For personal non-commercial use only. Do not edit or alter. Reproductions not permitted. To reprint or license content, please contact our reprints and licensing department at +1 800-843-0008 or www.djreprints.com
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
Friday, December 23, 2016 | M5
MANSION
JESSE NEIDER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (4)
KEEPING IT TOGETHER Storage and organization were top priorities in creating the study area in the Connecticut home of Jennifer and Robert Sechan. Daughter Meghan, 12, reading on a bench, above left; a breakfast nook occasionally used for school work, above middle; each child has a basket for their paperwork, and colored boxes for documents, above right; a computer area, below.
MEI-CHUN JAU FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (3)
FAMILY FIRST Scott and Melissa Powell with Caden, in the green shirt, Carter, in the red shirt, and Avery in the study room, above; Caden at the computer, below left; Avery in the living room, below right. The family’s Dallas home has no home office—instead they built the study room for their four young children.
these homework stations is essential for all the gadgets kids have, in addition to doing homework on the computer,” says Wayne Yamano, senior vice president of strategic operations and marketing at Scottsdale, Ariz.-based home builder Meritage Homes. In high-end houses, a space reserved for homework usually doesn't replace the home office, says Mr. Hullinger, the interior de-
signer. The extra workspace is unlikely to negatively affect a property’s resale value because it can be used for household management or work from home, he adds. In Daniela Bell and Eric Foster’s 2,800-square-foot Victorian home in a historic neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn., the homework area is next to the kitchen stove. When the couple bought the three-bedroom house, with bay windows
and a turret, for $190,000 in 2012, interior architect Jacqueline Fortier suggested they widen a nook in the kitchen wall to create a space for daughter, Thalia, now in the second grade, to draw and do school projects. The alcove has a soapstone table and wooden benches with integrated storage drawers. Magnetic paint on the walls allows Thalia to display artwork and photos.
www.ebook3000.com
Ms. Bell, a teacher of health and fitness classes, and Mr. Foster, a 44-year-old restaurant owner, like having their only daughter close by when they cook, so “she doesn’t feel like she’s exiled to the attic,” says Ms. Bell, 43. Last month, Thalia used the space to write a family recipe into her school art book. In October, she researched a report on nocturnal animals there. The defined nook keeps her sup-
plies from taking over the kitchen. And unless the dog wants to play, the 8-year-old isn't distracted by activity around her. Tim and Nicola Duffin chose their 3,850-square-foot house in the Austin, Texas area because the floor plan, by Meritage Homes, included two offices. The couple, who moved into the $518,000 home in August and own two hair salons, work from home a lot. While Mr. Duffin, who also works for a local technology company, uses the home office, Mrs. Duffin, 46, has claimed the satellite office near the laundry room. For 11-year-old Kayla and 6-yearold Roman, the Duffins converted one of the home’s five bedrooms into a study. It has a large desk, as well as a dry-erase board, a world map and a telescope. They also added fun touches like candy in glass jars and a chaise, where Roman likes to watch movies. Roman, a first-grader, doesn’t have much homework yet, but the Duffins encourage Kayla to use the study because it is less distracting than their busy kitchen. Because the upstairs room is harder to supervise, they check on her regularly. “Occasionally, I sneak up to check that she is doing her schoolwork,” says Mr. Duffin, 45. As children grow, homework spaces can evolve. Chicago residents Leslie and Josh Glazier created a children’s work area after they bought their six-bedroom home in Lincoln Park for $1.9 million in 2007. As part of a yearlong, $1.5 million renovation that followed, they built a light-filled basement area equipped with a long, white desk and bookshelves built into white walls. The Glaziers installed desktop computers and a cork board for art projects. Their older sons, Alex and Matt, now 23 and 21, did homework on the desktops, while their younger siblings, Daisy and Clay, used the space for art and sewing. Now 13 and 12, Daisy and Clay have laptops and often study in their rooms. For them, the basement is a social space. Ms. Glazier, a 51year-old real-estate agent, uses the area to create photo albums, spreading pictures across the desk. “The space has run through different stages as the kids have gotten older,” she says. “It’s used for different things now.”