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Lifestyle 16 17
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
As the pandemic
continues, it might
be time to upgrade
that temporary
home office setup
THE WASHINGTON POST - The past
few months of working from din-
ing tables, couches and beds have
taken their toll on novice telecom-
muters. With many of us settling in
for the long haul - told to stay home
until at least Labor Day or, like some
Facebook and Twitter workers,
permanently - the makeshift of‚ice
hacks of the coronavirus shutdown
are getting old. America’s backs and
necks are suffering.
Realising this is not as
“temporary” a situation as you
thought, you might be ready to
trade in your metal folding chair
for an ergonomic model or treat
yourself to a set of new candy-
coloured Sharpies. Maybe you want
to make the spot where you spend
your days (and maybe nights) more
welcoming and videoconference-
friendly. Maybe your employer is
evenoffering a stipend for workers in
need of home of‚ice improvements.
Designer Young Huh (younghuh.
com) started the pandemic in her
Scarsdale, New York, home sharing
side-by-side desks in a small of‚ice
with her husband, as their two kids
worked in their bedrooms. But her
husband’s conference calls were
disturbing her concentration. “He
makes too much noise. We needed
him contained,” she said. She moved
to the dining room to work. A butler’s
pantry and a bar cart now organise
her papers. And she’s added a few
frills. “It’s still important to make your
workspace look pretty. I put my pens
in pretty canisters and put my ear
buds in a silver gravy boat,” Huh said.
Replacing a cracked pane of glass
in a decades-old kitchen door
Jeanne Huber
THE WASHINGTON POST - Q: I live
in a 1935 rowhouse. The original
kitchen door has glass panes. The
one on the bottom left has a crack.
How can the glass be replaced
without breaking the trim and giv-
ing that section a different look
than the other panes?
A: Glass doors typically have
pieces of wooden moulding, rath-
er than glazing compound, to hold
the glass in place. It’s fairly easy to
remove the moulding, replace the
glass and then reinstall the mould-
ing. But it takes careful, slow work
to prevent splitting the thin pieces
of moulding or denting the sur-
rounding sections of the door.
If youwould rather leave the job
to a pro, some glass-repair compa-
nies take on small jobs like this.
The minimum for a service call is
USD125, which includes one hour
of work. That should be plenty for
this job, said Abdul Mkadam, the
of‚ice manager. Asked what they
do if they crack moulding while
trying to get it out, he said: “We
get it out. We don’t break it.” The
company will bring replacement
glass and cut it to ‚it at your house,
so it’s a one-trip ‚ix.
If you want to tackle the job
yourself, decide whether to work
with the door still in place or
whether you need to be kinder to
your back and knees by taking the
door down and setting it on saw-
horses or a sturdy table. There are
YouTube videos on how to remove
hinge pins so you can lift a door
off, much simpler than removing
hinge screws. Spread tape, such
as painter’s tape, on the back of
the cracked glass. This will keep
shards from scattering as you re-
move the glass. Spread a drop-
cloth if you have one, and wear
goggles and thick gloves. If need-
ed, tap on the glass with a hammer
to break it into pieces that you can
wiggle out. Loosen stubborn bits
with a small pry bar or putty knife.
Clean up the broken glass and
vacuum thoroughly.
Put a fresh blade into a utility
knife and score the paint where
the moulding ‚its against the
door. It’s easy to get off track if
you press too hard, so make sev-
eral passes, going deeper each
time. Also score the miter joints
of the moulding. This keeps the
paint from tearing and creating
a ragged edge. Slip a stiff putty
knife or a painter’s ‚ive-in-one tool
into the opening you sliced and
gently begin to pry one of the
moulding strips toward the centre
of the opening. Begin a little way
away from the mitered corner,
not right at it. After you loosen
one area, move the tool to anoth-
er place on the same moulding
strip and nudge it slightly toward
the centre, too. Once the strip is
loose, you might ‚ind that it is still
caught at the corners; moulding is
often cut slightly long so the piec-
es spring into place at the miters,
ensuring a tight joint. To deal with
this, use a second tool - ideally a
thin pry bar designed for work on
moulding, such as the Shark Grip
eight-inch pry bar (USD16.50 at
.
Position it against the mould-
ing from the back, where the glass
used to be. Push the moulding out
toward you as you simultaneously
use the putty knife or ‚ive-in-one
tool to nudge the moulding to-
ward the centre of the pane space.
After you get the ‚irst moulding
piece out, the others are easier to
remove, because the corner pres-
sure is already relieved. Number
the pieces on the back to help you
reinstall them in the same spots.
The rest of the process is
straightforward. Clean up the
opening, including removing any
small nails that didn’t come out
with the moulding. Measure the
opening and go to a glass shop
for a replacement piece 1/8-inch
shorter and skinnier than the
measurements, so you have a lit-
tle wiggle room when you install
the glass.
Set the replacement piece
in the opening and reinstall the
moulding. If the nails are still in
place and straight, you might be
able to press them in and seat them
with a hammer and nail set. But it’s
often easier to start fresh, using
wire nails, which are thinner and
shorter than regular nails. The nails
need to go in at an angle. To avoid
breaking the glass while you ham-
mer them in, pre-drill ‚irst. Locate
these nails where ones weren’t be-
fore; if the old nails pulled through
the moulding, they would have wid-
ened the openings too much. Well-
stocked hardware stores carry very
thin bits; choose one no wider than
the nails. Or chuck one of the nails
tip side out into a drill and pre-drill
with that; you might need to wrap
the shaft with painter’s tape to get
something thick enough to secure
in the drill.
Once all the moulding is back
in place, ‚ill any gaps with painter’s
caulk, then touch up the paint and
you’re done.
The trick is to remove and reinstall the moulding that holds
the glass in place.
Living
Jura Koncius Many households were unpre-
pared for the entire family’s tran-
sition to working from home. “In
some homes, there needed to be
four or ‚ive setups,” said Jeff Miller,
vice president of design for Pop-
pin ), a line of furniture
and desk accessories known for its
colour and modern vibe. As for Mill-
er’s own New York apartment setup:
“I sequestered myself in an extra-
small bedroom with just an Eames
Aluminium Group chair and a music
stand for my laptop,” he said, great
for videoconference calls. After the
third week, his back hurt. He picked
up two Poppin Series A desks, which
he arranged next to each other to
create two seating areas, which he
could share with his wife, who is
also working from home, or their
12-year-old son.
When the pandemic hit, design-
er Loi Thai of Tone on Tone (tone-
had
already converted the garage a few
steps from his 1928 home in Silver
Spring, Md, into a cottagey of‚ice.
“Since I’m spending so much
time here now, I want to be sur-
rounded by things that I love,” Thai
said. Instead of standard desk ac-
cessories, he uses galvanised gar-
den pots and trays to hold pens and
note pads. In lieu of a boring of‚ice
task lamp, he bought a fun ceramic
lamp base with a silvery glaze and
a navy ikat-print paper shade from
World Market ).
Keeping it all together is hard,
but organised living beats chaos.
Beth Penn, a Los Angeles profes-
sional organiser and owner of Bnea-
to Bar ), has heard
from a number of clients looking
for help. “I have gotten calls to talk
about productivity. My clients say
they aren’t getting as much done as
they would like since they are home
with all these distractions they are
not used to,” Penn said.
Looking for an upgrade of your
own? We’ve consulted with design
pros who shared some of their
home of‚ice decorating secrets.
CHAIRS
You can’t work in bed forever; you
need a decent chair that will sup-
port your back. But you don’t have
to get a hulking black monster
on wheels that takes up half your
room. The best models are ergo-
nomic and have adjustability in
height, lumbar support and arm
rests. Choose something that ‚its
with your desk and room, but make
sure it’s comfortable.
Penn is a fan of West Elm’s two-
toned upholstered of‚ice chair
(USD649, ). It’s pretty,
she said, and keeps your home look-
ing like a home. It’s also cushioned
and adjustable for comfort.
Thai picked a streamlined Gra-
ham leather desk chair from Crate
& Barrel (USD349, crateandbarrel.
com) that has a stylish look and
small footprint. “I sit in it all day, so
I wanted something comfortable,
but not a bulky model,” he said. He
took the arms off so it can slide un-
der his desk.
DESKS
The industry standard for a good
work desk height is 29 inches based
on an average person’s height, Miller
said; your table and dining surfaces
may not match up to that.
Designer Young Huh suggests adding new lamps to add life to a space. These two lamps add a "cool, midcentury vibe to this otherwise basic desk". The room
was painted in Benjamin Moore Century Veridian, and Huh added a vintage poster. PHOTOS: THE WASHINGTON POST
The Suzanne Kasler Mercury Glass Gourd Lamp (USD99ŽUSD139,
) provides a bit of sparkle
Adding a dash of colour to Kampong Ayer
From Page 13
“The outside of my house, es-
pecially the bridge pathway, gets
a lot of wear and tear because
many people cross it on a daily
basis, so I would usually invest in
durable paints so that the colours
will look good over the long haul.
I would still re-paint them as well
as the decorations at least once
a year. I do all these by myself. It
is hard work, but I love doing it,”
he said.
He added that he is very
grateful for the encouraging re-
sponse from the locals as well
as tourists from various coun-
tries including China, Germany,
France, Bangladesh, Vietnam
and others.
“I feel appreciated. Everything
is worth my effort, my love and my
passion. When anyone would stop
by my house to capture memories,
full of excitement and happiness, it
makes my heart content, especial-
ly when I am able to contribute to
the tourism sector and to receive
support from many tourism agen-
cies,” he said.
Ahmad also shared a piece of
advice for those looking for their pas-
sion, saying that they need to commit
themselves to what they are doing.
“Do what you want to do,
continue doing it, and your hard
work will be worth the effort and
can be felt and shared by the
next generation.”
“When I started designing this
house, it was not only for the sake
of tourism but was also intended
to open the eyes and the minds
of our young people to the culture
and tradition of our ancestors that
has its own distinctiveness and
uniqueness that we need to pre-
serve and hold on to.”
The owner's brassware collection. PHOTO: BAHYIAH BAKIR
Don’t make your desk an after-
thought, said Tali Roth (talirothde-
), a New York designer
who hails from Australia. “Look for
something you admire when you
walk past it and that you love to
use.” She prefers vintage desks, in-
teresting console tables or creden-
zas, although you should make sure
the dimensions work for your com-
puter setup. She might put chairs
behind and in front of a desk, “so if
your husband or kid wants to come
talk to you, you can use it also in a
conversational way,” she said.
One of her recent ‚inds is the
mid-century-inspired Carmel desk
from Burke Decor (USD1,000-
USD1,150, ), which
has three drawers and interior shelv-
ing.
For a small footprint desk with a
lot of style, Huh suggests the West
Elm mid-century mini secretary
(USD399), which even has a ‚lip-
down door. Roth said the ash and
birch Ikea Lisabo desk (USD149,
makes for a nice space-
saving desk that is sized perfectly
for a laptop.
LIGHTING
You’ll want good lighting to prevent
eyestrain - and so you’ll look fabu-
lous on Zoom calls. If you’re still us-
ing a cheap plastic lamp that you
picked up at a drugstore years ago
(guilty as charged), maybe it’s time
for an upgrade.
“If you don’t have natural light or
overhead light, you’ll need a good
task light,” Roth said. She looks for
lamps that add shape and texture.
One of her favourites is the classic
adjustable task table lamp from RH
(USD249,
because of its clean lines and ‚lex-
ibility. The dimmable Design Within
Reach Matin table lamp (USD225,
has a pleated cotton
shade that comes in several colours,
including lavender and yellow.
Thai prefers to use traditional
table lamps at desks and likes the
look of mercury glass, which adds a
bit of sparkle.
STORAGE AND ORGANISATION
You need a place to stash your work
stuff, Roth said. “Otherwise, it ends
up becoming a dumping ground”,
and messy surfaces covered with
work papers can make you anx-
ious. She’s a fan of trays to corral
papers, such as the dimpled glass
Cloud Desk Tray from Urban Out-
‚itters (USD24ªUSD39, urbanout‚it-
). Or get a small rolling ‚ile
cabinet. “That way, you can pack it
up and transition away from your
work day by rolling it into a closet
or under a desk,” she said. One of
her picks is the Madera rolling wood
cabinet from Article (USD449, ar-
.
Papers and utensils need places
to land. Penn said you can’t beat a
good-looking magazine organiser
to quickly stash things away. Their
wide mouths can hold lots of pa-
pers and notebooks, and they come
in many textures and colours. She’s
partial to the blush-colour Poppin
magazine ‚ile box (USD17).
If you don’t have space for a
new bookcase, Huh said to consid-
er ‚loating shelves. A bar cart can
also take on a new role in quaran-
tine: She bought herself an antique
American regency bar at auction
to put in the dining room for stor-
ing work supplies, such as cups for
drawing markers, a scale ruler, sam-
ples and papers, as well as some
‚lowers to cheer her up “and make
a nice backdrop for Zoom calls”.
The two levels in most bar carts are
space-ef‚icient, and she suggests
looking for one at Ballard Designs
) or Wisteria
. Another one of her
picks is the Peekaboo acrylic rolling
two-shelf cart from CB2 (USD349,
.
And Penn said there is no reason
a kitchen cabinet shelf or kitchen
drawer can’t be commandeered for
work papers, especially if you are
working nearby.
NICE EXTRAS
Thai prefers a homey of‚ice look that
re‚lects his interests, such as grow-
ing ‚lowers and caring for topiaries.
“I spend so much time in there; I
didn’t want it to look sterile,” he said.
He added his art books and some
English pottery. He is fond of bul-
letin boards - such as Pottery Barn’s
linen pinboard (USD149ªUSD199,
) - as idea genera-
tors. His galvanised iron trash can is
an extra-large Habit and Form gar-
den pot from Terrain (USD58, shop-
.
He snips items from his garden
or a house plant to brighten the of-
‚ice and add something green, even
if it’s just a single palm leaf. He pre-
fers pottery vases - such as Crate
& Barrel’s Alya white speckled vase
(USD34.95) - instead of clear glass.
“If you don’t happen to have access
to ‚lowers, the pottery vases, even
empty, are like sculptures and still
look pretty,” he said.
ERGONOMIC UPGRADES
Well-considered ergonomics are
essential for working from home.
“A dining chair or even a well-up-
holstered side chair is only meant
to provide comfort for a couple of
hours,” Miller said, and is not con-
toured to your body in a posture
appropriate for working in front of
a computer screen all day. A good
ergonomic seat that allows inde-
pendent movement of the back-
rest and seat is important. Feet
should be ‚lat on the ‚loor, and el-
bows should be relaxed upon the
desk surface.
Monitor height is another con-
sideration, Miller said, to keep the
viewing angle at about 15 degrees
to 20 degrees below eye level. If you
have a separate monitor, you can
get an adjustable or ‚ixed-height
monitor stand or riser. For laptops,
a riser can reduce slouching (Pop-
pin sells a basic version for USD40)
and makes for a better view of you
on videoconferences.
Penn said she takes breaks at home
andmovesaroundfromspace tospace
so she doesn’t get bored or stiff. Make
sure your desk and chair work well to-
gether for your height, and if you need
to replace something, she said, you
don’t have to buy new; try your local
Buy Nothing Group (buynothingproj-
), Nextdoor or
Craigslist ).