I’m fortunate to be able to meet home office professionals around the country, and whenever I see a home office I like, I ask – or sometimes bribe – the owner to let me take photos.

I’ll be sharing some of these photos – and breaking down their set-up and function – to help you learn easy tactics for improving your own home office spaces.

The All Dressed Up section normally features home offices and workspaces that are smaller than the rest of the home. In this case, the opposite it true. Artists Susan Blackwood and Howard Friedland, owners of Blackwood Friedland Studios, added a gorgeous studio/home office onto their original 1,800 square foot home, making their entire home 4,200 square feet. This creative couple took steps to make their new space in Bozeman, Montana functional, inspirational and even environmentally friendly including:

• Thinking ahead. During the planning stages, they designed a space that could be converted easily to a “mother-in-law” apartment or an apartment for a “boomerang family.” Above their studio is a loft that doubles as a guest room.

• Keeping the neighbors happy. They met several times with their neighborhood homeowners association to make sure their plans met with their neighbors’ approval. The neighbors love the couple’s studio/home office space and regularly come over during open houses.

• Taking advantage of the view. They added high north light windows (and a loft) so they could enjoy the best views from the house. The tall windows are controlled with blackout shades that lift from the bottom.

• Putting their home office in a central location. They placed the actual office space for bookkeeping, computing and other business related activities in the center of their home so they could access the space from their family room, living room, kitchen and studio. They also put the studio, home office and living spaces on one floor, giving Blackwood’s bad knees a break.

• Thinking green. They installed a floor made of a new material that has been used in hospitals and laboratories in Europe. It actually has negative ions that eliminate toxins in the studio. They also use radiant heating (hot water pipes in the floor) to give them evenly distributed heat. Their roof is perfectly sloped for solar collection that they hope to switch to one day.

A customized workspace with breathtaking views and plenty of room to work could get old for some, right? Not for these two. “Having the studio designed to our every needs is incredible,” says Blackwood. “It is such a joy to work and live here.” Well said.

An “office-in-a-box” — a computer cabinet that holds files and equipment — is an ideal solution when you have limited space. An office-in-a-wall like this one (which sounds more interesting than a built-in storage unit), can help you make use of a shallow alcove. I designed this workspace to make the entire room look more like a sitting room/study than a traditional home office.

The cabinets on the left and right side hold equipment that hides easily behind closed doors while at the same time is simple to access with sliding shelves. The oak built-in shelves and drawers have plenty of room for books and files, and the smaller drawers on each side of the desk hold office supplies. The desk has doors that fold back when not in use and the under cabinet light provides the right amount of task lighting.

For the past year the old saying “the shoemaker’s kids have no shoes” has hit close to home or rather my home office. Instead of doing anything to improve the look of my work space, I’ve been busy designing clients’ home offices and writing about working from home.

I’m proud to say that my new home office rocks. I love it! Here’s a condensed play-by-play of my home office transformation from ugly to awesome:

• I started with a cushy, wool rug in black, tan and red. It’s a good idea to start from the ground up. Paint and furniture are easy to find. Finding the right rug in the colors you like and within your budget can be more challenging. The rug fits the overall look of my home so if I ever get tired of it, I can put it in another room.

• Using the rug as a color guide, I went on a quest for the perfect paint color. After trying a few stock colors from Benjamin Moore (my favorite paint company) and not finding exactly what I wanted, I created my own color. Like a mad scientist (minus the insane laugh), I mixed a few colors together and created what I call “Working Naked Gold.”

• Next I bought two bookcases and filled them with books and art projects my sons have made throughout the years. The two-piece bookcases (base and hutch) were available with or without doors. I went with open bookcases to keep me from storing supplies I didn’t need to keep.

• Then I hung pictures and a large metal sculpture on the walls.

• I finished my office by putting a TV in the corner. The day after I added it, I remembered why I’ve never had a TV in an office: I can’t resist watching it. Constantly. The TV is still in my home office but now I watch it only at night when I don’t feel like working but need to finish up some projects.

Now that I’ve finished creating my dream home office, there’s only one more thing to do: get to work.

CEO Sheri McConnell's new home office look

It’s amazing how changing the color of your home office can affect the look and feel of your workspace. Sheri McConnell’s home office is no exception. McConnell, CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc., took time during the Thanksgiving break to change her office from green to sky blue. The result? A fresh, stylish and functional home office.

Her 12’ x 14’ home office includes French doors and a large wooden table with plenty of workspace for two. The short bookcase along one side of the table holds notebooks and extra supplies…a creative and effective use of space. The bulletin board and large white board are functional but don’t take away from the overall look of the space, while the large piece of art next to the table ties in beautifully with the blue walls.

McConnell teaches her clients how to create long-lasting and profitable businesses. This office is a lesson in creating a space that combines style with creativity and organization.

A home office that went from simple to soothing.

Normally I write the posts for the All Dressed Up page but there’s no way I could describe Pat Curry’s office any better than she did in two blog posts.

In her first post, the freelance writer and editor gives a play-by-play of the steps she had to take to transform her formal dining room into a fully functional, warm and inviting home office. In her second post, Curry describes the rest of her project and shares some interesting shelving and accessory finds.

Who says hard work doesn’t pay off? This awesome home office is worth checking out.

Redoing a home office doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact Rebecca West of Rivalee Redesign transformed this home office from shabby to streamlined for only $700. Not a bad price to pay for a new look.

Good design doesn't have to break your budget.

The desk and tall shelves are from Ikea, and the lined drapery—a more reasonable alternative to custom window treatments—are from Bed Bath and Beyond.

She reused her client’s desk chair, carpeting and bulletin boards which cut down on costs. Rebecca added interest to the office by attaching black foam core diamonds to the walls. The foam cutouts give the office added dimension and texture and they’re easy to move around until they’re in the right position. Another option would have been to paint directly on the wall but why not try something different?

A sleek look at a significant savings equals a stylish space.

This not-so-typical home office resembles more of a cozy boutique than a hardworking home office. The colors, bold fabrics, patterns and nontraditional furniture give this space life and interest. Best of all, it’s functional too.

A highly creative yet extremely functional home office

Formerly a master bedroom suite, this 16’ x 22’ home office, designed by image designer Alison Craig, practices what its owner preaches: high style and professionalism. Alison’s company, 3 Impressions, works with small and growing businesses on creating their overall image. Their image consulting ranges from how a staff dresses to how their workspaces look.

Alison’s challenge in designing her home office was being able to store product catalogs, products and samples that help her clients create a positive and consistent image for their businesses. Unlike some home offices where having a space to meet with clients is an afterthought, Alison designed her office with client meetings in mind.

In addition to a desk, her office includes a white drafting table with sawhorse legs. The long row of wall cabinets from Ikea holds various supplies, as do the mirrored dressers from Pier 1. The opaque doors on the cabinets and the dressers skillfully disguise what’s stored inside them.

Alison says that her office tends to be very eclectic which is great for creativity.

Clean lines and color can be calming.

This consultant’s sleek home office, designed by Kati Curtis, ASID, is a perfect example of how storage and style can go hand in hand. Starting with the clean lines of the built-ins and desk, to the creative use of shelves between the bookcases and window, this office is calm, colorful and cool.

Doubling as a guest room, the sofa bed makes it easy to convert this room from work to play in minutes. But a common challenge when a home office and guest room share the same space is securing confidential files. The frosted glass doors with built-in locks keep files secure and organized.

Rather than adding traditional wall-to-wall carpeting, Curtis used Flor carpet tiles. Formerly used only in commercial offices, Flor tiles are ideal for a home office, especially if you’re prone to spills. You simply replace the stained tile. The monitor in the corner makes glare from the window a non-issue.

Awesome office!

A home office, media room and guest room, all rolled into one.

This room wears many hats: a home office for the family to catch up on work, homework and volunteer work; a family room for TV and movie watching; and a guest room.

This beautifully designed, 12’ x 7’ space, created by interior designer Pat Gericke, was originally a kitchen which explains its narrowness. Pat’s challenge was to design a space with several functions that could provide the owners with a place to work, comfortably hold 6 people during TV or movie time, and serve as a guest room. The built-in maple cabinets and desk include opaque cabinet fronts. The fronts are an interesting design element that break up a wall of wood cabinets but don’t require the owners to keep everything behind the doors organized.

Pat says that the challenge with this room was its narrowness, which made it difficult for a normal size crew to fit in to do the work—most of the cabinetry was built in pieces off site. And she needed to make sure that everyone watching TV could actually see the screen. The guest bed she designed drops down horizontally—a typical Murphy bed comes down vertically—to avoid blocking the path in and out of the office.

Perfect example of a hardworking space that brings multi-tasking to a whole new level.

Built-ins can make use of lost space

Storage, storage and more storage – style too – are the best words to describe this home office. The mahogany built-in bookcases and cabinets give this office a warm, inviting feeling, along with a traditional look. Normally I don’t recommend built-ins because they can hurt resale value but when they’re in a room specifically built to be a home office, then no problem.

The lit, recessed area between bookcases has enough room for a monitor, work surface, pullout keyboard and a CPU below. What’s missing? Cords. They snake throughout the built-in.

The desk provides another work surface to spread out papers. The directional lights above the desk eliminate the need for a desk lamp. Otherwise the owner would have to install floor plugs and either run the lamp cords under the rug or through it.

There’s enough room in the office for a reading chair and a side table to display personal items. And the window with an eastern exposure provides plenty of natural light in the morning.

Goodbye, guest room. Hello, study.

A pleasing home office that combines creativity and organization

Take your left brain (the logical side) and mix in equal parts of your right brain (the creative side) and you get the perfect combination of art and organization. You also get an office that’s transitional—a mix between traditional and contemporary.

Barbara, founder of 423 Communication, is the brains behind this multi-faceted home office. The logical aspects of her home office include a Pottery Barn desk with file cabinets as bases; storage that incorporates open shelves, drawers and cabinets; and a simple, adjustable shelf bookcase.

The creative side includes a zany zebra rug, an elegant chandelier that Barbara describes as “incredibly decadent” and a coming-out-of-left-field art piece that doubles as a magnetic board. And of course there’s a comfy reading chair in the corner.

Now that’s what I call good thinking.

Color can go a long way in a home office

Colorful, calming and comfortable are the best ways to describe this graphic designer’s inviting home office. The interesting furniture and lighting surrounded by deep pumpkin/spice walls (Lowe’s Valspar Galena Gold) and a pale blue ceiling reflect the owner’s personality and excellent design sense.

The functional built-in shelves, drawers and cabinets provide plenty of storage behind the desk. A window mounted on the wall takes the place of a boring dry erase board to record tasks. Brilliant! The other side of the 12’x 16’ office serves double duty for watching movies, reading or just spending time with the family. A large chalkboard mounted near the seating area is ready to capture out-of-the-box ideas.

This side of the office is for work and play

One of the best aspects of this office is that the owner, Dannielle, didn’t spend a fortune to furnish it. A collection of vintage hand-me-downs, craigslist deals, treasures rescued from the trash and a shell chandelier from Pier One—she bought it on clearance— give this office a comfortable, yet stylish look and feel.

Two desks are better than one

Dueling desks

Eve and Bill share a home office they recently added to the back of their home. Sharing an office with a spouse or a business associate isn’t always easy (see my blog post about sharing an office) but it helps to have two desks. This 14’x 20’ space, surrounded by windows, was designed to make use of every bit of space and to take advantage of their beautiful backyard view. The left wall is lined with open bookcases above and storage cabinets below. Their U-shaped configuration includes two desks with a large work surface in-between them. The hutch on the extra work surface holds their printer, paper and various supplies. Their hardwood floors are easy to maintain and match the hardwood floors throughout the rest of their home.

Karen's home office transformed

From Wet Bar to Workspace

Chances are, if your home was built in the ’50s, you have a wet bar in your family room. And depending on your entertaining habits, a wet bar may do nothing more than take up space.

Karen, a personal trainer, is the queen of wet bar conversions. In her last two homes, she has converted the wet bar into a functional home office. You know how some people do an awful job of converting their garage into a game room but everyone knows it’s just a garage with heating and air conditioning? Not so with Karen’s office.

When Karen’s family moved to another house with a wet bar, she hired a contractor to do minor renovations – including converting her 10’ x 10’ wet bar into a home office. The transformation included an insulated-glass, aluminum-frame window (normally used in commercial applications) installed along the back wall. She also replaced the wooden bi-fold doors with wood and opaque glass French doors.

Along the right wall are two Cantoni bookcases with three shelves and five drawers each. She stores reference materials and extra supplies in the drawers, and books and photos on the shelves.

The perfect tree house home office

Branch office

You wouldn’t insult Antonia if you told her that she works with her head in the clouds – because it’s true.

Her tree-top home office overlooks beautiful Napa Valley. I know I’d be too busy looking out the window daydreaming instead of working, but she’s able to run a successful culinary career coaching business from her 570-square-foot home office.

Antonia’s home office is built on stilts and hugs a rocky hillside.

She has more than enough storage space in her home office with built-in bookscases that line one wall. She is an avid book collector and reader who enjoys relaxing in her window seat in the trees.

A windowed, sliding pocket door separates her office into two rooms, one for her and one for her assistant. Her assistant uses the smaller of the two rooms and off her office is an enclosed porch where they entertain clients.

This former living room is now a functional home office

Developing home office

Hugh, a commercial developer, commutes to an office 30 minutes away, but spends one or two days a week working from his home office.

His 11’x12’ space – originally used as a formal living room – includes a fireplace, built-in bookcase and a large window.

This converted space has enough room for a desk with a return, two guest chairs and a lateral file cabinet. The lateral file cabinet and the piece of wood on top were painted and stained to match his desk.

On top of the cabinet are a wireless printer and a tray to hold magazines, with files and supplies stored in the drawers below. Cords that normally prove tricky and annoying in a home office have been fed through a hole in the front of the desk and tucked out of sight. French doors allow him the privacy he needs when his family is home.