The best way for kids to make the most of learning from home is to make an environment actually conducive to getting schoolwork done. That means creating a homework station dedicated to studying.

Not sure where to start? We’re here to help!

Here are seven tips and tricks from the professional designers at Closets by Design to help you create the perfect study space for your children.

1. Pick a Quiet Study Space

The first step to creating the perfect work station is to find the perfect space in your home. Your children should have a nice, quiet space where they can focus on homework. You should seriously consider converting a part of your home into a dedicated study space, besides their bedroom.

By keeping your station outside the bedroom, it helps to create a greater separation between school and home. A bedroom should be a cozy and comforting space for children. Working and studying in the bedroom can create a disconnect with the brain associating the room as a relaxing space and this can actually impact sleep.

What’s most important is that the space is quiet and free from distractions. That means toys, games, and screens should be out of sight from where your kids study.

2. Find the Right Desk for Your Homework Station

Every good homework station needs an even better workspace. That’s why you need a desk where your kids can really crack the books. Custom desks and drawers from Closets by Design are a terrific way to convert any space into the perfect study sanctuary.

A home office organizational system helps you make the most out of the space in your home. You could also convert the space under your stairs or even your closet into a study nook! Consider upgrading your own home office into a school station for you and your children. Then you can set an example for how to study!

3. Use Cubbies to Contain Clutter and Minimize Distractions

One of the best ways to minimize distractions in your homework station is to clean up all the clutter. It’s hard to work in a messy room. Try using custom shelving and cubbies to clear out clutter and create a space where kids can focus on homework, not chores.

And your clutter control solution is great for more than just your study corner. It’s also a terrific way to keep clutter to a minimum and help your kids build good habits about cleaning their rooms.

4. Install Custom Shelves for Books, Folders, Notepads, and More

Now that you have clutter cleaned out, it’s time to organize all the school supplies your student needs to succeed. Depending on which subject your child is studying, they may have extra textbooks, workbooks, calculators, and more.

Add a dedicated space for books and school supplies. This way you your kids have everything they need at arm’s reach. You could use a handy chrome wire basket for extra papers and worksheets or add custom file drawers for books and study guides.

5. Add Dry-Erase Boards to Keeps Kids on Track

There’s nothing like a checklist to help keep children focused and on task. Hanging a dry-erase board is a fast and easy way for kids to keep track of what they’re working on. This way, they can work down the list and check off homework as they finish.

You can also combine your dry-erase board with a dry-erase calendar so kids can prioritize and plan their homework for the week. It may inspire you to start a dry-erase planner of your own!

6. Finish Your Homework Station with Some Inspiring Art

Just because it’s a homework station doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! The whole point is to help kids be more productive and have an easier time hitting the books. By making their study space a calming and comfortable area, you’re designing a place where kids actually want to spend time.

Consider adding a few pieces of art with inspirational quotes to help get those creative juices flowing. You could even add educational posters like a periodic table, maps, or multiplication tables.

7. Call Closets by Design for a Consultation on Today

Now that you’ve done your homework on your homework station, it’s time to put it together! The design experts at Closets by Design can help you design the perfect place for kids to study. Schedule your free in-home design consultation and see how you can transform your study space today!

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Why Do I Need a Home Office?

Working from home has its perks. No commute. No Traffic. Yoga Pants. However, with the perks of working from home come several drawbacks and distractions that might hinder your workflow. The ideal home office is a space that is comfortable, and encourages productivity and efficiency.

Simply put, working on your laptop while sitting on the couch, in front of your flat-screen television, isn’t going to give you the same focus levels as being in a pseudo-office environment. This is why it is important to have a home office space.

What Does the Ideal Home Office Have In It?

There are some office necessities that are a given in a home office setting, including a computer, monitor, and high-speed internet. But what about a desk? No, your kitchen table is not a desk. Storage? Those piles you’re putting on your kitchen table aren’t storage. Comfortable chair? No, not your dining room chair. And what happens to your make-shift office when it’s time for the family to sit down for dinner? We don’t recommend you use your kitchen as a home office!

The ideal home office has elements of an office environment, but affords several of the comforts of home. In order to turn a space into a functional home office, elements including an actual computer desk, storage for files and materials with cabinets and shelving, and space to operate and conduct business are needed. Luckily, Closets by Design can help with the creation of the perfect space.

Where Should I Put My Home Office?

There are some personal preferences to consider about what makes the “right” location in your house for a home office. It might important to you to separate the space from any high-traffic common area in the house, in the quietest location, in order to enhance focus. Some may want their home office closer to the action, in order to keep an ear tuned toward kids, pets, and other household necessities.

Regardless if it’s a quiet place or in the middle of everything, a separated space allows there to be an actual disconnect between “working” from home and “being” at home. Having the ability to actually “unplug” at the end of the day is important for a work-life balance.

We recommend setting up a home office in a lesser-used room or even inside of a walk-in closet. The amount of space for your new home office can be as much or as little as needed to ensure proper levels of productivity. Fortunately, even if space comes at a premium in your home, Closets by Design can create the perfect office space to maximize the utility of the space.

How Do I Begin?

There is no time like the present for you to create your dream home office. A custom office can be designed and built for you in as little as 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the specifics of setup. Give us a call to find out our schedule for Closets by Design offices in your area!

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What’s the secret to getting the most out of learning at home? It starts with making the most of your study space. Here are a few ideas to make sure your children can stay productive while learning from home!

Create a Dedicated Workspace

When it comes to setting up a home office space for your kids, the best way to start is with a dedicated workspace for your children. Kids do best when they are separated from areas where they engage in other activities such as play areas, or the couch where they watch TV or play video games.  Creating a dedicated space designed to get work done is crucial to making sure your kids stay as productive as possible.

Selecting this area in the home is important because other members in the house may have things happening that can cause an unintentional distraction for kids. For example, if a parent is holding a video conference in the kitchen and has the volume on with people talking, a child working in this area will find it difficult to tune out the extra noise and will unintentionally become distracted.

It’s best to provide each family member with their own space, separate from others; if that is a possibility.  This can help prevent burnout and keep kids on track when it comes to studying, but also provides better separation between their school life and their home life.

Create a Desk Space with Multiple Functions

One of the first things anyone needs if they want to learn from home is a desk where they can do their work. We’ve discussed the importance of finding the right desk before, and it’s just as important for learning from home as it is working from home.

Consider all of your options when looking at a new desk and make sure it’s something that will work for both you and your child. If you plan to sit side by side with your student, then you may want a longer desk where you can comfortably arrange two chairs.

If you’re working with a high school or college student, something offering more privacy that can be easily installed in their existing room might be the way to go.

Cubbies and Drawers Hide Distractions

Another thing that parents should do to empower their children when learning from home is to remove distractions! Don’t let learning become even more difficult by surrounding them with toys, video games, or worse, phones.

When you install a custom closet shelving system from Closets by Design, you can find a place to keep these potential distractions organized and more importantly, out of sight. When you get rid of all the distractions in a room, it makes it much easier for kids to stay focused on schoolwork.

Convert Your Hobby Station to a Homework Headquarters

In case you find multiple kids needing to work at the same time without driving each other crazy, it may be a good idea to turn separate spaces of your house into study sanctuaries. Have you ever considered converting your custom hobby room into a homework headquarters for your kids?

It turns out that hobby rooms can make excellent study spaces for kids. This is because hobby rooms are already designed to be comfortable spaces where you can work on crafts for hours. With just a few small adjustments, you can have your hobby space ready for homeschooling in no time at all.

Consult with the Experts at Closets by Design

Don’t let homeschooling your kids have you pulling your hair out. Create your ideal home school space with help from the experts at Closets by Design. Schedule your free consultation today to get started on your home study space.

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Of course, you can’t just pick a random room in your house and call it a home office. Building a functional home office means setting everything up just right to make sure your space is conducive to actually working. Here are a few home office ideas for remote workers from Closets by Design to help you be more productive than ever when working from home.

Find the Right Desk for Your Home Office

Your desk is arguably the most important part of your home office. That’s why home office design should always start with your desk. Take a long look at your available space and see where you think your desk would work best.

Do you like your desk to face the door? There are many people that don’t like sitting with their backs to the door. Instead, they prefer their desk facing outwards so they can better greet any visitors.

Lots of people like to place their desks in the corner of the room. By putting your desk in the corner, you can maximize your space without having to compromise your range of movement. Wherever you want to put your desk, just remember to reserve enough space in the room for the rest of your furniture like chairs, drawers, and cabinets.

There are also plenty of options when it comes to which desk you would like for your home office. Some workers like a classic, rectangular desk while others prefer something with softer, rounded edges. The great thing is that there are enough choices available to make everyone happy. If you like to spread your belongings across your desk, you can even opt to increase your real estate by adding a laminate extended peninsula top.

Once you’ve picked out your perfect desk, it’s time to find the rest of the furniture you need to make your home office the space of your dreams.

Storage and Organization is Key to Productivity

They say that a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind. That’s why it’s so important to have ample space for storage and organization in your home office. Research shows that mess causes stress. Reducing stress and being more productive is a big reason for designing a home office in the first place. If your office just becomes another glorified storage room, then it probably isn’t going to do you much good.

Custom-designed home offices from Closets by Design feature a wide range of cabinets and drawers to make your home office more efficient and functional. A professionally trained designer will come to your home for a free-in home consultation where they will work with you to determine your needs and help you design the right filing system and cabinet layout for storage.

Find a Style that Suits You

Your home office should be a place where you want to spend time and get work done. That means making sure the style and design of your office reflect you.

Looking to add a little sophistication to your workspace? There are all sorts of options available to upgrade your office and turn it into an inviting and productive environment for work and play!

A variety of countertops and finishes ensure that your custom home office is sure to match the rest of your home décor and your personal style. Choose from finishes ranging from a clean and minimal white to a warm and rich wood tone to find just the right look for you.

Let Closets by Design Help with Your Home Office

Ready to see how you can kick your productivity into high gear? It’s astounding how much people can get done when they are in the right environment. Get ready to take charge of your home and your career with a home office from Closets by Design. Don’t wait to start working from home. Schedule your free in-home design consultation to see how you can give your home office a promotion today!

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Plan for Growth

Anticipate what your needs will be down the road, and build toward a home office environment that allows you to grow into your plan. Predict what future hardware you may need, and even if you don’t purchase it now, plan for where you’ll put it. Do the same with administration systems, product organization and other needs unique to your business.

By building for the future, you can avoid costly replacements and lost time when you outgrow your current situation. Closets By Design has a variety of home office solutions for your unique needs, and we’re here to help you determine the best options and layouts.

Organize Your Systems

Having efficient procedures and systems in place is vital to your success, especially if admin isn’t your favorite task. The key is to focus on what’s easy, streamline everything and weed out any extra work. Often for home businesses, systems arise organically as needs arise. This works well in the short term, but be sure to step back and reassess, as there may be better solutions.

When you think through your business systems, keep these main areas in mind:

• Filing and general administration — Can you access or track documents online? If so, don’t keep the paper. Visit Mary Organizes for a great tutorial on home business filing systems.
• Accounting — Can you digitize any systems to save time and space?
• Client and project management — How are you tracking your clients’ information and the deadlines for your projects?
• Product creation and storage — What do you need and want for your ideal workstation? Remember to plan for the future, even if you can’t do it all now.
• Supplies storage — Do you have a clear and organized storage system so valuable assets don’t get misplaced?

Odds and Ends

Once the major aspects of office planning are complete, it’s time to get creative with all of the bits and pieces you need for the perfect home office. Stay on schedule with massive wall calendars. Capture ideas with whiteboard walls. Tame that tangle of cords. Shred old papers. Buy that comfortable chair you’ve always wanted. Whatever it is that makes your office inviting and functional, take care of it now so you can start 2015 with a fresh and efficient office space.

To read more about organizing your home, read De-clutter Your Home for the Holidays and Organize Your Pantry to Avoid a Holiday Disaster.

If you’d like to discuss storage solutions for any area of your home, please contact us.

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