make for good visuals:
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/un-chris-nguyen/item/78021

I use a laptop, which I spread out on a dining table when I need it, and pack it up when I need to disconnect:
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/un-chris-nguyen/item/78046

Overall, in small spaces in particular, I think you can separate live/work areas visually and mentally without really separating them.
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/un-chris-nguyen/item/78011

i second the idea of a shoji screen if you have to place your workstation in your bedroom.

I think it's okay as long as it works for you. I work from home a lot, and while I could've put a small office area in the small living room, I thought it might be nicer to have several places to do work in our home. Turns out it works very well! I can do work in the bedroom, living room and on any of the 2 or 3 table-ish things in our house!

Check it: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2009-ratmongers-view-of-brooklyn-little-division-15-081403

Michelle
http://cheeseloversinternational.blogspot.com/

I think it works. Think of all the people in the world who have a family of 5 in a one room home and all sleep, eat, and even work from that space. The idea that we need to have these huge spaces with a separate rooms for everything (a breakfast nook AND a formal dining room?) is ridiculous. I think if you enjoy your work, then there is no reason not to have a calm soothing workspace right in your bedroom. If you really need the separation, then, you can use symbolic separation, such as a different color scheme, a screen, a rug to define the space, or even more intangible separation, such as rules (working only certain hours or days). Of course keeping everything clean and pretty is essential.

P.S. I think it looks great! Very bright and spacious. I'd love to work in there.

I work in my bedroom -- my bed is basically my home office. But I only need a laptop to work, so there's no desk full of papers to look at. I just tuck my laptop under the bed when I'm done.

My filing cabinet and stationery supplies are in a closet.

I think it's a must if you don't have the space to separate them. The San Francisco firm LSarc has mastered the art of combining the two in this 1915 home.

http://raenovate.blogspot.com/2009/11/garage-makeover.html

what a silly question! I think it's fairly universal... if one is able to have a seperate office (becuase they have the space), they WILL.

If a person or family lives in tight quarters, they simply have no choice. If they need a work space and there simply is absolutely no way it will fit elsewhere, it goes in the bedroom / sleeping area.

so the answer to the question "no-no or necessity" is YES.

In general I would say this is a no-no, but I think we are all aware that in reality its not always the case that we have extra space for a home office that doesn't interfere with either our bedroom, living room or kitchen. Sometimes you just have to double up! However, given the option I would say heck no- my bedroom is my sanctuary not my workspace!

I think it's a great solution! Moral of the story, if the whole things bothers you, don't think of such a combination, but if you like it, do it!

i couldn't do it. when i ran my business out of my two room apartment, i turned the "living room/kitchen" into my combined dining room and office/conference room. and i turned the "bedroom" into my livingroom/bedroom. i just couldn't face the work at night, it would lure me in!

If I had that desk I would work anywhere!
Who designed it? Is it vintage or do they still make it?
Thanks.

I would opt for kitchen area combination. keep bedroom separate

"Who designed it? Is it vintage or do they still make it?"

It's custom.

The reason I chose the RV I live in is that it gives me a whole room to devote to a home office. I actually posted some shots of my home office to my blog last night (http://travelswithmiranda.uskeba.ca/?p=3199).

The compromise I make is that I don't have a bedroom, just a loft bed over the cab. I enjoy sleeping up high and don't mind climbing up and down, so it's not a sacrifice at all.

(A secondary reason why I picked my RV is that it has a dressing room, so I don't have to keep my clothes in the study, the living room, the kitchen, or, horror of horrors, the toilet room. :) )

I must be missing out on something... I don't understand the need for a desk at all unless you work from home. Is there some personal business everybody does there that I am supposed to know about...?

heatherdazy, of course - writing poetry, novels, love letters, invitations, thank-you notes, keeping your stationery in the drawers. You can also pay your bills at the desk, if you ever feel compelled to engage in such mundane occupation.

And some people might bring work home with them. I definitely do.

Bad feng shui -- must not have a desk in bedroom, etc etc -- this really *is* a high class problem in a world where 20% of our population does not have access to clean drinking water !

I finally had to say "no" to having my office in my bedroom. It was dragging down the quality of my work and my relaxation time. I've come to find that I need to have "compartments" both physical and metaphorical if I want to be productive and relaxed.

JoJenks, did I provide clean drinking water for somebody by moving my desk from my bedroom? Or should I move it back? Please explain your reasoning.

Custom made? Who do I call? I want that desk!
If you listen to these fine folks on AP and decide to move your home office out of your bedroom and no longer have a need for the desk I'll take it off your hands!!