How the Right Doors Can Make Your Home Office More Productive

Not long ago, home offices weren’t a priority for homeowners, but following the COVID-19 pandemic, they became essential. With remote work continuing to play a significant role in many people’s lives, home offices have cemented their importance. Prospective buyers are looking for homes with dedicated office spaces, and even those who have returned to full-time office work still value a space for hobbies, side projects — or just a space to be productive. 

As home offices have evolved, homeowners have found many purposes for these dedicated workspaces, beyond just the office. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your home office, let’s explore how you can customize it to fit your needs.

Designing the Perfect Workspace

No matter how you’re using your home office, adding or renovating one can add significant value to your space — think privacy, a quiet place to focus, better work-life balance and a dedicated area for your projects. When setting up your home office, consider the following: 

• Backdrop: If you're usually on a lot of video calls, the area behind you will be on display for all to see, so you’ll want to create a suitable background. You can choose between tasteful decorations to give your calls a bit of character or go for a more professional look with a plain wall.
• Furniture: Your home office should have the appropriate furniture to fit your needs and your space. Ensure your desk and chair are comfortable, especially if you plan to spend a lot of time working from them. Other common upgrades include walking pads and standing desks. If you plan to use your space for more than work, consider using multi-functional furniture like a storage ottoman or a foldable desk, so you can easily transform the space when needed.
• Light: Nobody wants to work in a dark or artificially lit environment. Maximizing natural light is a strong solution and has even been linked to increased productivity. Make the most of natural light by placing your home office near windows, or use doors with glass to let light in. To maintain that light without sacrificing privacy and focus, install doors with frosted glass, like the 1-Lite Frosted Glass Black Barn Door Kit.  
• "Cloffices" or "Shoffices": Even if your home doesn’t have a dedicated space for an office, creative solutions like "cloffices" (closet offices) and “shoffices” (shed offices) have become popular in recent years. These concepts allow you to take advantage of unused space and create functional areas for work, study or relaxation.

Unlocking Productivity with the Right Door

Since everyone uses their spaces differently, choosing a door that checks all your boxes is key to creating the ideal home office. Looking at a wide variety of interior doors, you'll see that each has its own unique benefits. Here are a few of our favorite office door types and some style suggestions. 

Need a Quiet Space to Focus?

Install solid core doors! Our solid core interior doors are constructed with 70% more material than our standard hollow core doors, making them a stronger, heavier and quieter solution for your home office. They’re ideal for keeping noise made in one room out of others — which means no more noisy kids or loud laundry machines interrupting your work calls. 

Shop our wide range of solid core styles, including the popular Livingston 3 Panel and versatile Lincoln Park 1 Panel, featured in HGTV Urban Oasis® 2024.

Related: Masonite Doors Featured in HGTV Urban Oasis® 2024

Going for a Timeless Look?

Consider wood doors! Offering a warm, classic aesthetic, Masonite interior wood doors can be customized with various finishes and stains to match your home decor. They provide moderate sound insulation and add a touch of elegance to your office space. 

Want to Maximize Natural Light?

Install French Doors! French doors are perfect if you want to fill your office with natural light. They create an open and airy feel, letting light flow between spaces and even making them feel larger and more open. The Masonite Full Lite includes a large glass panel that runs nearly the entire length of the door, so sunlight is virtually unobstructed.

If you want a more traditional look, we also offer the 10 Lite and 15 Lite, which have grid designs that split up the glass panel. The glass panels are customizable, so you can choose clear to maximize light or textured options for a little more privacy. Although they work wonders to brighten a space, French doors offer less sound insulation and privacy compared to solid doors — so consider which features are most important for your home office. 

Short on Space?

Consider a Barn Door! Sliding barn doors are an easy-to-install, space-saving solution for smaller offices where a swinging door might not be practical. Since they slide along a track, barn doors are great if you're looking for a flexible way to take advantage of an awkward or unused space — like a cloffice.

Masonite barn door kits include all the necessary hardware and only take about 90 minutes to install. Our kits are available in several stylish designs like our 6 Lite Metal Barn Door Kit, which features glass panels that allow natural light while still maintaining privacy.  

At Masonite, there’s a door for everyone’s needs. It might seem like a small detail, but choosing the right entryway for your home office means you’re one step closer to creating a workspace that’s perfect for you. 

Your Space, Your Way

The home office has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Whether you’re working from home or just pursuing hobbies and personal projects, a dedicated space can enhance your productivity, creativity and balance. And with the right design choices — from functional furniture to doors that meet your lifestyle needs — your home office can be a space you really love.

Ready to get started? Explore our collection of interior doors that can bring light, soundproofing, style and more to your home office.