Updated Oct 11, 2025 2:54 PM EDT
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Sign Up for Domino’s Newsletter
Sign Up for Domino’s Newsletter
By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to ourTerms of Useand acknowledge the data practices in ourPrivacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Since much of the world locked down in March—including child-care centers and schools—creatives have had to dream up fresh ways to live and work from home. Now parts of the country are reopening, but office culture is unlikely to snap back to “normal.” In our new series, Making It Work, couples and families share how they’re getting things done (or not) at home.
Before the pandemic, creative director Bob Stel commuted to an office; his partner, Jenny Nguyen, the creative director and executive producer at Melting Butter Studios, worked from home; and they had help with child care for their 1-year-old daughter, Jet. Now the three of them are camped out together in a two-bedroom apartment on New York City’s Lower East Side. Nguyen recently launched Hello Human, a creative PR firm, and she and Stel are also teaming up on a new baby-focused venture inspired by Jet. In March, the couple decided to roll out a creative timetable so they could each keep their projects moving.
One Day On, One Day Off
Out of necessity, Nguyen and Stel have completely reworked how their week unfolds. “Monday to Friday is just this construct,” says Nguyen. Now they each work one day on, one day off, with the “off” partner fully focused on caring for Jet. To keep the arrangement as even as possible, they stretched the workweek by a day, so each gets three workdays and three child-care days. Sunday, then, is reserved for family.
So far the setup has worked for everyone. “It feels like you have more time,” says Stel. “Because in the end, you only work three days a week, so you get four days off from hard work, but then you also have time to do all the other things.”
Having uninterrupted hours to pour into their projects has made them “super-efficient,” says Nguyen. They only book Zoom meetings on the days they’re working, and thankfully their clients have been understanding.
A Rethought Living Space
Before the pandemic, Nguyen kept a home office tucked into a nook in the couple’s hallway. Once Stel started working from home as well, they decided to rethink that setup and put a shared work table in the living room instead. “I ditched my bulky iMac for a laptop so we could work side by side around the dining table, rather than squeezing together at my desk,” says Nguyen.
When dinnertime rolls around, they clear the surface to eat. Afterward, one partner gets Jet ready for bed while the other tidies the apartment and converts the dining table back into a work zone.
The couple thought about converting their bedroom into an office early in the pandemic, but “it’s nice to not sleep in your workspace,” says Stel.
Nguyen and Stel say they often chip away at joint projects at the table after Jet goes to sleep. (Right now they’re building a creative baby announcement business, based on the sweet design they made to mark Jet’s arrival.)
The Nightly Wind-Down
Throughout the day, Nguyen and Stel make a point to take breaks and step outside, even if it’s just to loop around their building’s courtyard. “It’s so essential to staying sane,” says Nguyen.
After they sign off for the evening, they carve out time for each other. “I don’t know if this is TMI, but we actually take a bath together almost every single night,” says Nguyen with a laugh. “Just an Epsom salts soak—it washes the day away and helps you sleep. We light candles and we soak until the water goes cold.”
Allie Jones
Learn more about Domino.comEditorial Standards
