• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

We create homes with soul. Learn how we work: Download Our Design Guide

  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • By Project
    • By Room
  • Services
    • Design Process
A. Houck Designs, serving the Washington DC Metro area

A Houck Designs

Traditional, modern or somewhere in between

  • Blog
  • Press
    • Praise
  • Design House
    • 2016 DC Design House
    • 2013 DC Design House
  • Contact
A Houck Designs Creating Spaces

Back to School Means Back to Studying

August 31, 2016

Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes. Around this time of year, parents start looking for solutions, strategies and supplies to ease the transition back to school…for themselves and their kids. I was delighted to offer my two cents to reporter Lindsey Roberts for a story in last week’s Washington Post Local Living section on how to get kids to spend more time in their study areas. The article offers lots of good suggestions, from using color to encourage creativity to choosing the right desk chair, so be sure to check it out if you missed it last Thursday.

The big takeaway, I think, is to give kids a sense of ownership over their study zones. Let your child have a say in selecting the colors and furnishings and/or allow them to add personal touches to the space. Looking for inspiration? Here’s a roundup of study spaces brimming with good ideas.

Colorful green and red study area with two work stations
Photo courtesy of Patricia O’Shaughnessy Design, NY

Child's homework station with blackboard

Three-person homework station
Photo courtesy of This Old House

Back-to-back study spaces

Homework station with desk and hanging storage
Photo courtesy of Hobby Lobby
Two-person homework station with hanging storage system
Photo Courtesy of Apartment Therapy
Two-person homework station
Photo courtesy of This Old House
Three-person work station with blackboard
Photo courtesy of Jigsaw Design Group

Wishing you and yours a successful and stress-free school year!

About Andrea Houck

Andrea Houck is a highly recognized interior designer based in the Washington, D.C. area.  She founded A. Houck Designs, a full-service firm providing residential interior design and construction consulting. She is also the founder of Creating Spaces, where she shares her latest design inspirations and tips, as well as behind-the-scenes project updates.

With a fine arts background, Andrea is known for her carefully crafted compositions that prioritize balance, scale and proportion. Her design portfolio runs the style gamut, from traditional to modern to somewhere in between. Andrea’s wide-ranging work has been featured in Elle Decor, Flower Magazine, The Washington Post, Home & Design and Arlington Magazine, among others.

Previous Post:Mademoiselle Chambre at DC Design House 2016
Next Post:Behind the Scenes at the DC Design HouseInstallation in progress of Eykon's Source One Ulf Moritz Wall Couture's Lavish Swag pattern

Sidebar

Andrea Houck
Andrea Houck, President and Principal Designer
More about Andrea
Subscribe to Creating Spaces Blog

Categories

  • Accessories and Art
  • Before and Afters
  • Current Obsessions
  • Design Destinations
  • Design Sources
  • Design Trends
  • Design-Build
  • Education
  • Entertaining
  • Events
  • How To's
  • In the Works
  • Interior Design
  • Latest Inspirations
  • News
  • Renovations
  • Whole Home Design

Creating spaces you will love… traditional, modern or somewhere in between.®

On the fence? Let’s see if I’m a good fit for your project.

Download My Design Guide Now

Creating spaces you will love… traditional, modern or somewhere in between.®

Serving Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Fairfax, Great Falls, and McLean. Also serving Washington DC and its Maryland suburbs, including Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.

Subscribe toCreating Spaces Blog
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Copyright © 2025 · A Houck Designs · All Rights Reserved
5531 18th Rd N, Arlington, VA 22205

A. Houck Designs, serving the Washington DC Metro area

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

A Houck Designs Creating Spaces