SPACED OUT Fed up with commuting, a couple built an office in the garden of their Berkshire semi so they could work from home

With a new garden office and outdoor entertaining zone, Suzanne and Jamie Jarvis have maximised the working and relaxing potential of their home

Creeping forward in heavy traffic, Suzanne Jarvis decided enough was enough. ‘I was driving from our home in Berkshire to my central London office every day and becoming increasingly fed up with the commute,’ she says. ‘It was time for change.’

So she and husband, Jamie, who together run an interior design practice, Jarvis Rayes, and moving concierge business, Move In Style, decided to explore the option of working from home. ‘With so much of our work done on site, on the phone and by email, we decided we could probably make a success of it,’ says Suzanne. ‘If only we had enough space.’

The couple had bought their house about 13 years ago, moving from south London to be closer to Jamie’s children. Although they had refurbished it from top to bottom, including re-building the kitchen extension and knocking into the garage to create a utility area and a room for their beloved dogs, Mylo and Stella, there was little room to carve out a work area. The solution was to build an office in the garden, complete with electrics, insulation and heating. ‘Jamie did a fantastic job, creating a space that’s comfortable all year round,’ says Suzanne. ‘It’s filled with light, very peaceful and an ideal place to work. He also created an outdoor entertaining area, where we love to barbecue with friends or enjoy some prosecco together in summer.’

Inside the house, a tranquil palette features throughout. ‘Our work life is very busy, so we wanted our home to feel like a sanctuary,’ explains Suzanne. ‘ We’ve chosen a calm, neutral backdrop for each room, which I’ve layered with colourful soft furnishings and interesting finds. I didn’t pick a theme and stick rigidly to it, instead I like to introduce new pieces whenever I come across things I love.

‘Whether we have friends and family over, or its just Jamie and I watching TV with the dogs on our laps, unwinding from a hard day, the house feels so inviting and homely,’ says Suzanne. ‘Best of all, I don’t have to do that long commute any more.’

2 GUEST BEDROOM ‘I use this area as my dressing room,’ says Suzanne. woods wallpaper, £76 per roll, Cole & Son. Large balloon light bulb cage, from £ 43, urban Cottage Industries, is a match

3 BATHROOM Rich marble adds warmth to this crisp, white scheme. Marrron marble countertop, cut and priced to order, Marble City. the Duravit bacino round basin, £274, CP hart, is similar