Just the other day, I mentioned to a friend that it would be a dream come true to have our home featured in a magazine, but that it wouldn't be a possibility for at least several years because we still have so many projects to complete.
Imagine my surprise when Albuquerque the Magazine asked to feature SN's small home office!
Even Olive made it into the article. Check it out for free in the digital issue (page 94): https://issuu.com/genalacross/docs/2020_june
Here's the full text of my interview with the editor:
Q. What was your day-to-day at work like before the pandemic?
A. With a busy travel schedule, Derek was usually only home on the weekends, and sometimes not even then. It wasn't uncommon for him to work in 3 different states within the same week!
Q. Do you usually work from home or did you have to switch to remote because of the pandemic?
A. It's no surprise that my blog has been written from home, but dentistry? Although closed for routine care, our pediatric dental office was still open for children who had emergencies. Our team had never faced a challenge like this. I was impressed by how well we were able to work remotely, always having someone available to coordinate urgent treatment for a patient.
Q. What changes have you made to your home office since the pandemic started?
A. This is going to sound strange, but I didn't have a phone prior to the pandemic. For working from home, that was a must have! Of course, now that I have one, I don't think I can go back to life without it.
Q. What is your favorite thing about your home office?
A. We recently moved into our home, which we designed from scratch and which took absolutely forever to build, so we're still in this phase where we feel fortunate just to be here. While working, you occasionally see rabbits and deer out the windows. We've even had a bear in our yard, though good luck focusing on your work with that outside!
Q. Do you find you are more productive working from home? Less? About the same?
A. Derek and I are both good about staying on task whether we are at the office or at home. He dresses professionally, as if he were going to see his coworkers, because it helps him get into a work mindset. Me? With 15 years experience, I always sound professional when speaking to patients over the phone and via email. Little do they know I'm in my pajamas and fuzzy slippers.
Q. What is the biggest challenge of working remotely?
A. Although this is our dream home, we hadn't expected to ever work remotely when we designed it, so it can be difficult to give each other enough space. I'll be on my lunch break and whip up a smoothie (one of the perks of working from home), not realizing that Derek is on a conference call that was just interrupted by my blender. Whoops!
Q. Describe your home office. Be as specific as possible.
A. Our home is not very large. Rather than include an office for each of us, Derek decided to bump part of the hallway out a few feet to create an office nook. It's his miniature version of an old fashioned, sophisticated study, complete with wood paneling and a leather chair. He jokes that it's the perfect place to sit and swirl a glass of fine brandy.
The nook was just plain drywall when we moved in. Derek built everything himself - the bookcases, the paneling, the drawers, and even the leather drawer pulls. He has space for all of his favorite books and he enjoys displaying family heirlooms and photos. The large window makes it easy to keep an eye on our rescue dogs, Olive, Bernadette, and Biscuit, as they cause chaos throughout the backyard.
The office nook looks amazing when it's tidy (thank you Albuquerque the Magazine - he had to clean it to have photos taken for you), but often this space is filled with clutter from Derek's many hobbies, including beer brewing, vintage Corvette restoration, and weather station programming.
(Funny side story: His first weather station was struck by lightning shortly after we moved in. We're still finding pieces of it throughout our yard.)
Unlike a real office, you can't just close the door to conceal a mess, which is a problem when it's right in the middle of your hallway. A sliding barn door is coming soon...just as soon as Derek builds it.
Imagine my surprise when Albuquerque the Magazine asked to feature SN's small home office!
This office is perfect for keeping an eye on our little weirdos as they lovingly maul each other.
Small Home Office
Magazine Interview with Kitty Deschanel
This is the hallway containing our small home office. SN built the light fixtures.
Q. What was your day-to-day at work like before the pandemic?
A. With a busy travel schedule, Derek was usually only home on the weekends, and sometimes not even then. It wasn't uncommon for him to work in 3 different states within the same week!
Q. Do you usually work from home or did you have to switch to remote because of the pandemic?
A. It's no surprise that my blog has been written from home, but dentistry? Although closed for routine care, our pediatric dental office was still open for children who had emergencies. Our team had never faced a challenge like this. I was impressed by how well we were able to work remotely, always having someone available to coordinate urgent treatment for a patient.
Q. What changes have you made to your home office since the pandemic started?
A. This is going to sound strange, but I didn't have a phone prior to the pandemic. For working from home, that was a must have! Of course, now that I have one, I don't think I can go back to life without it.
Q. What is your favorite thing about your home office?
A. We recently moved into our home, which we designed from scratch and which took absolutely forever to build, so we're still in this phase where we feel fortunate just to be here. While working, you occasionally see rabbits and deer out the windows. We've even had a bear in our yard, though good luck focusing on your work with that outside!
Q. Do you find you are more productive working from home? Less? About the same?
A. Derek and I are both good about staying on task whether we are at the office or at home. He dresses professionally, as if he were going to see his coworkers, because it helps him get into a work mindset. Me? With 15 years experience, I always sound professional when speaking to patients over the phone and via email. Little do they know I'm in my pajamas and fuzzy slippers.
Q. What is the biggest challenge of working remotely?
A. Although this is our dream home, we hadn't expected to ever work remotely when we designed it, so it can be difficult to give each other enough space. I'll be on my lunch break and whip up a smoothie (one of the perks of working from home), not realizing that Derek is on a conference call that was just interrupted by my blender. Whoops!
Q. Describe your home office. Be as specific as possible.
A. Our home is not very large. Rather than include an office for each of us, Derek decided to bump part of the hallway out a few feet to create an office nook. It's his miniature version of an old fashioned, sophisticated study, complete with wood paneling and a leather chair. He jokes that it's the perfect place to sit and swirl a glass of fine brandy.
The nook was just plain drywall when we moved in. Derek built everything himself - the bookcases, the paneling, the drawers, and even the leather drawer pulls. He has space for all of his favorite books and he enjoys displaying family heirlooms and photos. The large window makes it easy to keep an eye on our rescue dogs, Olive, Bernadette, and Biscuit, as they cause chaos throughout the backyard.
The office nook looks amazing when it's tidy (thank you Albuquerque the Magazine - he had to clean it to have photos taken for you), but often this space is filled with clutter from Derek's many hobbies, including beer brewing, vintage Corvette restoration, and weather station programming.
(Funny side story: His first weather station was struck by lightning shortly after we moved in. We're still finding pieces of it throughout our yard.)
Unlike a real office, you can't just close the door to conceal a mess, which is a problem when it's right in the middle of your hallway. A sliding barn door is coming soon...just as soon as Derek builds it.
