Comments on: Rooms that COVID Brought Back

By: Вадим

Вадим — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 14:24:53 +0000

The easiest way to learn more is to start a session of your own and take the tour. It takes less than three minutes it s that simple! Digital escape rooms are a lot of fun, and I thank you for sharing the details about these escape rooms here. I will ask my friends to take part in digital escape rooms with me now. We will have a lot of fun.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 19:51:58 +0000

In reply to Jo. I’ve loved wfh. It has made such a difference to me as I’m disabled and not having to deal with a commute and not constantly having to be ‘on’ in an office has been great. I was able to get back working more quickly from a flare up too, and can grab a short lie down when I need. I’m as productive as I am in the office. We have chosen our homes (rentals for the last 6 years) to have an office space (3rd bedroom) so it was pretty seamless for me. I dread being called back to the office, but my director doesn’t trust people if she can’t see them , although thankfully my direct line managers do.

By: Clare

Clare — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 14:15:34 +0000

In reply to Jo. I’m late to the discussion, but I agree there will be more people working from home and craving a separate office space. I’m blessed to have a home office set up and didn’t miss a beat when we transitioned to WFH. Of course, I’m 57 and an empty nester.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:16:36 +0000

In reply to Jo. I personally thrive in a work from home environment. My niece and sister, on the other hand, crave the community of in person work. I would love to be able to stay working from home forever for many reasons, but we'll be recalled to the office when it's safe.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 00:46:47 +0000

We did the backyard over the summer. New fence, deck and shed. We are going to start a few more renovations in early 2021 that will result with everyone in our home having their own space. Our 9 and 6 year old boys will have their own bedrooms. I will have a room for sewing and hobbies and my husband will have an office he doesn’t have to share with my sewing and hobbies! I will continue to wfh in my front room looking out the window because I don’t want work in my special place .

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 23:06:15 +0000

Our 1920 Colonial has actually worked well for our family of four. For the first time I feel like we’re truly using all the various spaces, including the carriage house studio apartment, which has morphed into hubby’s workspace. He prefers it over our small study as it has a comfy seating area, a table for computer work, kitchenette with Kuerig and snacks, and private bath. And no dogs underfoot! When we renovated that space a few years back we envisioned it as a guest space/occasional AirBNB rental (it has a Murphy bed) but it has worked really well as his office.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:35:58 +0000

Really interesting post! Our home was custom built in 1965 for an executive and his family. I absolutely love the layout and think it’s pretty much perfect for how we want to live today. We have a separate office, a screened in porch, a den, a good sized kitchen with a small pass through to the living room (so you can see but it isn’t open concept), and beautiful outdoor spaces. The bedrooms and bathrooms are good sized by not palatial as people really used using them for sleeping and getting ready back then. And that’s how we use them as well. We have lots of entertaining space in our combination living/dining room and finished walkout basement for when Covid is over. And we have bifold doors between a bunch of the rooms so you can close them off when you want to. I was going to remove them but they come in really handy with pets sometimes. Our house is larger so we are able to have dedicated spaces but I never understood the appeal of open concept.

By: Franki Parde

Franki Parde — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:01:44 +0000

We feel...almost, unworthy...we hear of so many hardships & it breaks our heart & yet...we are happy, healthy (for our age) & have HOPE there can be lessons learned. Compliancy is overrated. AND, I luv spray paint to the moon & back!! franki

By: Deborah

Deborah — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 10:38:21 +0000

Erin, Great post! I’ve lived in several open concept homes but our current “forever” home has a separate den and living room which I prefer. We’re planning a new patio with fire pit for the spring to extend our outdoor
Iiving space. On Cape Cod, there is a 2 year wait for a pool.

By: Linda R Salazar

Linda R Salazar — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 06:55:59 +0000

The open concept looks nice but I don’t think it is practical on a day to day basis, at least not for me. Too much pressure to have your space looking perfect all the time!

By: Cheryl Swarthout

Cheryl Swarthout — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 02:17:52 +0000

Totally agree that this year will cause a major re-thinking about how we want our homes to work for us. We have been planning a major addition, and that has certainly been the case. We are retired, but we live in a lovely resort community that encourages lots of out-of-town guests. We bought our home here thinking it was the time to scale down, but actually, we need our home to accommodate our chosen life-style more than ever. While we are doing a bigger kitchen and adding to that an open dining room/great room area, we are also adding a studio and a more private master suite. We have realized how much pleasure we always got in being able to entertain at home. So we need to make room for that, But we also need places to retreat from the happy chaos of multi-generational guests. I am designing my studio space so that it could easily become someone else’s home office space. Our previous small living area will become an intimate “keeping room” adjoining the expanded kitchen. Finally, the multi-level deck will become one level that smoothly transitions from the new great room, and it will be built with low-maintenance composite materials. I hope this comment encourages younger families to plan ahead for what they might want as retirees.

By: Gray

Gray — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 02:02:57 +0000

We are empty nesters and live in a smaller, older home, so no open concept here! My husband traveled constantly, but has his own office (a bedroom). He has now been working from that office since Covid shut down most of his travel. So thankful that he has a designated spot. I wish I did! My stuff has been all over the place. Very thankful for our huge deck, attached bluestone terrace, firepit area and gardens. We spend a lot of time outside and it helps our smaller home liver larger.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:55:18 +0000

In reply to Jo. Should’ve said 40* not 59...weird it autocorrected that!

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:54:09 +0000

In reply to Jo. Actually I don’t know if I agree with this. For certain professions this may hold true but my husband who works in marine insurance has actually enjoyed his wfh experience, but he does have a designated office here. The commute alone helps mentally (and fiscally). I can see a lot of companies forgoing large office spaces to save money too. I did read a study that the younger workers admitted to not being as productive while those over 59 find they are just as or more productive. It’s very interesting regardless.

By: Celeste

Celeste — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:23:19 +0000

Open concept isn’t for everyone. I don’t want all the kitchen sights and smells permeating other rooms. And I found out how lucky I was to have a home office/library with double doors that close it off when my child came home mid-semester. It has been used for zoom classes and as an escape from the rest of now-crowded domestic life. Having some outdoor space, though modest, took on new meaning when we uses it to see friends more safely: outdoors. Finally, my bonus space which I use as a sewing studio/atelier became so important as both a place to enjoy an at-home hobby, especially when it was to sew masks. My home has always been important to me but this pandemic has made it even more so.