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Many Amer icans feel working from home would be a dream job.

Today’s home offices must be able to multi-task as efficiently and effectively as the people who work in them — and that’s something you should keep in mind when making renovation plans.

“We see fewer and fewer buyers requiring a dedicated home office when setting their search criteria for buying a new home,” wrote Gwen Daubenmeyer, a real estate professional who recently blogged about home offices on the Integrity Real Estate Team blog. Daubenmeyer noted that laptops, cloud storage and online filing services have made it possible to work from virtually any room in the house, so it’s no longer necessary to have a room dedicated solely as office space.

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Instead of turning that spare bedroom into a space strictly used for work, why not consider improvements that will help the room multi-task? With a few smart upgrades, spaces such as attics, basements, spare bedrooms and other smaller areas can serve as multi-functional spaces for work, play, working out and socializing.

Here are several tips for multi-tasking offices:

• Good lighting is essential for any home office, but if you want to avoid the institutional look of traditional office lights, consider increasing the amount of natural light that enters your multi-purpose office space. Adding Energy Star-qualified, solar-powered, fresh-air skylights, like those from Velux America, is a cost-effective way to bring natural light, as well as passive ventilation, into any home office space. Solar-powered blinds in designer colors and patterns enhance the blended decor of a multi-use room, while allowing you to control the amount of light entering the room with a programmable touchpad remote control.

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• Divide the room visually to define functional areas. You can do this in several ways, including using a folding screen to partition off the room’s work area, or hanging cur tains to conceal lesser-used sections of the room when they’re not in use. You also can use the room’s layout to create a natural flow.

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• Many home offices need to double as a guest bedroom. Consider alternative bed styles. A daybed can be dressed up with pillows to serve as a sofa where you can comfortably read reports. Or, completely hide the sleeping area by adding a Murphy bed to available wall space.

• Make it easy to rearrange furnishings in the room by putting your desk on coasters just like your office chair.

• If you’re turning a bedroom into a multi-purpose office, no one should need the closet for hanging clothes. Instead, convert the closet into a cozy spot for a workspace. Place a small desk inside, or hang wide shelving to function as a workspace for your laptop, printer and files.

This article is courtesy of Brandpoint.

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