Expert interview: How do I design the perfect home office?
Iris Leibkutsch brings atmosphere into her customers’ homes with fabrics, wallpapers and colours. This Hamburg-based interior designer’s own flat is both her office and her showroom.
CUBE: What should be considered when setting up a workplace in a guest’s room?
Iris Leibkutsch: Guests like to feel welcome in a space reserved for them. It should look inviting and not be a lumber room for excess furniture. A room divider can be used as necessary to separate work from sleep.
What is a smart way to integrate a home office into an existing guest room?
Iris Leibkutsch: Both areas should be cast from the same mould. This could mean that everything looks modern and sleek. But it could also mean an antique bed with a modern desk. Opposites can definitely attract. It’s important to have something that ties it all together, through colour for example. If you don’t have much space, choose a folding desk attached to the wall.
Do you have a solution for the dichotomy between home comfort and a working atmosphere?
Iris Leibkutsch: Yes! Light! I recommend a bright, functional lamp for the workplace. But I’d prefer a table lamp on a side table by the guest bed. More standard lamps and table lamps can be used for additional light. The more sources of light a room has, the more atmosphere can be created. Then you may not need a ceiling light at all.
And what about colours and textiles?
Iris Leibkutsch:The colour of the walls depends on the amount of sunlight and daylight. Dark rooms benefit most from colours like sand or cream. In light rooms, light shades of blue or green will give you a fresher look. It looks good with textiles in the form of folding blinds or curtains around the windows. If protection from the sun or light is necessary for the workplace, then horizontal or vertical blinds are good.
Which criteria would you use for choosing the furniture?
Iris Leibkutsch: They should be practical yet stylish. Guests need places to put things. Give them a shelf, baskets, wall hooks or a conventional suitcase stand. Any folding sofa should be easy to use and fitted with a slatted frame.
Thank you for talking to us, Mrs Leibkutsch.
Source: Interview with Iris Leibkutsch in: Cube Magazine, Issue No. 03/20, p. 63.