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The kitchen counter is not a home office

How to create a dedicated work space you will love working in

Yes, you could clear the kitchen table to make room for your laptop, and you may even think you are just as efficient as when you were back in the office. Chances are, you are not as efficient, nor are you treating your body well. Improving your home work area does not have to be hard work with these ideas:

What is the optimal desk set up?

Remember the Three C’s:

1. Computer

This is probably where you spend the most time, and it can be the most harmful to your body. Your keyboard should be 1-2” above your thighs, and the screen should be an arm’s reach away. When a keyboard is too high, it causes stress to the shoulders, lower back and forearms. 

2. Chair 

Your knees should be about a fist’s distance away from the front of the chair. and your feet should be on the floor in front of you with your thighs slightly below your hips. This means the kitchen chair is not going to work because it was designed for a one-hour meal, not an 8-hour sit-in.

3. Clutter

Psychologists confirm that visual clutter can create stress and distractions. Marriage counselors will tell you that clutter and messes cause many fights; just ask Oscar and Felix.

Power drawers are a great way to hide unsightly cords and cables and can easily be retro-fitted or a part of a custom design.

How can you create a dedicated workspace if you don’t have an office? 

You can transform most any area with some creative thinking and just a little space. According to Frank Corn, owner of Signature Closets and Custom Cabinetry, “Transforming spaces into home offices is becoming one of our most common requests. Whether it is a nook below a window, converting a wide landing or adding a multi-functional built-in to an unused bedroom, there are solutions.”

Pro tips from Signature Closets

  • Bedroom. Install a Murphy bed so the little-used bed is out of the way, allowing room for a desk. A desk also can be built into the Murphy bed and drop down when the bed is up.
  • Nooks. A simple desk top, at the right height, can be added almost anywhere. Drawers will hide clutter, and open shelves can display attractive items. 
  • Landings. Landings and wide hallways are the perfect space to add a work area. Often a landing is not in the main living area of the home, which gives the needed privacy for the work area. A narrow worktop with a lamp and tray can serve as a hall table when not in use.
Squeeze a dedicated workspace in hallway or landing with clever customizations, like the printer that can be tucked away.


Frank Corn is a fourth-generation furniture designer whose father and grandfather had furniture design businesses in High Point, North Carolina. Growing up on The Monterey Peninsula in California, he learned to build furniture frames from a young age. After completing business studies at Monterey Peninsula College, he headed to San Francisco for jobs related to the new emerging closet and storage businesses in the 1980s. Moving to Hilton Head twelve years ago, Frank realized there was a need in this area for custom manufactured systems in the Lowcountry, and Signature Closets was born.

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