Office Design Steps
STEP 1: FREE-STANDING FURNITURE OR BUILT-IN CABINETRY?
STEP 1: FREE-STANDING FURNITURE OR BUILT-IN CABINETRY?
You actually have four options, not just two!:
A. FREE-STANDING FURNITURE
B. 100% BUILT-IN
C. COMBINATION OF FREE-STANDING and BUILT-IN, and
D. “APPARENTLY BUILT-IN” (Looks built-in, but you can take it with you!)
Think this over carefully, because many people, at first, think that they want “built-in” cabinetry, but later find that MAPLETREE’s “Apparently Built-in” (built-in, but easily removable) is a better investment. We can build your home office so that it can be relocated to another home in the future, while appearing to be permanently “built-in”. For examples of our “Apparently Built-In” option, view Carlisle Office, Walters Office, McCarthy Office, and DiNapoli Office. If you like this approach, select “D” in our Design Request Form.
Why is this a wise approach? What if a future buyer of your home wants to use the room for another purpose? What if he or she has completely different tastes (e.g. traditional versus contemporary)? What if your son or daughter wants to (eventually!) inherit your home office to take to his or her home? What if you eventually move, and want to take your home office with you? We consider it our duty to look after your long-term interests as well as your short-term needs, and so we ask questions that you may not have considered and we strive to ”future-proof” your design, making it flexible for the future. Having worked with hundreds of furniture-seekers over the years, we can inject many different paradigms into the design process - and into your decision-making process. (Decades from now, we want you to look back and know that we empowered you by sharing the full benefit of our experience with you.)
In Pennsylvania, the securing of cabinetry to your house walls, no matter how minimal and removable the attachment is, allows us to tax only the materials component of the furniture, resulting in great savings in sales tax, while still enabling you to relocate the furniture in the future.
Perhaps your requirements necessitate having some of the cabinetry permanently built-in. “Option C” is the answer for you, with some components built-in and others transportable. For examples, view Rath Office and Gumto Office.
All MAPLETREE home offices are completely pre-assembled in our shop, then re-assembled in your home, typically taking less than a half-day to install. If you live out of state, we make it easy for local installers to install our home offices or we can arrange for affiliated firms to deliver and assemble your MAPLETREE furniture.
Of course, if the only option that makes sense is a 100% built-in approach, you have come to the right place! For examples of our permanently built-in home offices, view Little Office, McKinney Office, Day Office, Sandonato Office and Martin Fireplace. For these applications, we suggest a design that is classic and timeless, and not overly ornate or overly “contemporary”, so that the built-in is universally appealing, becoming a value-added asset to your home.