5 Ways to Customize Your New Remote Lifestyle
A flex room is an area of your home that has multi-use potential. Many of us already have rooms with multi-use potential, but we do not always know the best way to utilize them. A good flex room in your home is a room that is currently underused or not used at all. Now that many companies are offering remote work opportunities, and many schools are opting for remote learning until further notice, it is time to maximize the space in your home. Here are 5 ways to customize your home with a flex room to accommodate your new remote lifestyle.
1. The Remote Office
A den or study was once a main-stay in every suburban home; as our lifestyles evolved, so did our spaces. Yet having a workspace in your home right now is important for remote work and remote learning. Working from the dining table or couch for another five months. Crammed into the same room with the kids while they are doing school work. We can feel the backaches (and headaches) already!
To get the most out of your office, consider a dual-purpose room. A simple workspace can be created with just a desk, a chair, and a computer (don’t forget strong wi-fi, of course!) From there, you can get creative. Place your favorite instrument off to the corner of the room for when you need to take a breather, but can’t escape from behind the screen. Perhaps exercising is more of your thing, no problem. Free weights, treadmills, and exercise bikes are great additions to bring together a multi-use room while staying productive and fit.
2. The Remote Classroom
Homeschooling has been growing in searches since March due to the pandemic, and peaked as a search term on Google Trends during July 2020. Whether or not you are planning on switching to homeschooling, a number of students in the U.S. will be participating in remote learning for at least some of the 2020-2021 school year.
So, how do you achieve a remote learning area inside your home? To start, get organized. Create learning stations for your child to focus on specific lessons. Older students, specifically high school and college students, may only need a similar setup to an office. Younger students might require art, reading, and writing stations in addition to their computer. Get familiar with your, or your child’s, syllabus to identify what you will need to create your perfect remote learning area.
3. The Game Room
If you’re set on workspaces, why not focus on entertainment? Game consoles, televisions, and entertainment centers create clutter and take up space. Creating a dedicated entertainment room for game night and movie night is a clever way to declutter your main living area. No hangout room is complete without some essentials—turn that old closet into a snack pantry, or snack-try. No closet? Invest in a few affordable shelves or small bookcase with bins to create a dry pantry for your favorite snacks. If you really want to get fancy, add in a compact fridge and microwave so you only have to leave the room if you want to.
4. The Gym
Now that we are all at home, staying in shape has even more mental hurdles. If you are not already living an active lifestyle, finding the time and will power to exercise can seem daunting. It already took discipline to exercise before or after work, but now that we are not leaving the house to go to work, sleeping in until 30 minutes before your shift became dangerously easy. To combat this temptation, create an exercise area in your home to make it easier to commit to a fitness routine.
At-home workout videos suggest a number of different equipment options to fill out your new gym. Resistance bands, free weights, and pull up bars are all options that won?t break the bank. However, if you’re working on a shoe-string budget, simply grab a kitchen chair for dips and elevated push-ups. Use that stock of canned goods for small hand weights.
5. The Library or Reading Nook
In what might be a “best for last” situation, creating a library or reading nook in your home may be the most versatile option on this list. Placing a reading nook in a quiet place in your home turns an underused room into a study corner, a place for quiet conversations and Zoom calls, family card games, and most important, naps!
Creating a reading nook is simple. A couple of inexpensive bookshelves, favorite books, and cozy seating is all you will need to lay the foundation for your new favorite place in the house. Bring it together with some throw pillows, blankets, a coffee table or ottoman, and a few games. Bonus points if you add some plants to the new space!
Making the Most of your Flex Room
We are all learning how to live in a post-COVID-19 world and Arista Development is no different. Many of our homes are built with open style floor plans that enable owners to make their space their own. Our foyers are roomy enough to house a desk in for your webinars, our outdoor patios are covered and act in many ways as open-air entertainment rooms, and most importantly, all Arista homes are pre-wired for Smart Devices to optimize remote work and remote learning. Whether you are hoping to create a remote office, a remote learning area, a game room, gym, or reading nook, an Arista home will exceed your every expectation.
Read more about Arista and our communities by exploring our website and articles. When you’re ready to hit the ground running this fall with a new home from Arista Development, LLC., contact Crystal Fraembs at crystal@aristadevelopmentllc.com or Ana Romano at ana@aristadevelopmentllc.com to schedule a tour at one of our model homes. Book a virtual or self-guided tour here if you wish to social distance while shopping for a home.
