Creating a Home Office Space that Really Works

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Far too often, a home office is little more than an afterthought – with kitchens, master suites, and even outdoor spaces receiving the bulk of decorating attention.

"However, for people who work at home, the right home office setup can make the difference between productive time spent getting real work accomplished – and hours wasted searching for this or adjusting that."

The following five tips can help ensure that your home office is comfortable, efficient, and stylish.

Ergonomics Count

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If you work full-time from home, you’ll be spending hours each day in your home office. Don’t skimp on your desk and especially your chair. Choose a chair that provides sufficient back support along with cushioning your bottom, and a desk height that allows you to reach your computer keyboard, phone, and other equipment comfortably. If you can afford it, an adjustable standing desk can be a worthwhile investment.

Embrace Natural Light

One of the major advantages of working from home is that you don’t have to endure harsh fluorescent lighting. Your home office should receive as much natural light as possible, while at the same time minimizing glare. Position your desk to provide a pleasant view when you take those much needed breaks from staring at the computer screen.

Storage Overcomes Clutter

Your home office may be your primary work space, but it’s still part of your home. Furnishing your home office with shelving and other storage can help ensure that your office harmonizes with the rest of your home. Sufficient storage also helps ensure that you can find what you need when you need it – reducing time wasted searching through jumbled stacks of junk.

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Minimize Electronic Cord Tangles

Computer cords, surge protectors, and other electronic aspects associated with a home office can really detract from your home’s overall décor. Cord covers and specially drilled holes in office equipment help keep cords out of sight.

Make It Your Own

Another major advantage of working at home is that it’s your home. Paint the walls in a color that you love – while avoiding overly-bright shades that can disrupt your productivity.

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Add personal touches like photos or inspirational quotes. You’ll be spending a lot of time there, so make it as comfortable as possible.

Ready to create your dream home?

At John Mark Custom Homes, we’d love to show you how we can help.

Kitchen Design Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

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The kitchen is one of the most heavily used spaces in your home – and for many households the kitchen is also the heart of the home. The layout of your kitchen should maximize every inch of available space.

"Adequate prep space is a must for gourmet cooks and for everyday kitchen food prep."

Avoid the four common mistakes listed below to ensure that your kitchen meets the needs of everyone in your household.

No Kitchen Triangle

Interior designers refer to the refrigerator, stove, and sink as the “kitchen triangle.” Ideally, these three essential kitchen elements are arranged in a triangle with a total area of no less than 10 feet and no more than 25 feet to allow for adequate food prep space. It’s worth the expense to reroute plumbing for a poorly-placed sink to create a better kitchen triangle configuration.

Wasted Storage Space

Today’s kitchens often include gadgets, such as bread machines, food processors, and convection ovens, not to mention toasters and coffee makers. Without adequate storage space, these items either clutter up valuable countertop space or are stashed away in difficult to access pantries. Include extra cabinets, a pantry, or a kitchen island for additional storage.

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Inadequate Countertop Space

Adequate prep space is a must for gourmet cooks and for everyday kitchen food prep. A kitchen island, breakfast bar, or peninsula is a smart addition for kitchens with enough space for them.

Poor Lighting and Ventilation

Poor lighting in a kitchen presents a real hazard. Plan for overall lighting, and extra task lighting in areas where food prep occurs. Likewise, inadequate ventilation can generate stale smells. A vent above the stovetop is a must to maintain air quality in the kitchen.

Trends in Landscaping

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Curb appeal is important whether you’re just moving in, thinking about a change, or getting ready to sell.

"Your front yard is the first thing that visitors see – and your backyard is often the site for outdoor entertaining."

The five landscaping and gardening trends described below represent some of the freshest landscaping ideas. There’s probably at least one that is ideal for your home’s outdoor spaces!

Multipurpose Outdoor Spaces

Today’s outdoor spaces hardly resemble the cookie cutter lawns of 1950s suburbia. Lawns often include features such as pergolas, pools, and outdoor kitchens. With careful planning, even a small yard can be fitted out to serve multiple purposes.

Climate Resilient Landscaping

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More frequent spells of severe weather are a growing reality for many areas of the country. Adaptive outdoor spaces represent a growing trend among homeowners. For instance, many homeowners located in places that receive little rain (like New Mexico) have moved toward xeriscaping, which is a method of landscaping that requires little or no watering. Other adaptive landscaping methods include planting wind resistant plants with flexible stems and leaves, or plants, such as chokeberry, that absorb large amounts of water in areas that are prone to flooding.

Gardens Imitating Nature

One of the biggest trends is the perfectly imperfect garden. The Japanese call this concept “wabi sabi.” Imperfect gardens include many natural elements, such as repurposed pieces of wood and stone, along with wildflowers and prairie grasses. The idea is to imitate nature’s beautiful imperfections.

Edible Landscaping

If you’re not up to planting a full-blown vegetable garden, consider adding edible landscaping to a lawn. Plants, such as sunflowers and Tuscan kale, are both beautiful and delicious. As a bonus, edible landscaping plants are also often hardy enough to stand up to cold temps.

Water Elements

Water elements are another popular trend. Bird baths, ponds, and fountains add a sense of calm and peace to your yard – without the maintenance of a full-sized pool.

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Ready to create your dream home?

At John Mark Custom Homes, we’d love to show you how we can help.

Decorating with Mirrors

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You almost certainly have a mirror in your bathroom, and perhaps one above a dresser in your bedroom, but mirrors can make an appearance in nearly every room in your home. The five tips listed below demonstrate how the strategic use of mirrors can make a room look larger, more elegant, or just more practical.

"Hanging a group of vintage mirrors together as a group is another way to give your house an elegant designer look."

Propped against a Wall

Propping a tall mirror against the wall makes your room seem bigger, with the illusion of higher ceilings. As a bonus, a full-length mirror located in your bedroom can come in handy for that last-minute check of your outfit before you leave the house.

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On Kitchen Cabinets

Cut mirrors to fit the cabinet doors in a small kitchen, and suddenly the room seems bigger and brighter. This unusual look also lends a designer atmosphere to your kitchen, giving it an upscale look without breaking the bank.

On a Closet or Wardrobe Door

In small homes or apartments, space can be at a premium. Yet having a full-length mirror is a must for catching wardrobe malfunctions before you leave the house. Hanging a mirror on your closet or wardrobe door provides you with a much-needed full-length reflection without sacrificing even an inch of precious floor space.

Hung in a Group

Hanging a group of vintage mirrors together as a group is another way to give your house an elegant designer look. The mirrors need not be the same size or same shape. In fact, the grouping is more interesting if several different sizes and shapes are included.

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As Faux Windows

Every room should be blessed with an abundance of windows. For rooms that lack sufficient windows (or don’t have any windows at all), grouping four or six rectangular mirrors in a grid can give the appearance of a window where there is none. As a bonus, the mirrors will also reflect whatever light the room does receive, making the room seem brighter.

Overall, decorating with mirrors can really improve the space you have. At John Mark Custom Homes, we’d love to show you how we can help. Call us today.

Why Automate Your Home

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In making the decision to purchase home security, you’ll hear the term "home automation" a lot. This designation refers to a home that lets you control everything going on inside it with the touch of a button. Things like regulating your home temperature, turning lights on or off, locking doors, and even controlling your security system become easy checkboxes. An automated home is one that thinks for you, one that leverages new technology and more readily available devices that are smart enough to save you time, effort, and money when it comes to protecting your home, your business, and your assets in general. In short, automating your home can be the ticket to peace of mind.

"With the touch of a button on your smartphone or device, you can keep an eye on your home or business."

The benefits to home automation technology include:

It’s safer. You can control lighting, meaning the lights come on when you get home, or when motion is detected. You can lock the doors, even when you’re already halfway to your destination. You also have the option to set up alerts for when visitors arrive.

It’s energy efficient. With a smart home, you can save energy and money by regulating your thermostat and setting lights to timers, so that they shut off when not in use.

It saves you money. Obviously, when your home operates more efficiently, you’ll save money in utilities, but you’ll also save on return trips home when you can’t remember if you locked the front door, or if you forgot to leave the lights on or off.

It’s convenient. With the touch of a button on your smartphone or device, you can keep an eye on your home or business. You won’t have to wonder about your assets while you’re away, and you don’t have to depend on neighbors to watch over it for you. Instead, everything you need to know is right at your fingertips.

It’s comfortable. Smart home technology learns to manage outdoor temperature spikes so that the inside of your house is always feeling just right.

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Overall, you’re gaining peace of mind with home automation technology. At John Mark Custom Homes, we’d love to show you how we can help you make your home smarter, and help you live better. Call us today.