The Hardworking Home presents a wide range of achievable home
improvements that will help you upgrade your home to better meet your
needs in this shifting world.
From home office to home school to home entertaining, today's households
have necessarily become functional microcosms of society. Before the
pandemic, less than five percent of full-time employees worked remotely
from home. At the height of the outbreak, more than half did. And even
when the dust has settled, it is estimated that at least a quarter of us
will be performing our jobs from offices in our homes. Distance
learning also will endure as an important educational tool. And while
we back into less restrictive social distancing guidelines, it
nevertheless makes sense to create a fun, vibrant atmosphere for
entertaining ourselves and our guests within the safe confines of our
homes.
Some of the projects in The Hardworking Home are quite simple and
others require a little more DIY experience. But the overriding
commonality is that they have been curated with the forward-looking
filter of making our lives better, more efficient, and more
satisfying in a changing world landscape. Content includes:
Introduction
Adapting Space
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Lamps and lighting choices
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Wall color and painting
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Practical home décor
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Noise reduction
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Air quality and whole-house ventilation
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Furnishings
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Separation tips for open spaces
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Making room for recess and relaxation
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Private spaces for external communication
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Work-related meeting areas
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Technology issues (Wi-Fi and beyond)
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Ergonomic solutions for working at the dining table
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Protecting furnishings and surfaces
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Efficient ways to stash your stuff
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Working together
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Convertible work spaces and desktops
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Partition wall
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Modifying countertops and cabinets
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Tambour hideaway (protecting electronics and equipment)
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Pantry conversion
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Island bumpout
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Slide-out work surfaces (and keyboard trays, printer bays, etc.)
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Under-cabinet lighting
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Under-cabinet storage
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Cord management
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Adapting dining rooms
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Adapting kitchens
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Adapting family rooms
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Creating activity/recess areas
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Movable work centers
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Dividing space
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Workspace under loft bed
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Corner workspace
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Creating living/working space separation
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Adapting bedrooms
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Renovating a spare room
Creating Space
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Renovating a spare room (Features: ways to improve lighting)
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Creating an office in an unfinished basement (Features: furring walls,
suspended ceiling, raised subfloor panels)
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Closet office conversion
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Renovating a garage (Features: garage floor refinish, new garage
window, garage skylight, storage projects)
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Making an outbuilding habitable (Features: making a shed livable)
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Feature project: closet office
Easy DIY Projects
- Rolling
- Modular
- Drop-down
- Kids
- Space-saving
- Rolling
- Hidden
- File-friendly
- Room dividers
- Plexiglass protectors
- Carrel curtains
- Desks
- Storage
- Privacy barriers
