Avryll McNair’s home office in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood, renovated by Dart Studio.Angus Fergusson/Supplied
When it comes to performance reviews for rooms, the home office usually rates a “needs improvement.” At best, it’s a sterile bedroom conversion; at worst, a table tucked into a neglected corner of the basement.
And yet, the number of Canadians continuing to work from home – all or part of the time – remains significant. A 2024 Statistics Canada study showed that while the work-from-home numbers had fallen since peak pandemic, about 20 per cent of Canadians were still working most of their hours at home as of last November.
With hybrid work continuing at this level, it’s important to create a dedicated space that not only fosters productivity but feels like a continuation of other rooms in the home, says Olivia Botrie, creative director and principal designer at Toronto’s Dart Studio. “If you have the choice to work from home, you want it to feel like home,” she says. “Lean into that fact and enjoy it – you’re not trying to recreate a cubicle.”
Leaning in was Botrie’s approach to the recent renovation of a home in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood. The homeowner, Avryll McNair, a sales representative with Bosley Real Estate, works non-traditional hours and required an office with multiple surfaces to spread out documents, closed storage for paper files and stationery, and comfortable seating for evening and weekend work.
“I always start by asking clients how you want to use a home office,” says Botrie. “If it’s daytime when no one’s in your house, it could be an open-space nook downstairs concealed by pocket doors. If it’s nighttime when your kids are sleeping, you might prefer to be upstairs and nearby.”
Homeowner Avryll McNair, a Toronto-based real estate agent, tasked Dart Studio with creating multiple home-work spaces for flexible, six-days-a-week tasks as her job requires.Angus Fergusson/Supplied
For McNair, who has a young son, and works six days a week, the answer was the best of both worlds: a multipurpose desk near the kitchen and a full-size room upstairs, complete with sofa and fireplace.
Rather than installing a wall of built-in bookshelves in the primary upstairs office, Dart Studio custom-designed a low credenza and desk intended to look and feel more like living or dining room furniture than hardworking industrial pieces. The dimensions were also key for hanging art. McNair is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and has amassed a collection of unique and colourful pieces. The setup also allows her to display plants, stacks of books and other homey touches.
Botrie positioned the desk away from the wall and facing the fireplace. “If you’re sitting there for eight hours, really think about your view,” she says. “Why face a wall if you don’t have to? And if you’re in a smaller space with less choice, consider floating a round table in the centre of the room, which can serve as a desk or double as a games table during off-hours.”
McNair says the positioning of the desk wins top marks: “The window beside my desk, with the light, the view and the breeze when the window is open, that’s my favourite part about being in here.”
Rather than fill up the walls with shelving, Olivia Botrie kept the custom walnut-stained oak storage credenza low. “We wanted the room feeling light and airy from desk height up as a showcase for Avryll’s art, which energizes her,” she explains. To that end, she chose Shaded White from Farrow & Ball as a warm neutral wall colour to offset the two limited-edition screen prints by Sophie Smallhorn, which Avryll McNair says remind her of studying colour theory in art school.
Here, a commissioned work of concrete braille tiles by artist Dennis Lin anchors a floating oak shelf-style surface.Angus Fergusson/Supplied
A slouchy Montauk sofa offers a soft spot to lounge when McNair is working during the evenings. “Real estate happens 24 hours a day,” says Botrie of her client’s needs. “During evenings and weekends, it’s much more pleasant to be on a laptop by the fire than at a desk.” The multicoloured typographic oil painting over the fireplace by Bratsa Bonifacho is the first purchase McNair made for herself after starting in the real estate industry.
Having a secondary desk space on the main floor offers flexibility for both McNair and her son. Here, a commissioned work of concrete braille tiles by artist Dennis Lin anchors a floating oak shelf-style surface.
Homeowner Avryll McNair, a Toronto-based real estate agent, tasked Dart Studio with creating multiple home-work spaces for flexible, six-days-a-week tasks as her job requires.
Out of Office
Non-office furniture that ups the style factor while still adding function to your home.
Article Krysto Pompei table lamp.Supplied
Think beyond the task light. A weighty unpolished clay lamp adds chic, ambient glow to a desk or storage unit.
Article Krysto Pompei table lamp, 18″ height x 15.5″ diameter, $219, article.com
Moe’s Home Collection Drava Chair.Supplied
Those who change their home-work locations throughout the day can eschew the ergonomic (yet unsightly) desk chair and opt for an upholstered dining chair on wheels.
Moe’s Home Collection Drava chair, 32.5″ h x 26″ w x 26″ d, $799, moeshome.com
Sundays Easy Edge Sideboard.Supplied
In a more paperless world, the metal filing cabinet has lost its utility. A streamlined dining-room sideboard makes an excellent storage piece in the modern office.
Sundays Easy Edge sideboard, 29.5″ h x 63″ w x 18″ d, $1,880, sundays-company.ca