Office Design Steps

Intro

AN INVESTMENT THAT PAYS FOR ITSELF, over and over:

Create a home office, computer work center or desk that increases your efficiency and maximizes the usage of your available space – and is also “future proof” and transportable to your next home. The design will have its own special charm and character, one that reflects your tastes; blends well with your other furniture and home architecture.
Of course, it also must suit your budget.
If your office adjoins your home’s entry foyer, you want it to present an appealing view as your guests enter your home, so that you don’t need to close the door, to hide it! (View Martin Fireplace and Sandonato Office for examples.)
Finally, you want it to be an attractive place where you want to go to work, drawing you to it (much as a well-engineered vehicle compels you to get behind the wheel and drive)! An investment in creating your ideal work place is repaid many times over by your increased work productivity and by the increased number of hours you will work (enjoyably) in your beautiful custom-designed space. (It won’t seem like “work”!)
Benefit from our vast experience:
We have designed and built hundreds of home offices, computer work centers and desks, each one unique, each one carefully designed by working closely with each customer, and each one meeting the above objectives. Let us empower you by sharing our vast experience with you, so that you can learn and benefit from our experience and that of our numerous previous customers.
Let’s get started! There are two ways to start:
1. You might want to start by randomly viewing the photos in the Photo Gallery, to get a feel for the tremendous range of MAPLETREE’s design/build experience - and to become inspired by the possibilities. But, remember that each photo memorializes the happy ending of a previous customer’s search for his or her perfect office – and each person’s search is unique. Even if you first peruse our previous work in this manner, we urge you to start down the path leading to your dream office as follows:
2. Take your own personalized organized tour through our gallery of home offices, desks and computer work centers by following the Design Steps below, each of which will link you to photos in the Photo Gallery, educating you as to all of the available options and providing you with special “glasses” to enable you to see things you probably would overlook in a random tour through the Photo Gallery. The Design Steps will take you on your own unique path through the Photo Gallery, leading you to a unique new design that will be just right for you. We have designed these steps to ensure that you do not overlook anything. Each step links you to relevant photos in the Photo Gallery, to give you examples of ideas, features and options! At the end of this enjoyable educational journey, you will be able to tell us what features you want us to incorporate in the first design drawings we will send to you.
DESIGN STEPS:
Follow our ten easy steps, answering the listed questions. Then, provide us with the dimensions of your space (or call us for a house call to take measurements) – and, with this input data, we will develop design drawings for you.
Then, through discussions with you, we will iteratively improve the design until you tell us it is perfect for you. We will then send you a priced proposal, with detailed specifications, offering to build your dream bar.
(We do all this at our expense and our risk. Whether or not you place an order, our reward is the knowledge that we have educated one more family as to MAPLETREE’s vastly superior service and capabilities, knowing that you will be telling your friends about us and that you will contact us for any future furniture needs. Our mission is the building of good long-lasting relationships in our community and we have proven that this approach is a Win-Win, in the long term.)
As for all furniture design, we work to help you balance the sometimes-competing dimensions of functionality, style/aesthetics and cost, diagrammed as follows:
We will first develop a design with everything you want in terms of functionality and aesthetics. Then, we will send you a detailed priced proposal, with drawings and specifications, identifying cost-driving optional features and their differential cost. If the price is higher than you had budgeted, we then go to work on design iterations to reduce cost for you. (This is similar to the process of selecting a car model, with numerous available options.) Our proposals are designed to educate you as to the costs of available features, to empower you to make decisions as to options and achieve the correct balance. Often, the post-proposal re-engineering process yields unexpected fruit, as the striving to reduce cost often leads to creative new ideas that simultaneously optimize considerations of cost, functionality and aesthetics, in an evolution of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Form follows function” dictum.
Follow the links below to see examples of features that you can incorporate in your home office - and the linked images will allow you to return to this Design Workbook - to continue the design process.
*We have recently launched this upgraded site and are still in the process of finalizing this section. Please bear with us: There are a few links yet to be closed, and some referenced photos have yet to be added.

Home Office Checklist

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STEP 1: FREE-STANDING FURNITURE OR BUILT-IN CABINETRY?
You actually have four options, not just two!:
A. FREE-STANDING FURNITURE
B. 100% BUILT-IN
C. COMBINATION OF FREE-STANDING and BUILT-IN, and
D. “APPARENTLY BUILT-IN” (Looks built-in, but you can take it with you!)
Think this over carefully, because many people, at first, think that they want “built-in” cabinetry, but later find that MAPLETREE’s “Apparently Built-in” (built-in, but easily removable) is a better investment. We can build your home office so that it can be relocated to another home in the future, while appearing to be permanently “built-in”. For examples of our “Apparently Built-In” option, view Carlisle Office, Walters Office, McCarthy Office, and DiNapoli Office. If you like this approach, select “D” in our Design Request Form.
Why is this a wise approach? What if a future buyer of your home wants to use the room for another purpose? What if he or she has completely different tastes (e.g. traditional versus contemporary)? What if your son or daughter wants to (eventually!) inherit your home office to take to his or her home? What if you eventually move, and want to take your home office with you? We consider it our duty to look after your long-term interests as well as your short-term needs, and so we ask questions that you may not have considered and we strive to ”future-proof” your design, making it flexible for the future. Having worked with hundreds of furniture-seekers over the years, we can inject many different paradigms into the design process - and into your decision-making process. (Decades from now, we want you to look back and know that we empowered you by sharing the full benefit of our experience with you.)
In Pennsylvania, the securing of cabinetry to your house walls, no matter how minimal and removable the attachment is, allows us to tax only the materials component of the furniture, resulting in great savings in sales tax, while still enabling you to relocate the furniture in the future.
Perhaps your requirements necessitate having some of the cabinetry permanently built-in. “Option C” is the answer for you, with some components built-in and others transportable. For examples, view Rath Office and Gumto Office.
All MAPLETREE home offices are completely pre-assembled in our shop, then re-assembled in your home, typically taking less than a half-day to install. If you live out of state, we make it easy for local installers to install our home offices or we can arrange for affiliated firms to deliver and assemble your MAPLETREE furniture.
Of course, if the only option that makes sense is a 100% built-in approach, you have come to the right place! For examples of our permanently built-in home offices, view Little Office, McKinney Office, Day Office, Sandonato Office and Martin Fireplace. For these applications, we suggest a design that is classic and timeless, and not overly ornate or overly “contemporary”, so that the built-in is universally appealing, becoming a value-added asset to your home.

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STEP TWO: STYLE
You can select from the list below, or we can create something entirely different for you! For the latter, send us a photo or a link to a website to provide us with an example of the style you like, or just call us to talk through your ideas. (We are good mind-readers!) For examples of the below-listed styles, click on the links, and go “BACK” to this page before proceeding to the next link, to save your place and avoid missing steps in the design process:
A. Traditional: Walters Office, DiNapoli Office, Kumper Office
B. Contemporary:
C. Classic: “Goes with Anything”: Frank Wolf Office, Chuck Wolf Office, Barnyak Office, Carlucci Office
D. Ornate: Little Office, Sandonato Office,McKinney Office, Martin Fireplacee
E. Southwest: Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show
F. “Mission” or “Arts and Crafts”

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STEP THREE: CONFIGURATION
Options include:
A. “L” The keyboard and the writing surface are perpendicular to each other, so that, with a 90 degree swivel of your chair, you can turn from your keyboard/monitor to sign a letter. For examples, view Eppley Office and Frank Wolf Office.
B. Corner PC: The keyboard is located in the corner of two desktops. This has the disadvantage of creating a large separation between the left side and the right side, because of the length of the keyboard tray, on a 45 degree angle. View Walters Office, Morton Office.
C. “U”: This is an expansion of the “L” configuration, providing 270 degrees of work surface surrounding your chair, with, typically, a credenza directly behind the desk. DiNapoli Office, Barensfeld Office
D. Straight Line: Nicholson Office, Rath Office
E. “Tee”: Barnyak Office
F. Closet-space

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STEP FOUR: SPACE UTILIZATION
Whether you select free-standing furniture or a built-in approach, we will develop a plan drawing of your existing room to optimize the utilization of your space, taking into consideration the following goals:
A. Get the most benefit from your windows: Enjoy the view your windows afford. Take advantage of natural lighting from your windows, without blocking window light. For examples of good window utilization, view the Morton Office.
B. Optimize traffic flow into the room and through the room. What other functions does the room have? Will you have an easy chair for reading (e.g., by the window?) Will you want space for chairs facing your desk, to accommodate people visiting you in your office?
C. Optimize access to the desk ingress and egress. You don’t want to feel like you have been squeezed into your work space with a shoe horn. For a good example the Eppley Office.
D. When seated at your desk, face the door, if possible.

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STEP FIVE: ERGONOMICS
Create your “circle of power”, with you, seated, at the center! Consider the following:
A. Make it easy to move from your computer keyboard to your desktop writing surface, simply by swiveling your chair, so you can sign the letter that you have just typed - or assemble the report that you have printed. (Frank Wolf)
B. From your chair, at the center of your “circle of power”, you should be able to reach both your keyboard and your printer. We can provide a retracting printer platform that disappears into your desk (appearing like a drawer) when not in use. (Tallerico Office)
C. File drawers should be nearby, so that you can reach filed documents and quickly file your latest work product. (Carlucci Office)
D. If you use a paper shredder, make sure there is space handy for it. We can provide a retracting platform that disappears when not in use. (Tallerico Office)
E. Reference books should be at your fingertips, e.g., on a hutch just above your monitor. (Kumper Office)
F. Close to your keyboard, have desktop space for materials that you are using, such as reference papers. Sliding breadboards are a great answer: Just slide them out of the way, when not in use. (Yodanis Office)
G. Provide the right amount of space between your desk and your credenza to avoid feeling cramped, while keeping the credenza in reach. (DiNapoli Office)
H. Make sure that extended printer slides, shredder slides and file drawers do not encroach on vital working space – or “crash” into one another. (DiNapoli Office)
I. Make sure that extended pencil drawers and retractable keyboard trays do not interfere with one another. (Morton Office)

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STEP SIX: STAFFING?
How many people will use the office to serve? Might this change in the future? (Always design for the future. Our furniture will last forever!) Frequently requested arrangements include:
A. One Adult: (Eppley Office, Nicholson Home Office)
B. Two Adults, full-time: (Barnyak Office)
C. One Adult, with occasional use by one additional person. (We can make provisions for an area for a second person to work with a Notebook PC.)
D. Adult and Child: So you can teach your child or help them find resources on the internet.
E. One Child: (Eaton Desk)

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STEP SEVEN: USE EXISTING FURNITURE?
Our goal is to minimize your cost - and we can reduce your total project cost by “recycling” your existing furniture, so that it is seamlessly incorporated into your new MAPLETREE Home office. For example, we can provide new desktops to cap existing file cabinets and other existing furniture, as we did for Dr. Chuck Wolf, salvaging all of his existing oak furniture and giving it new life as an integral part of his new MAPLETREE oak office (Chuck Wolf Office).
Or, as an additional means of reducing your total project cost, we can incorporate new prefabricated standard file cabinets into a home office, fabricating a custom desktop to tie everything together, and staining everything to match.
For Bob Barensfeld, we built new furniture in the style of his existing furniture and stained it to match. (Barensfeld Office.)
We are adept at precisely matching existing furniture, in style, color and detail.

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STEP EIGHT: UPPER CABINETS
Upper cabinets are not necessary and can always be added in the future. Office design should always make provisions for the future addition of upper cabinets. In our proposals, we price upper cabinets separately, so that you can decide if you want to make this investment. Here are some things to consider:
A. Upper cabinets provide handy storage space within reach of your chair, with additional storage above.
B. Under-cabinet lighting is a must, to illuminate the desktop below.
C. Pigeon holes can be provided, for sorting and organizing your papers. (Kumper Office)
D. Open shelves, immediately above the computer monitor, are handy for keeping reference books. (Kumper Office)
E. Wide-span hutches leave the desktop clear, with no obstructions. (John Evans Hutch)
F. Soften the “business” look of your office with display areas for photos, trophies, and memorabilia. (Frank Wolf Office)
G. Glass doors are a nice feature, to display curios and photos (Nicholson Office)
H. Wooden doors are good for hiding “clutter”, including office supplies (Eppley Office, Frank Wolf Office)
I. You can add interest and drama with an arched top. For examples, view Carlisle Office, Frank Wolf Office.

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STEP TEN: ACCESSORIES AND OPTIONS
Let us know which of the following optional features you would like us to incorporate in your design:
A. Paneled cabinet sides: Choose from plain flat sides or optional flat panels or raised panels? (Barensfeld Office)
B. Desk Front and Doors: Raised panels or flat panels? (DiNapoli Office)
C. Decorative Carving Embellishments: Corbels, Capitals, Onlays, Ornate Moldings (Day Office, Little Office, McKinney Office, www.Enkeboll.com)
D. Cable trays to organize and hide wires
E. Grommets, for cable management (for cables to monitors, phones, facsimile machines, etc.)
F. Openings in cabinet backs to provide access to electrical power receptacles, cable receptacles and phone line receptacles.
G. Ventilation for CPU’s including hot air exhaust grilles and cool air intake openings (electric fans are optional
H. Retractable wooden keyboard tray, wide enough for your mouse, adjustable in height and angle. (Frank Wolf Office)
I. Wooden front, to hide the keyboard when it is retracted (with the appearance of a drawer front)
J. Printer tray, hidden behind a drawer front under the desktop level. (Tallerico Office)
K. Hidden shredder, on a sliding platform that retracts into the cabinetry. (Tallerico Office)
L. Surge Protector Power Outlets, incorporated in cabinets
M. Accommodation of HVAC registers, cold air return inlets, by means of in-cabinet ducting and/or decorative openings in cabinet baseboards.
N. Pocket doors (retractable doors) to hide the monitor when not in use. (Sandonato Office)
O. Breadboards for extra space for documents while working on the computer (Evans Hutch, McKinney Office)
P. Ventilation fan in CPU Cabinet
Q. Cable management features, including grommets, cable trays, built-in receptacles
R. Hidden lighting under hutches (over desktop or credenza)
S. Illumination of display areas (Nicholson Office)