Working from home...

As most of us settle into a spell in the Great Indoors, finding space for a bit of peace and quiet can be a tricky business. Desk-space in particular, is a coveted commodity. Whether working from home, or doing a little life-laundry, or simply trying to escape everyone else, our desks are all too often already occupied by a family member, trying to do likewise.

How to solve this struggle for territory? Our Interior Design Team have put together a few creative suggestions to make sure there’s enough ‘desk’ to go around…

Set up a dedicated work-space. If you don’t have the luxury of a room to yourself, choose a quiet space away from distractions. Lighting is key: if you can’t be near a window, make sure you are within reach of a double plug socket, so that you can add floor and table lamps where necessary. A good desk is another essential: comfort, space and aesthetics are all key considerations. Choose a desk that doesn’t put you off but spurs you on…

Some of us will be using this abundance of free-time to address our dreams, whether it be writing that book or learning to sketch. For these tasks, size isn’t necessarily a consideration. This needs to be a dedicated space to suit your working routine. The advice of Graham Greene is to create a time-frame and stick to it. As he once wrote in the End of the Affair: ‘when I was young not even a love affair would alter my schedule. A love affair had to begin after lunch.’ Our advice here is to find a calm, pleasant corner of the house and surround yourself with things that inspire you.

More often than not – perhaps now, more than ever – a desk needs to be a versatile creature. A scrabble surface; a drinks cabinet; an internet browsing station; a place to spread out the newspaper and then store it away afterwards. These pieces of furniture offer both storage and work-surface: they can be pulled out or kept closed. They can hide screens or be opened up to reveal photos and ornaments and this adaptability is perhaps most in demand in these times. Much like C.S Lewis’s wardrobe, they are so much more than they seem…