Bringing work space home

YOU may dream of a bedroom styled like a chic boutique hotel or a bathroom as soothing as a spa, but according to a new survey of architects, many Americans are furiously adding something far more practical to their living quarters: a home office.

A dedicated space to work at home emerged as a leading trend in a poll released Wednesday by the American Institute of Architects. The trade association asked 600 architectural firms if work on various specialty rooms was increasing, decreasing or staying the same. The number of respondents who reported an increase in home offices was 48.5%, which compared with increases of 37.8% for home theaters, 36.7% for living quarters dedicated to aging parents or live-in child-care providers and 24% for exercise rooms.

“The home office is a trend that keeps growing,” said Kermit Baker, chief economist for the architects’ association. “It’s not just the true telecommuter, the person who only works from home. We’re talking about people who have an office [elsewhere] but choose to work two or three days a week at home.” Baker added that higher gas prices and Americans’ growing penchant to work nights and on weekends will further fuel the home-office trend.

Duo Dickinson, co-founder of the Congress of Residential Architecture, a newly formed group that advocates for smarter home design, said improvements in computers and communication technology also were driving the trend.

“Almost every home we do now has a dedicated subspace or room for computer use,” said Dickinson, whose firm is based in Madison, Conn. Though the trend is not new, he sees the increase in home offices as further proof of a historic, fundamental shift in the design and use of the American home.

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Other trends from the survey:

Home theaters: Media rooms are increasingly popular, thanks to more abundant choices and lower prices in audio and video equipment. About 38% of survey respondents said demand for the rooms was growing, 48% said demand was stable and only 14% said demand was declining.

Added quarters: About 85% of those polled said demand was stable or rising for separate living quarters for aging parents or au pairs. Baker expects demand for these spaces, which usually include a private bathroom and kitchen, to continue to rise.

Other rooms: The survey showed moderate growth in game rooms, mudrooms and laundry rooms. The popularity of exercise rooms, however, is starting to diminish.

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Craig Nakano can be reached at craig.nakano@latimes.com.