The New Corner Office Workspace
If you work from home for the long haul, build a dedicated space with a window and a door that closes.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 80%
The New Corner Office reframes the home workspace as a long-term investment rather than a temporary kitchen-table perch. Vanderkam argues that anyone working from home long term needs a dedicated space with natural light and a door that closes, because small ergonomic and privacy problems get magnified once you spend 40-50 hours a week there. Crucially, the space should be separated from where you relax — not to avoid relaxing during work, but to avoid working during your relaxation time. The upside of home is total control over light, temperature, decor and scent, which you can never get in a cubicle.
Origin
Vanderkam wrote the book The New Corner Office after observing that WFH breaks the normal rules of the office, and named the concept after her own corner office at the corner of her house where she has worked for years.
Core principles
- 01Long-term remote work requires a dedicated space with a window and a door that closes.
- 02Small ergonomic problems get magnified enormously once you spend 40-50 hours a week in one spot.
- 03Separating your work space from where you relax protects your relaxation time, not just your work.
- 04You control the environment at home in ways impossible in a cubicle — light, temperature, decor, scent.
How to run it
- 1
Claim a dedicated, enclosed space
Secure a spot with a window for natural light and a door that closes so you can expect quiet and focus.
Pro tip If you plan to WFH long term, this may even justify moving somewhere with a home office, since you no longer commute five days a week.
Watch out Grabbing the kitchen table puts you in the center of everything and makes you look available to everyone.
- 2
Fix the ergonomics
Get the chair and desk height right so you sit in a neutral, comfortable position.
Watch out Small posture problems get magnified many times over across 40-50 hours a week in the same spot.
- 3
Separate work from relaxation
Keep the workspace away from where you watch TV and unwind.
Pro tip The real risk isn't relaxing during work — it's working during the time you set aside to relax.
- 4
Make it your happy place
Control the light, temperature, decor and even scent to create an environment you enjoy being in.
Pro tip A signature scent candle or your preferred temperature is a real win you can never get at a corporate office.
In the wild
Many people grabbed the kitchen table simply because it was the first flat surface for a laptop, putting them in the center of the household where everyone assumes they're available.
→ Moving to a separated spot with a door restores privacy, quiet, and the ability to signal unavailability.
Common mistakes
Treating a long-term setup as temporary
Working 40-50 hours a week at a makeshift table magnifies every small ergonomic and privacy problem instead of investing once in a proper space.
Working where you relax
Overlapping your work spot with your unwind space tempts you to keep working during time meant for rest, eroding recovery.
Is it for you?
Best for
People planning to work from home long term, two to three or more days a week.
Not ideal for
Occasional remote workers who only work from home a couple hours or one day a week, where small setup problems don't compound.
From the transcript
“if you're going to work from home long term you really do need some sort of dedicated space with a window and a door that…”
“once you start working 40 50 hours a week in the same spot any small problems are going to get magnified so many times over”
From the episode
Laura Vanderkam: Smarter Ways to WFH (Work From Home)
Laura Vanderkam