Great Spaces: This busy couple reconnected by building a shared home office

Who: Daniel Fagen, the president of Impact Marketing, and Natalie Fagen, the director at a not-for-profit Where: Near Wilson Heights and Wilson Avenue

When the world shut down in 2020, Natalie and Daniel Fagen and their two sons were living in a condo downtown while they waited for their new house to be built. Between supervising Zoom schooling and renovating a home, they were also working demanding jobs—Daniel in marketing and Natalie at a not-for-profit. The couple moved into their new house in March of 2022, but they were still leading hectic lives. “We were running out of the house in the morning to get to work,” Natalie says. “We didn’t feel connected.”

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Something had to give. Daniel quit his job and started his own company, Impact Marketing, which sells promotional materials. But what really changed their relationship was building a shared office space. Now, they’re more intentional about spending time together.

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“We’re reminded daily of how lucky we are to still like each other,” Natalie says, “and of the fact that work isn’t everything.” On the two days a week when Natalie works from home, they have coffee and lunch together. “And I get to see her beautiful face from across the desk,” says Daniel.