FINISHING TOUCHES

IDEAS FOR ADDING A DECORATIVE FLOURISH TO YOUR STUDY SCHEME

Decorative ideas and details to ensure your workspace feels like part of your home

ZONED OUT

Over the years, side returns of Victorian houses have typically been incorporated into the kitchen, but why not hive off a section and convert it into a private workspace instead? Home offices do not need to be vast

to be functional – especially if they have an outlook that gives the illusion of greater space, such as a large picture window, and are flooded with natural light. Use a strong but soothing colour on the walls and add a bright contrast with a cushion or lampshade detail. Where floor space is tight, make the best use of

the room’s height by running a long shelf just below the ceiling to store work clutter out of sight.

Walls in Studio Green, £47.95 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Antique lamp, Hilary Batstone

COLOUR POP

If your desk is in a dark alcove or corner, consider giving it a lift with colour details. Here, Singapore-based decorator Elizabeth Hay

freshened up a workspace with hits of yellow by placing a bright lacquer tray on the desk and carrying the hue through to the Jim Thompson silk used to upholster the seat cushion. To this she added a tonal contrast via a glossy lamp base in a dark French-mustard tone. ‘A good colour to enliven green is bright yellow,’

says Elizabeth. ‘For a lot of schemes, if the overall look is feeling a bit flat, I find a strong

acid yellow will help to elevate everything.’

Small Belles Rives tray, £175, The Lacquer Company. Yellow floral lampshade, around £53,

Elizabeth Hay Design

STEPPING UP

In this scheme by interior decorator Anna Hewitson, a generous piece of joinery was designed to create a flexible working and library space in a previously unused and awkwardly shaped room. Make the most of a good ceiling height by taking the shelves up to the top and introducing a library ladder to access them; this not only looks attractive and purposeful but lends an intellectual air. Have closed units below the

desk to store unsightly elements such as box files and printers. Lest the look be too traditional, take a cue from here: the sophisticated dark blue paint shade is brought to life by the inset

leather desktop in mustard yellow.

Bespoke joinery, Blakes London; painted in Squid Ink, £56 for 2.5ltr, Paint & Paper Library.

Chair in Basilica in Goldwork, £206.70m, Zak+fox at George Spencer Designs

TAKE NOTE

Enhance the ambience of a small letter-writing space with some well-placed artwork, neatly stacked in matching frames, and fresh flowers to help fire the imagination. Kit Kemp, creative

director of Firmdale Hotels, arranged a mix of old and new in this corner of a two-bedroom suite at Ham Yard Hotel, with a lamp made from

wooden bobbins set on a traditional desk. To back away from overpowering the scheme with

too much colour and pattern, the walls are covered in a plain blue woven flax fabric, which

brings subtle texture, depth and warmth.

Handle chair, £1,500, Shop Kit Kemp. Wall in Old Flax

in Azure, £140m, Soane

HIDDEN GEM

In a generously sized kitchen, consider whether there might be a niche that could be converted into a compact office space. It may not be to everyone’s liking to work in the middle of what is probably the most high-traffic area

of the house, but for those who want (or need) to remain at the centre of the action, this is a smart solution. Remember that the main function of this room is a kitchen, so it’s

important to close up when the day’s work is done. Here, a stool in an eye-catching print slides neatly under the desk. Shut the doors,

and no one will even know it’s there.

Bespoke cabinetry, Humphrey Munson. Curtain in

Volcano, £34m, Andrew Martin at Jane Clayton

PICK AND MIX

Australian designer Anna Spiro created this work area in the corner of the living room of her Victorian home in Brisbane. Against a backdrop of turquoise, the vibrant scheme is composed of an assortment of furniture, from the Japanese brass-inlaid desk to mixed-period chairs with cushions in different hues. Using such a strong colour on the walls takes confidence and creating a tonal scheme based on it might

result in a room that’s too overwhelming to enjoy or focus in. Instead, mix things up, advises Anna.

Wall paint, Blue Lagoon, Dulux, is similar. Signature scalloped fabric lampshade, £180, Matilda Goad.

Artwork, Adam Lester at Jan Murphy Gallery

SCREEN TIME

This year, desks and workspaces have been creeping into unlikely locations – namely bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. With this comes the battle of being within earshot of someone else’s video meetings, the radio and restless children. Key to maintaining a level of professionalism and concentration is the ability to close a door; a wall of glass that lets in light but blocks out noise is also a great solution. Here,

a glass wall with industrial-style glazing bars opens into a smart study area with the rich jewel-hued Pavo Parade wallpaper by Cole & Son, raising the game from the average corporate work environment.

Bespoke joinery, Lethbridge Lines. Flooring, price on request, Cheville Parquet

WINDOW DISPLAY

Position your desk with a view, if you can. Plenty of natural light makes a space feel larger, so it’s a good idea to set up your workstation by a window. A lack of exposure to daylight has been proven to take a toll on mental health, so here’s

a chance to reverse any effects from years spent working under cold fluorescent strip lights in the office. Take note of how the sun moves around the room during the day – and the

year; it will have an impact on the light and the heat. Hang a subtle roller blind that you can lower to reduce the glare on brighter

days, alongside light curtains or sheers.

Finn console table, £280, Perch & Parrow. Vintage

industrial metal chair, £110, Vinterior

DARK ARTS

For a sleek, moody and decidedly sophisticated look, take a leaf out of the home office scheme

of Syd Mcgee, co-founder of Utah-based interior design practice Studio Mcgee. The green-black paint, which subtly changes in colour as the day progresses, is used not only on the

walls but taken up to the narrow, grooved panelling on the ceiling and across all the built-in joinery. The chandelier radiates star-like over the room. Maintain the look with further dark-on-dark layering with a striking black leather sofa, then finish with contrasting accent materials such as this cast stone tree-trunk coffee

table, wool throws and a leather desk chair.

Merritt coffee table, $4,316, Mcgee & Co. Daley six-light chandelier, price on

request, Ralph Lauren Home

BLIND PASSION

One joy of decorating a home study is making a clear departure from bland commercial window treatments. Choose a textile that introduces fun and glamour to the room. Here, Suzy Hoodless used a vintage Larsen fabric in a 1970s-inspired funky geometric design for the simple roller blind. The colours of lime, grass green and acid yellow make a constant connection to the garden outside, bringing

life indoors even in the depths of winter.

The approach introduces a sense of calm and sophistication – highly necessary if the rest of the house is filled with noise and chaos of other

residents who may not be hard at work.

Mid-century Danish desk, Andrew Nebbett Antiques. EA117 aluminium chair, £2,780, Charles & Ray Eames at Vitra. Snoopy marble touch table lamp in Black,

£730, Flos at John Lewis & Partners

LINKED IN

Commissioning built-in joinery is never the cheapest way to create a workstation, so if you’re

going down this route, make it work harder by designing the space for two. Each area should work in isolation, so double up on task lights and be sure the desk is deep enough to accommodate laptops and A4 folders. Here, there’s an added benefit of a radiator on the back wall – it can be hard to stay warm sitting still for hours on end. An upholstered noticeboard is a stylish solution for holding cards, invitations, magazine clippings

and other ephemera, but beware: the very design-conscious will want to constantly update

the look, which could prove distracting.

Bespoke linen notice board, £135, Kiki Voltaire at Not On The High Street. Sophie dining

chairs in Blue, £85 each, Habitat, are similar

INCREASED SHELF LIFE

Finding the perfectly sized antique or vintage bookcase for your study can be a challenge, particularly if the wall space available is large and you want to make the most of it. Maria Speake of salvage expert

Retrouvius employs a re-use before recycle approach, scouring the country for discarded gems that might be re-imagined in different formats. This fully adjustable industrial shelving system – which can be configured in a number of ways – was reclaimed from the UK Patent Office when it relocated to Cardiff

and re-homed in this Georgian farmhouse, where it beautifully complements the timeless feel.

W Lucy & Co industrial shelving, £4,140; similar leather chair, both Retrouvius