Remodelling the Empty Nest

How should I design my home when my children fly the nest?

Have the kids recently left for college or moved away, leaving behind an empty bedroom?

Are you undecided about what to do with this newfound space in your home?

It’s true that some parents find it difficult to change their childrens' bedrooms when they go away to college because we all know they’ll be returning home from time to time, i.e. for summer and spring break (not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas). For others, it’s an opportunity for home improvement and projects designed not only for greater efficiency and comfort, but to increase their home’s value as well. At Zoom-Room, we believe you can transform your empty nest into a space that’s multifunctional, suits your taste and style, and is still welcoming for your children when they come home to visit.

Indeed, many of our customers face this same problem - how to take advantage of this newfound space for themselves while still keeping a place for the kids when they show up. It can sometimes be challenging to find a balance between creating an exciting retreat that does not compromise design and style. In order to assist you with this transition, here are some design tips for converting your adult children’s bedroom into a beautiful new space that fits your needs...

Transform that Empty Nest into a Home Office

With over 5 million U.S. employees working from home every day, (and a 40% growth of employees offered a work from home option over the past 5 years), and the likely increase of this trend after the Corona 19 crisis is over, there’s no question that working remotely will continue to skyrocket in the USA - a notion Forbes has coined as ‘the working from home army’. Often included are people in senior positions, which many empty nesters are.

Consequently, a home office may not only be a practical choice but a necessary one. Capitalizing on this newfound empty space in your child’s bedroom by creating a home office - custom built with cabinetry, shelves and workstations, is one way of making yourself more comfortable and efficient while working from home.

At Zoom-Room we are experts in designing custom home offices, meeting your specific needs and style while maximizing essential space. In addition, our Zoom-Desk Beds provides you with a convenient and stylish desk by day, and a comfortable bed at night (you can also put a TV or bookshelves in front of it!). This seamless transition ensures that you have all the necessary facilities to work productively in your home office and your kids still have a place to stay when they return home for the holidays.

Add some Color to your Home Office

There’s no doubt that a home office is a practical design idea, but it’s also an opportunity to up the existing decor in your child's room! It’s great to breathe some life into your space to make the room as hospitable - for you, your kids and your other guests. But it is also desirable to ensure your home office is practical, ergonomic, comfortable, and clean.

The use of color can fill your home office with energy (bright, bold tones) or create a soothing environment (light, neutral tones). If you decide that a neutral palette is right for your home office, consider how artwork, furniture and accessories - like accent chairs and shelving - can personalize and add a splash of colour to your space. This is a great way to add a personal touch without imposing too much on a space your child may still consider his or her own.

Lighting - Important for Every Room, but Essential in your Home Office

Natural light is always great in any interior space, and this no less true for a home office. Views to the outside can improve productivity (if you don’t spend too much time wishing you were outside!) and well-being. If you have a window that gives plenty of natural light, it’s always great to position your desk close to the window so you can take advantage of it.

For those who aren’t so lucky, and for night time work on the computer, smart lighting is always important. There’s ambient light that determines the overall atmosphere of the room (dimmers are king here), but task lights that let you see what you’re doing is key for productivity and especially important in a home office. At Zoom-Room, we have premium dimmable, programmable LED lights that we design to fit your home office furniture. It works great to set a mood for the room (you can program virtually any color or brightness), and for creating bright pools of light to move your eye to art objects displayed in your cabinetry or the newspaper you’re reading at your desk. As always, great lighting is vital to make your space functional, efficient, and comfortable.

Maximise the Space in your Home Office

Zoom-Room's home offices with custom cabinetry are designed to maximize the shape and dimensions of your room, avoiding wasteful oversized furniture that can quickly overtake a space. Office desks can also be incorporated into small, compact areas to provide some breathing space.

As another alternative, our multi purpose fold down Zoom-Desks can be a big asset in tight home office designs, providing you with an office desk, compact custom cabinet to suit your storage requirements, AND a guest bed. This is particularly useful for when your children return home. Folding the desk away keeps your stuff neat and tidy, away from theirs.

When it comes to designing a home office, organization is key. Nobody works well in a home office that is cluttered and claustrophobic. Don’t waste practical floor space by tucking printers and files into corners and drawers not designed for the task. Instead, it’s great to have custom made files and hidden printer pull outs to create a well-organized, ergonomic pleasant space. If you’re tight on floor space, it may be useful to go up - utilising vertical space by installing cabinets up to the ceiling with varying types of storage.

Indeed, Zoom-Rooms’ fully customizable home office and custom cabinetry products feature an extensive range of storage options, with bookcases with and without doors, drawer pedestals, pencil drawers, file drawers, and upper cabinets - with or without doors, and in some cases, with glass doors.

Find out more about our range of Retractable Desk Beds and our home office & custom cabinet collections online, or give us a call on (888) 211-1120 for more information on our exclusive and stylish space saving solutions that can add real value to your home!