Americans didn’t have time to be picky about where they worked last year as work-from-home surged to about 71 percent of employed adults at the start of the pandemic, according to a Pew Research Center survey. After a year of making-do with rarely-used dining rooms, guest rooms, or corners of a family room, they are searching for ways to create a more permanent work space at home.

“There was interest before, but not nearly what it was with the pandemic,” says Freddy Govea, Owner/Operator of Uplift Outdoor in Houston, Texas. “Now the customer wants to separate work, school, and life inside their home.”

While the pandemic shifted many to work from home temporarily, the numbers have settled out to be about double the pre-pandemic levels. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 42 percent of employed workers are now working from home.

With so many more activities happening at home, making it easy to switch between work and play, rather than creating a dedicated space for just a single purpose is a new solution for many. Durable finishes and adaptable design elements like barn door room dividers, built-in wall storage, tough flooring, and scuff-resistant paint offer the flexibility that many desire.

Barn Door Room Dividers

“A lot of floor plans have columns or arches, but they are open. So we are closing them in, creating walls, and making them into a home office or school room,” says Govea. From easy-to-install sliding barn doors to more time-intensive pocket doors, Govea says that these room dividers allow the customer to create a defined home office without completely changing the floor plan.

Built-In Wall Storage

Any space can become a home office if there’s a place to put a computer, but home offices typically also need a space to keep a printer, paper files, and books. Creating one wall of built-ins helps keep work organized, doubles as a statement-making video background, and can transition to a media center or dining room buffet in the future.

“If we are building custom cabinetry, we usually just do one wall. Usually on a back wall and then they put a desk in front of it,” says Govea. “Some customers want full cabinetry on top, an open area above, or floating shelves above it.”

Tough Flooring

Durable flooring that protects against the daily wear-and-tear of office chair wheels is important in a home office. By suggesting easy-to-install-and-remove flooring options that allow the ease of movement and cleanup, homeowners have the flexibility of a multifunctional future.

“A product that we are using a lot for flooring right now is luxury vinyl. It's waterproof. It is easy to put on and remove,” says Govea.

Scuff-Resistant Paint

Interior walls everywhere are showing the signs of an increased busy home life brought on by the pandemic. Offering clients scuff-free paint protects home office walls from the increased use of work or as a busier multifunctional space.

“As we sheetrock and build, for the paint we like the Behr Ultra Scuff Defense product. If there's kids running around, it’s an easy wipeable product that does well on the wall,’ says Govea. “Simple, cleanable, and it works really well. I haven't had to go back to repaint or do any touch-ups.”

Saving homeowners the headache of wall cleanup and saving you time with callbacks, the scuff-resistant paint is offered in four interior sheens: flat, eggshell, satin enamel, and semi-gloss enamel.

Competitive Advantage

As the rise in work-from-home continues, remodelers are responding to the demand. Even if they initially only ask for a home office, customers may actually really desire a multifunctional space. By using finish and fixture options that work for a busy multi-use space and serve the client’s home office need, there is an available competitive advantage that also is an opportunity to deliver excellent customer service.

For more information about scuff-resistant paint, check out Behr Ultra Scuff Defense.