A 734-Square-Foot Loft Condo Has a Clever WFH Desk Idea Bought from Home Depot

Apartment Therapy Submissions

published Feb 19, 2021

Page URL

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Can't-Miss House Tours Straight to Your Inbox

Keep up with our latest house tours each weekday with our House Tour of the Day newsletter

Bedroom with large wall of windows — Credit: Scot Hafler

Name: Scot Hafler, Blane (spouse), and two dogs
Location: Downtown Brewery District — Columbus, Ohio
Type of home: Loft condo
Size: 734 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years in April, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My spouse and I downsized from our 1,400-square-foot home to simplify our lives. We took the opportunity to sell, donate, or give away a lot of “stuff” we had accumulated over our 26 years together. We moved in to our new loft just under a year before the pandemic. Blane had taken a new consultant role, and we knew he would be working from home, and I had an office to travel to. However, the pandemic created a need for both of us to work from home. Creatively finding a way to accommodate a good work-life balance within 734 square feet took some time and unique design decisions.

Credit: Scot Hafler

One of the ways the couple creatively accommodated their work-from-home needs was by installing on the wall this Trundle garage workbench purchased from Home Depot, which when open acts as a desk, and when folded up, is out of the way. See below for an image of the desk opened up.

We like a combination of new and old. The building we live in was once a beer bottling facility for Born & Company, a small brewery founded by Conrad Born Sr., in 1859. Renovations of the 19th century-era warehouse were completed in the early 2000s and benefited from the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Original steel/wood window assemblies, masonry restoration, stone repairs, and preservation of heavy timber structure created the framework for our unique loft-style condo. The interior pays respect to the building’s history while taking cues from mid-century modern and bohemian design elements.

Credit: Scot Hafler

Scot's workspace with the desk open.

What is your favorite room and why? The main living space accommodates our love of Netflix, cooking a majority of our own meals, and working. All elements have their space, but do not “crowd” one another.

Credit: Scot Hafler

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? We love our new lounge chairs (Eames Chair reproductions). We each have our own and purchased them from Manhattan Home Design.

Credit: Scot Hafler

Any advice for creating a home you love? By downsizing, it allowed us the opportunity to surround ourselves with only those things that have a memory or positive story attached. I’d say to select decorative items that are an extension of who you are as a person. Things that tell a story about where you’ve been or where you’re headed.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

Share Your Style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form