THREE TO MAKE, BUY OR CUSTOMISE

A noticeboard above your desk is a visible way to express both your efficiency and creativity. It becomes a patch of wall that is all about you and no one else

1 MAKE

Cork is having a revival, and so it should: it is one of very few materials that is both renewable and recyclable. (Bark taken from the Cork Oak doesn’t harm the tree, which can live for more than 200 years.) It’s also handy for pinning things on and thus makes a neat noticeboard. Cut a panel (this is Domestic Cork Tile by Biscay, £21.50 per metre at tiledealer.co. uk) into an interesting shape or line an entire wall with it.

2 BUY

A wire grid is a semiindustrial way to display, or keep close, objects such as scissors, notebooks, postcards and all kinds of ephemera. Use bulldog clips, metal hooks and ribbon to dangle, clip and hang a variety of objects. This Grey Wire Mesh Mood/Memo Board, £56.95, by House Doctor at hurnandhurn.com, comes with fittings for easy wall mounting and has a useful bit at the base to store bulkier items.

3 CUSTOMISE

We are all familiar with the joys of a chalkboard (see our back cover for evidence), and the amazing transformational properties of a pot of chalkboard paint. Use it to paint a piece of wood, the side of a cabinet, or any old thing you fancy, then chalk your own inspiring phrases or lists upon it. This paint, £22.79 per litre, designerpaint.com, is grey so fits into home decorating schemes a little easier than solid black.