A custom remodel for your Washington DC home office will help you create a space where you can focus and thrive.

Traffic in Washington D.C. is a serious and ever-worsening issue. You might be shocked to learn that, according to a recent international study, the average metro-area commuter is spending over 60 hours per year stuck in traffic. That’s actually worse than the commute in Mexico City. And if you’re the one trudging back and forth into the city for work, you’re definitely used to feeling the impact of those lost hours on both your free time and your sanity.

Thankfully, today’s incredible technology allows more and more employees to work from home or to work remotely from all across the country—and nothing could be more enticing to DC locals. Whether you’re looking to increase the number of days you work from the comfort of your own home or you’re hoping to move in permanently with a telecommuting position, giving your home office a custom remodel can really help create a space where you can thrive. Daydream on these office design ideas during your next commute. We guarantee you’ll be even more determined to ditch the urban traffic for good.

Optimize Your Working Flow

If you’re really going to commit to working from home more often, you’ll want to really put thought into the way your workspace is laid out. The first question to ask yourself is where your ideal desk space will be facing. Some people absolutely abhor the screen glare from windows in a room, and so they position their custom built-in desk facing a wall or a corner. Others absolutely live for an outdoor view when they’re plugging away at the computer. No matter how many beautiful photos are taken of the DC traffic, the view can’t compare to what you’ll see from your own home office window.

After your main working surface is established, you’ll want to move on to deciding which office elements you need within easy reach. Care to keep a printer at your fingertips? Play around with the idea of giving the appliance its own cabinet or shelf next to or even underneath your desk. Need constant access to a full bank of drawers? Give them a prominent space close by your main working area. You won’t be wasting your life on the Southeast freeway or the Key Bridge, and you won’t be wasting your energy moving about the room all day to get what you need.

Design for Unexpected Luxury

The most drool-worthy offices are beautiful on sight and even more intriguing at second glance. That’s the work of custom accessories—elements of the office design that are entirely unique to you and blow the big-box stores totally out of the Potomac River water. While you’re waiting oh-so-patiently through DC’s evening commute (which local studies show is more than five times worse than the morning), you’ll have plenty of time to dream about the following design inspo:

• Custom Cord Management. The worst thing about planning an office is dealing with cords—but custom design makes this so much easier. Custom-cut grommets allow you to manage cables however you prefer.

• Specially-Designed Cabinetry. Whether you prefer open, minimal shelving or closed cabinets, you can have your choice in your newly renovated home office. Thermally-fused laminate cabinetry is incredibly durable and easy to keep clean, and is our preferred material for all office design projects.

• Unique Accent Lighting. As any interior designer knows, multiple lighting sources are crucial for a working space. When we’re adding custom lighting elements to a home office, we always endeavor to include both ambient and task lighting—and LED accent lights are perfect for this task.

• Custom Drawer Design. Have you ever been forced to deal with office drawers that are too deep, too wide, too small, or too poorly-designed? Kiss those daily annoyances goodbye. With custom-built dovetailed drawer boxes that are equipped for soft closure, you’ll never want another drawer in your sight. Bonus: these can also be made into the best custom file cabinets you’ve ever used.

Securing Your Washington DC Custom Home Office

Inspired yet? With a custom-built office space designed exactly to your needs and decked out with the best in custom accessories, you’ll never want to commute into DC again. The worst of the congested areas can take more than three times longer than usual during rush hour—and if you have to drive those routes every day, that makes working from home in a luxurious home office more than three times better. And who knows? If a few more of the 500,000 DC-area commuters made the shift to work from home, we might all have a lot less of a problem.

Eagerly anticipating your own custom home office design? Schedule your free consultation with Closet America. Our DC-area designers will come right to your home (yes, even against local traffic!) to discuss your biggest office dreams. Together, we can create a home office that will completely transform the way you work.

Lead image source: Flickr user Ted