Three home offices that break all of the productivity rules | Canada Voices

In conventional wisdom, the optimal home office looks something like an Apple store touched up by Marie Kondo – stark, minimalist and pared down of personal effects. The idea is that spare and spartan spaces leave more space for thinking and doing.

Some professionals, though, swear the opposite is true. For them, breaking office design norms leads to better focus, deeper inspiration and even increased productivity. Whether it’s a yellow-floored backyard shed, a bold navy blue room filled with personal memorabilia or a pink-saturated live-work space, these home offices are delightfully unconventional.

What unites them is not a common aesthetic but a shared belief that a workspace should be as alive and dynamic as the people who use them. Here are three home offices that redefine the rules of work.

Will Sorrell

Before the pandemic, Will Sorrell lived in London, England, where he led festivals such as the London Design Biennale. He commuted to work by bike or subway for more than an hour a day, and he never decorated his offices. “It didn’t occur to me to bring photos or personal effects,” he says.

Five years ago, Sorrell and his wife, Carla, decided to relocate to her hometown of Victoria for a quieter place to raise their two kids. By 2022, he had become the national director of IDS, the annual interior design show held in Vancouver and Toronto. He needed a place to work remotely. “It was the pandemic, and our home only had one office,” he says. “Both my wife and I had to be on video calls all day.”

A tiny spider-filled potter’s shed in the backyard turned out to be the solution. After cleaning out the cobwebs and garden tools and getting a much-needed paint job (light green outside, pale blue inside with a bright yellow floor), it became Sorrell’s home office. “The joy of the space is its location,” he says. “I can watch wildlife outside. And the light, the quiet – it’s ideal for thinking.”

Though the shed is modest – roughly six by eight feet – it’s full of meaningful details. Shelving lines the walls, holding a slow-growing collection of personal items: a painting by Sorrell’s brother, ceramics by the late B.C. artist Wayne Ngan, and sculptural stars from an installation Sorrell worked on in Milan with British designer Tom Dixon. “Some of these things were packed away in boxes for a long time,” he says. “It’s so nice to have unearthed them and get to enjoy them during the day.”

The space isn’t finished. The shed has thin wood walls, and even though Victoria’s winters are relatively mild, it can get cold inside. Sorrell currently uses a space heater to keep warm. “This autumn, I’m installing proper insulation,” he says.

An office design rule worth breaking: Offices should be distraction-free.

“There are lots of little things that could distract me,” says Sorrell. “It’s nice to just look out the window at the garden, or at the objects on the shelves. I consider it a microbreak. Maybe it’s a bit of a distraction, but I think the calming effect adds more than it subtracts. I think I do twice as much work in my shed than I used to in a conventional office.”

Three things Sorrell can’t work without:

Yellow floor: “The yellow floor is nostalgic, energizing and deeply personal. My parents had a graphic design business, and this was the colour my mum painted her desk.”

Three clocks: “I have three clocks on the wall – Toronto, to remind me what time it is when I’m scheduling calls with my team there; Victoria, where I work; and London, where I come from. I’ve always wanted those cheesy, classic airport clocks. These are from Akcisot. I needed ones with silent movement.”

Dainty desk: “My desk is a basic trestle desk from Canadian Tire. It’s not terribly attractive, but it fits the space perfectly. I’ve covered it in this pretty fabric from my wife’s friend, fashion designer Eliza Faulkner. I think it finishes it off well.”

Dane Jensen

For a decade, Dane Jensen, CEO of performance coaching firm Third Factor, worked out of the basement of his home in Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood. “I dreamed of having a space that didn’t feel dark,” he says.

When the pandemic hit, he saw an opportunity. In 2020, after buying a new place uptown, he hired AAmp Studio – co-founded by his childhood friend Anne-Marie Armstrong – to redesign the home. His wish list included a new office that could support focused solo work, host team meetings and serve as a warm, polished Zoom backdrop.

The result, completed in 2024, is both practical and full of personality. Located at the far end of the main floor, the office is cordoned off by a vaulted archway and bathed in natural light, with windows on three walls. “It’s spectacular,” says Jensen. “I think natural light is a huge boost to productivity. And the commute – walking through a beautiful arch – is a lot better than heading into a basement.”

While there’s space for eight people around a central table, most days it’s just Jensen (his team works remotely). Still, the space is rarely quiet. Jensen is a music lover – he plays several instruments and once played in bands – and always has something on the speakers. The mix is eclectic but leans toward rock, indie and punk. “Music helps me focus, even heavy stuff like Deafheaven.”

Behind his desk is the office’s most distinctive feature: a built-in shelving unit displaying meaningful objects. There’s a Lego model of the Seinfeld apartment, a soccer ball signed by Wayne Gretzky and a custom ski-run sign reading Dane’s Descent, a gift from a client after a work trip to Whistler, B.C. A miniature figurine of a young Jensen in a figure skating costume is a frequent conversation starter on calls. Commissioned by his grandfather, it says “First Place” – “even though I finished last,” says Jensen.

Instead of a neutral backdrop, AAmp chose moody Hale Navy from Benjamin Moore. It was a bold move, but one Jensen fully embraced. “A lot of people go for something light grey or beige, but I like the contrast,” he says.

An office design rule worth breaking: Keep backdrops bland.

“So much of my work is about connection,” says. “When someone sees an object behind me and asks about it, that’s the start of a real conversation, not a time waster. If you can find any way to inject personality – even a meaningful photo as your Teams background – it gives people a way to get to know you.”

Three things Jensen can’t work without:

High-quality speakers: “I always have music on when I’m not on a call. It helps me focus and creates energy. I have a pair of Sonos Fives, which are terrific, but my dream speakers are B&W 801s. I just need to save up the $40k.”

Attractive chair: “Comfort is critical, but I didn’t want a gaming chair. Mine is soft leather from Crate & Barrel – stylish and super comfortable.”

Greenery: “I’ve killed a lot of plants, but I love the life they bring. Right now I’ve got a bird of paradise – huge leaves, great colour.”

Nathalie Perron

During the pandemic, Nathalie Perron started to think about creating a live-work space to house her Quebec City interior design business, Maison Perron. She was renting an office across town from her home, and she wanted a better work-life balance. The idea of escapism inspired her aesthetic. “I loved the idea of feeling like I was travelling in a big city somewhere,” she says. “In a café, a boutique or a hotel lobby.”

Ironically, the building she found, in 2022, was perhaps as ordinary as it gets. Located in the city’s Montcalm neighbourhood, the three-storey structure was previously home to an accounting firm. Many of the windows were walled off to eliminate distractions, and the rooms were chopped into small generic workstations.

The following year, Perron and her team spent six months stripping the space, revealing long-covered hardwood floors and rich red brick walls – both of which she preserved. But that wasn’t enough for Perron. “I’m a colour girl, full of energy,” she says. “I need to be stimulated, and creativity is part of my daily life. I call it ‘the art of dosage.’”

To Perron, “dosage” means a heavy infusion of playful hues, both in her office and meeting space on the main level, as well as her bedroom, living area and kitchen above. Pastel greens, yellows and blues combine to create a candy land of visual delights. “Colourful environments boost well-being and creativity,” says Perron. “After all, blues, greens and other vibrant colours exist in nature.”

The most vibrant area is around Perron’s desk: It’s so pink it would make Barbie smile. The table, walls and shelving are all painted a bright shade of blush. “Despite its bold tone and lack of contrast, I’m not distracted,” she says. “I feel alive.”

Perron is also happy about her much-reduced commute. Rather than driving an hour to the office, she simply descends a set of stairs – sometimes still in her slippers. “That’s a huge boost in my productivity, and a major improvement in my quality of life.”

An office design rule worth breaking: Work and life should be separate.

“My living spaces serve the studio,” she says. “My kitchen and terrace can act as a showroom or even an events space. They feature my designs and the furniture and objects I love.”

Three things Perron can’t work without:

Pool-blue table: “It’s in the centre of the meeting space and comes from Sancal, a Spanish brand. Everyone naturally gravitates toward it. It’s beautiful, vibrant and full of energy.”

Pink door: “It’s from Dooor, a folding system I love. This one hides things like light switches, storage and an electrical panel. But instead of feeling utilitarian, it brings joy. People smile when they see it.”

Colourful window frames: “The building used to have blacked-out windows. Now, the glass is trimmed in sky blue. It’s a peek into my world. Passersby often wonder what’s going on in there, so it’s a welcome conversation starter.”