How Good is Your Home Office for Spurring Creative Ideas? Case Study Project No. 1

By Donald M. Rattner, Architect

This is the first installment of a series in which I’ll analyze a variety of home offices from the perspective of design psychology, in particular, the effectiveness of interior space to promote creative insight and imagination. Material is drawn from my book My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation, 48 Science-based Techniques.

Let’s kick off the Home Office Case Study Project with a look at a little gem of a creative space (full image below). The dominant theme here is clearly Nature, a direction no doubt inspired by the verdant and forested landscape visible through the wrap-around windows of this former porch turned study. The strong visual connection between inside and out effected by the glazing is then amplified indoors by the abundant use of wood-sourced materials and finishes, including the exposed ceiling joists; veneer plywood for desk slabs and cabinet facings; wood flooring and paneling, and a remarkable confection of a desk chair.

But wait, there’s more. To these cues we can add the generous influx of natural light, the potted plant, the unexpected presence of a skull-cum-paperweight (talk about adaptive reuse!), and the equally startling image of a stuffed bird keeping an eye on things from a perch that could have been sawn off a tree outside. More subtly, the darkly stained floorboards suggest the natural earthen terrain of undisturbed soil, a connection that anchors the setting metaphorically as well as visually.

Incorporating Nature into built space is among the most powerful techniques we have for promoting idea generation and insight, as much scientific evidence has revealed over the decades.

There is, however, one modification that comes to mind as I survey the space. As science has further demonstrated (not to mention painful personal experience), too much sitting can be bad for our health and creativity. An easy corrective here would be to enable the user to alternate sitting and standing by adding a lectern or similarly portable fixture to the desktop to facilitate writing, reading, laptop use, etc.

Perhaps even better would be to pull the desk away from the wall a foot or so and then deepen the cabinets. Add a little padding on top and along the walls, and voila! — said user could enjoy increased idea flow while comfortably stretched out on a very lovely window seat.

Why is reclining especially advantageous in creative spaces? Because this particular posture has been linked experimentally to improved idea formation.

Check back here soon for the next installment of the Home Office Case Study Project, or sign up below for my newsletter.

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Donald M. Rattner is an architect and the author of the award-winning book My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation, 48 Science-based Techniques.

Credits: Architecture by Alan Maskin, principal of Olson Kundig Architects. Photography and project information here.