The Innovative Office

@Michael Faigan: It turns out I need to refresh pages more often, so I don't end up repeating the same thing as the person above me.

@joe.glass wants to reply to comments: or a "hide the mistress when the wife comes home early" compartment!

FrancesTheMute

@joe.glass wants to reply to comments: Literal LOL!

But seriously, I'm in love with storage space you can walk into. I wonder, though, if making it that deep while also making it so narrow that a person can only barely walk through it might make retrieving things later a little difficult. (I doubt it, though - this office seems amazingly well thought out!)

demac

Must love that sun light & spacious room. I am total sucker for these 2. A little more green plants would complete the whole picture. Nicely Done.

rapid.fish

Mmmm, food pedal.

aaronjorgensen

@littlemissellie: oops *And*

littlemissellie

@wickedcupofjoe: An the underfloor storage is genius!

littlemissellie

@TheOtherHalf: Hey, nothing wrong with that, and a quick look at the new intern Erin's blog shows that she's a fan too. Looks like Lifehacker is Twilight friendly :)

@fadecomic: But when you're working, is the idea not to be distracted by the reams of other things in the room, and essentially facing just that which you need access to?

Sitting at a computer, many people are distracted by the TV beside the computer, the bookshelves of music, videos, and books... yet when all you see is the computer, all you really DO is the computer. Turn a little to access what you need, control the vertical storage for immediacy, and you've got the ideal working environment... With storage like that, it's highly functional, yet not overly distracting.

That is, of course, my opinion, which is not by any means an absolute, and quite possibly not the popular opinion. Having the open area behind him may not be the best use of space, however, it does give the most available space, without making the rest seem cluttered...

Freezen

HEY everyone!

I just moved into a house-- first time living on my own. I'm 18, living with another roommate, and I'm making about $24 an hour.

Any ideas as to what I should do to spruce up the place? I'd LOVE to hear your suggestions!

Please leave as many links to other Lifehacker workspace articles as possible, I want to make my first place a very functional and elegant house, but I want to keep it in my budget.

Thanks soo much everyone! I'll probably repost this tomorrow on the Friday Q&A at Lifehacker. :)

SJRNWT

I'm jealous. I want an office with my own batcave.

aharris

Good thing he hid the bong for the image he submitted. See second shelf down on the right in this picture...

[www.flickr.com]

Office looks great!

FRAGgleROX

The wood is nice, but I have to say I'd find it difficult to work with all the "stuff" that is in most of these featured offices. Having all those CDs, books and knick-knacks showing would take too much space in my mind. I prefer to hide everything I can...and even then to live VERY minimally.

This is five times the size of my bedroom...*sigh*

America, as an American, your excesses appall me.

adjohnson916

"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments."

"I use them for smuggling. I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them. This is ridiculous."

<-- Secret compartment envy, right here.

Frappe

A lot of the offices I think look funky, but aren't too functional for "the common man". This one looks to be incredibly functional, while stylish.

Looking at it... I think George Costanza would be proud.

Freezen

@TheOtherHalf: LOL! It does now that you say that! (I made my husband take me to see it.)

On a side note, because I simply can't resist Twilight talk, I'm heading to TwiCon in July - yes, a Twilight Convention. Yes, I am waaaay too far in love with the saga. I will readily admit that.

I am in absolute love. I love those ceilings!

I was thinking the same thing. A lot of the workspaces LH has showcased have the desk firmly against the wall. What about one with a "floating" desk? This is a gorgeous office to look at, but I would feel strange working plastered against the wall like that.

@nullcoast: I think it will hold: "which hangs from the ceiling on threaded steel rods."

Such a beautiful and clearly well-thought-out room, yet when you sit at the desk you see none of it.

Schell

EPIC hidden storage. I'm a big fan of secret compartments, and clever design, and I think this encapsulates both. I tend to agree with Radink though. I think a layout table would complement this solution quite nicely.. maybe a from-the-ceiling on chains type affair? Crank it back up when not in use?

Who knows. I just know that this is a slick design, and it makes me smile.

This looks so nice. Would be a great solution to our situation at our home offices in Georgia. I'll have to show my wife.

Like radink though I'm surprised he didn't devise some sort of drafting table. Maybe it's just a standard drafting table out of frame though.

Wow! It comes with a "Wife Storage Compartment"! That could come in really handy sometimes......

joe.glass wants to reply to comments

@nullcoast I imagine an architect has a pretty good idea of what it can support. Honestly, he could probably jump on his desk if he wanted, those beams are amazingly strong, and I'm sure the rods are well attached.

SansoneLucullus

Nice. Looks like not much room to lay out plans though. Something I would think would be important to and Arch.. Unless he uses the floor for that..

radink

@nullcoast: I'm going to go out on a wild limb here and have faith that a guy who makes his living designing entire buildings that don't fall down can probably build an equally as sturdy desk.

I love the wood ceilings and the gobs of natural light. Gorgeous!

Open24Hours

The offices look amazing but I'm not sure I'd trust all my electronics to sit on a desk suspended by two "support rods". How much weight could you safely put on those desks before they came crashing down?

nullcoast

Best. Home Office. Ever.

Props to you, sir. I really like the hidden storage in the floor. Have to talked to Ikea about selling your Desk System idea to them or do you plan on capitalizing on it yourself?

tok3n ninja; can be controlled by quarter-circles

Looks like Edward Cullen's room... not, that I'd know... I just heard something from someone somewhere maybe on the webbernet, that,, uhm... fine, my wife made me watch the movie!

TheOtherHalf

wow ... i want something like that for sure

Nicely done!

Primeridian

@nullcoast:

Steel = strong stuff. A previous owner installed a hand rail on our basement stairs, made of 3/4" galvanized water pipe and a few fittings and flanges. Despite serious abuse, it will probably outlast almost everything else in the house.

As far as the connection to the rafters: I've got a wooden swingset in my back yard. The eye-hooks to hang the swings are attached by drilling all the way through the beam, and capping the back side with a large fender washer and a stop-nut. If this connection can support me on a swing, it can surely support the weight of desktop equipment.

I think I'll build my workshop in a similar fashion.

David Clark

I really like that bookcase. Where did you get it from? How much was it?

Oooh I really want it!

amazing workspace the natural light is so great and the shelving is innovative and seems perfect. also i have that desk chair its awesome!

pwdrskier

Jeremy Levine is a genius. Everything just looks *right*.

And I love the suspended desk.

Fantastic.

VayaConQueso

@Simon Cheng: It's called the Aeron Chair. Made by Herman Miller.

@Jason Fitzpatrick: I absolutely agree with that. It's like printing your documents on mirrors for reading! lol

@Limekiller: Glossy LCDs fill me with rage. Why, oh why, would you give a monitor a mirror finish?

Nice job!
What chair is that and why do I see it in half of the cool office setups? It looks comfy....and pricey.

mr.Smith

@037: Yes. The rods are likely not the weak point, it's probably the connection to the ceiling/rafters. In picture 7, you can see that lower desk level is held to the wall with L-brackets so they don't wiggle.

tomboygirl

I know architects who have windows in their work spaces that keep the blinds closed because they don't like so much light on their screens and the distractions outside the window. They rely completely on overhead indirect lighting and try to position their workspace to eliminate light sources behind them that might reflect on their monitor screen. Its less of an issue with matte LCD monitors than with old CRTs, but new LCDs seem to be moving to glossy screens too.

Limekiller

@nullcoast: Steel has as much tensile strength as compression strength, and by hanging from the ceiling it helps preventing the steel rod from buckling. Steel is pretty strong: Think about how simply cables can carry all the weight of a bridge span.

However, I do wonder if his designs are truly stable. It seems he need the rods to be anchored quite deeply into the ceiling beam (and perhaps drill through it and put a stop nut on the other end) in order to prevent the whole rod falling down from its anchor. I would also think that the tables and shelves would wiggle as there is nothing to counter sheer forces, otherwise he could have built a table floating in the middle of the room.

Oh man, I'm jealous! That is perhaps the most amazing home office setup I've ever seen. The trap door setup is great!

Where do you get that mesh chair? I want one like that...
someone give me a link please? Preferably in Canada lol

Simon Cheng

@FRAGgleROX: Ha!

gpzbc

Very nice! I know that whenever I see the Aeron chair that it is way out of my league and that I will never be able to make my office look like that.
But very nice indeed!

gpzbc

Wow. Beautiful. My home "office" is shite.

Really cool design - the screen glare would drive me up a wall though..

I_have_something_to_say

@radink: Depending on their style, some architects use AutoCAD only not drafting or modelling tables these days. All they need is simply huge monitors. :)

These offices look like they are almost completely made out of components that can be purchased at Ikea, hidden storage excepted. Honestly, I don't care for them, even though they are airy, probably because I have had really bad experiences with stuff that was hung from the ceiling like that. Note there are no children in the pictures: these offices would not stand up to children at all. I also agree that there is too much visual clutter.

Keter

@sfmoe: I just want the hidden storage... 'course, I'd have to fight my 7 year old who surely would be in there playing "Han and Luke hide from the storm troopers..."

gyffes

No plotter, (wide printer), no draft table, and a Mac under the desk. As much as I love macs in my everyday life. For Cad and Cam I'm stuck with a windows box + VMware for software requiring anything from NT4 to XP.

Strange architect office...

Gaspard De Coligny

Loving the workspaces, keep them coming

macgruber

It should be relatively easy to find at a decent price. Normally they run 600-1000 each (depending on features). I'd look into used office furniture places; find some upside to the down economy. It's a great used chair because they don't really wear.

barthrh

How were the shelves attached? Have been looking to build one, with the pipes from the desk/horizontal areas, not hanging from the ceiling....

taylors_dad

While I'm sure Jeremy is a very capable architect, I make my living as a professional structural engineer whose primary clients are architects. Again, not lumping the owner in, but most architects I work with know nothing of structural analysis, allowable stress, minimum live loads per the IBC, etc.

Ultimately, I'm sure the desk support is fine given the light loads. But looking at the photos, the limiting items would the wood joists (especially if there is a second floor above) and the anchorage of the all-thread rod into the joists. Clearance between the rod and edge of the joists as well as embedment depth could mean pullout of the rod is the limiting factor.

@FRAGgleROX: Man, that's hilarious! Green must be his favorite trippin' color.

aharris

These ideas come at a perfect time. Crazy, but I'm building 2 small office structures, linked by decking - one a standard cottage w/ clerestory, and the other a tree house. I needed some help considering storage. Very creative...thanks!

I'll have to post some pics when we're through in a couple of months. Our biggest problem appears in bringing electrical and water 80 ft up a hill side!

donatiello

i like the whole office - must be so comfort to work in our own office with our own design

Vidya Putra

I LOVE those suspended desk and shelf systems. And the under-floor storage. Unfortunately, my ceiling isn't high enough for the shelving to look good and my home office is in an upstairs room, so the storage is out of the question, too. However, something to definitely add to my "When we build a home" wish list. And one of the coolest offices featured here so far.

+1 to the questions about the drafting table.

Totally awesome !

Truong Phan

@Michael Faigan: Augh... I just might have to stop reading Lifehacker.... kidding...sort of.

the element I like most is all that natural light. Sure it has some other cool elements, but since my office is in the basement (east side of a west facing house) the bottom of the window is at about eye level. Doesn't provide me with nearly enough natural lighting.....

This on the other hand is perfect!

Runnin-Ute

@barthrh:

Thanks guys! Much appreciated!!

Simon Cheng

Anyone know a place online that I can order those pistons for holding the doors open like the floor storage doors?

I need a few of those pistons so I can redo the way the bulkhead doors open in my house.

tarrantm

Epic Win. This is one of the best I've seen so far.

Alfonzo

In response to the comment by NullCoast regarding weight limitations...

Those shelves are surprisingly strong, on account of the properties of the threaded pipes. Threads have a surprising amount of load-bearing strength, especially in the axial direction (imagine trying to pull apart a bolt and nut by just pulling straight without twisting).

You COULD technically sit a family of five on one of those shelves, if the wood was strong enough.

Additionally, I think that is an idea way to free up leg space. table-legs make good knee-killers.

bigbluebottle

@FrancesTheMute: Or a "hide me when the wife and mistress finally collide"

Jake712

love the open feeling that this office has. The books are on a shelf right? From the views above, it looks like they are just stacked atop each other. Pretty cool!

sonnenkonig

That's the worst workspace I've seen on Lifehacker (seen about 5).
Not aesthetic at all.

how does he get to the stuff on the top shelf? seems inconvenient.

bobvark

@Brimstone: I can think of a lot of ways of getting a strong attachment to the beam without drilling all the way through. Captive nut slid in sideways, for example, like a bed bolt. With a small piece of 1/8th plate as a washer, you could hang a truck on it.

Thud

I'm totally blown away by this design. The photostream of the entire house is absolutely amazing. I wish I had imagination like that.... and the money.

desigi

@marjon00: Threaded steel rods hanging from the ceiling have had mixed success:

Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse.

mdkendall

I really really like this, especially the huge windows and all of the natural light.

But I hope there are shades in there! I wouldn't want a potential burglar checking out all of my gear through an uncovered window! Looks like the person who owns this one may not have that problem though. :)

Well, its not really a hidden compartment any longer

cartman005

spectacular. would LOVE that in NYC!!! :-)

again this looks like its straight out of the pages of an ikea catalogue, nothing wrong with that tho

Smiling_Gandalf

This is pretty cool. The thing I like most is the suspended desks. Also the hidden storage area is pretty neat, although I think it should be bigger. At least a bigger area below the main floor accessible through the existing hatches that could be used to store additional things.

My idea of taking it to the next level would be to make more stuff hung from the ceiling - perhaps a table or round (of sorts) workstation that retracts to the ceiling making a nice lit chandelier when put away. Maybe having some things that hide away down below the floor - like the filing cabinets.

Power and phone/internet connections could be wired through the steel rods that hold the suspended desks, and make it so that the computer and monitor and all other electronics could easily be slid up and out of the way without affecting the power cords etc.

Now even better would be the ultimate relaxation office chair/desk combo, which would allow a guy to bring down the desk and chair together suspended from the ceiling, get into it, and then raise it up to a level about half way up to the ceiling. A true floating workspace.

umpitygrumpity

troll the ikea as-is section for inspiration if you live close enough to one.

QuentinCaffeina

What exactly are the 2 narrow towers to the left of the desk, and what are they made of?

I hate to say, but I don't like that office at all. Too much open shelves etc, looks so "unorganized" for my eye. And as a nerd, there's too much windows...I want my home office to be a dark quiet place where I can hide for coding alone. Peace.

RodrigoAncaeus

Is it just me or do some of the shelves look too high to reach without steps or ladders

AlvaOrestes

In the second shaded box: "Concealed trap doors in the floor are open by a food pedal revealing..." Typo? or is there a "food pedal"

SaryuCossus

(I'm a new commentor, long time reader) Regarding that Hyatt walkway collapse, the reason that it failed was that the hanging rods were not supposed to be 2 different rods as shown on the page (and as installed), it was designed to be one large rod going all the way from floor to ceiling (as seen in this office). In the Hyatt, it was deemed impossible to install a large rod like that so the construction manager just decided to make it into the 2 sections (again, as seen on that Wiki page), and this led to the failure. It's just a matter of looking at the loads and where they're placed to see that this was a fatal move on the construction manager's part.

OsmondGebsite

It helps with the creativity needed in designing all those funky buildings he has hanging on the wall. Trust me!!!

PansyGanaghur

What kind of chair is that?

EdwinSwallow

what kind of bookshelf is that on the left? article doesn't say anything about it. can someone tell me what kind of bookshelf system that is? thanks.

FarrahThemis

Anyone else notice the bong prominently sitting on shelf? :)

hEYEn

Ordinary. Beyond ordinary. It's cluttered, visually unappealing, and has no sense of style.

OthelloHoeseph

Looks like IKEA barfed in there. Not that it is a bad thing...

HerbertChautauqua

very IKEA-ish. in fact, looks like an ad for IKEA!