‘When you have a space that’s clean and tidy and looks nice, you’re much more productive’
Kate Moylan is a production and costume designer based in Rathmines, Dublin. She says a well-designed office space makes her much more productive.
‘Before the pandemic I generally always had desk space in an office. I’m selfemployed but I find when you’re around other people and they’re working, you feel like you have to work too. And then there’s the social interaction of chatting with other people and being inspired by what they’re doing.
I took desk space in Seán Harrington Architects on Capel Street after completing my Masters. Half the office are architects and the rest are freelance workers. All of a sudden I had architects helping me with technical drawings and a photographer giving me photo essays on certain projects.
Then I started working with a big events company called Verve and they set me up with my own desk in their office.
At the start of the pandemic I was working on my laptop from bed in the mornings and the evenings, and it just wasn’t healthy. So I made a big effort to set up my office space and make it somewhere I looked forward to going to every day.
I went for a fold-away desk by an Irish company called Home by Notions. I think they’re the only company offering colour laminates and they are by far the nicest design.
They’re easy to assemble too. I saw Ryan Tubridy putting one together on The Late Late Show before I bought it and I thought, ‘if he can do it, then anyone can!’ It’s a really sturdy desk and even though it looks fairly dense, I can fold it away easily when I’m doing fitness training on Zoom.
The position of a desk is important. I set mine up beside the window so there’s really nice natural light coming in. I also have it facing out into the room and not facing a wall because it feels more open and nicer.
My office area is decorated with lots of cute little things. I have prints by my friend Deirdre Breen on the wall, lots of plants and planters that I use as pen holders from Hey, Bulldog! Design.
I also have an acrylic wall calendar that my sister and I designed during lockdown. It looks like a piece of art but it’s handy for writing down important dates and deadlines. The business is called Freckle & Red — because she’s got loads of freckles and I’ve got red hair!
When you have a space that’s clean and tidy and which looks nice, you’re much more productive. You’re proud of the effort you put into it and you start looking forward to going into your office space.”