style updates
Simple tweaks and tricks for indoors and outside
1 Sitting pretty
Give a couple of plain wooden chairs a new look by painting their legs in a pretty pastel shade. Use decorating tape to mask off a crisp line, then apply your paint in slow, vertical strokes, making sure the paint doesn’t drip. Finish with a clear, matt varnish.
2 Take note
Hang a large roll of brown paper on the wall from a roll dispenser, so that you’ll always have somewhere to jot down ideas and must-do lists. The kids can draw on it too, and it will make a handy present-wrapping station. Just pull down fresh paper as you need it.
3 Upcycling tip
When you’ve finished burning one of your posh glass or ceramic jar candles, soften any remaining wax with hot water, give it a quick wash, then use it to store pens and pencils on your desk.
4 Ready to print
Hide away an unsightly and bulky printer by popping it inside a vintage wooden crate when not in use, and sitting it on top when it is. Keep additional paper in a pretty box file nearby or in the bottom of the crate.
5 Neat idea
Turn a decorative birdcage into bespoke stationery storage, for keeping all your desktop essentials. Make a simple shelf inside by placing a thin piece of wood on top of two battens that rest across the middle of the cage. Use ribbon to hang bits and bobs.
6 Clear the clutter
Keep paperwork and clutter at bay with a variety of storage solutions in your home office. Baskets work perfectly for holding rolls of wrapping paper, while even slimline desks often come with a drawer or two. Maisons du Monde has a great selection of wall shelves and units, from £5.99.
7 spell it out
Use coloured wool or thread and a big needle to create a large cross-stitch word on a perforated metal board to place above your desk. Add hooks, knobs or pegs to some of the other holes to hang your office essentials for easy access.
8 Get crafty
If you’ve run out of space in cupboards and drawers for all your paperwork and bills, keep them in pretty box files and folders, neatly organised on open shelves. Cover plain folders and files in decorative wrapping paper or wallpaper.
9 Tidy trick
Desk drawers often become a dumping ground for all our random bits and bobs, so curb the clutter by inserting a couple of clear plastic drawer organisers and assigning each cubby to a different item. Pop it on your desktop when you need to use it for easy reach.
10 Stack storage
Metal trunks or old suitcases make great places to store paperwork, photo albums or even extra stationery, and can be stacked up on top of each other for a stylish display.
11 kids corner
Hang a trio of clipboards to the wall for an easy, gallery-style display. Clip up the kids’ drawings and paintings, and replace them whenever they create something new. 12 Easy idea Re-cover the seat of an old office chair to give it a new lease of life. Add extra comfort to keep you going through the day with a sheepskin rug and maybe an embellished cushion or two.
13 window watcher
Set up your desk in a space that has plenty of light, preferably beside a window or glazed door. The natural light will provide you with more energy and the outside world might even inspire you with new ideas or designs.
14 Cork blimey
Make a super-sized cork wall calendar to hold tickets, lists and receipts. Take a large sheet of cork (or use several cork tiles stuck together) and use lengths of string to create 31 boxes – one for each day of the month. Paint or stick the relevant number to each box.
15 Wonder wall
Pin ideas and inspiration straight to the wall by covering a large area by your desk in cork tiles or foam board. Add a hook or two so you can hang a blackboard to write messages and reminders, or a clip to hang shopping and to-do lists.
16 So simple...
Mask off a square on the wall above your desk and give it a couple of coats of black chalkboard paint, to create your own oversized to-do list that can’t be ignored! Keep chalk tied to string and hung on the wall beside it. Use gold or silversprayed bulldog clips to attach the leads of chargers to the edge of your desk so they are ready to power up your phone or tablet as soon as it runs out of juice.
18 Style savvy
Create the perfect ‘shelfie’ in your office to post online, and make sure you display pretty objets and bookends to break up the sensible files. Faux plants sitting on a small stack of books will add interest, too.
19 Paint effect
Jazz up your homeoffice walls by creating an on-trend ombre effect with two complementary colours. First paint the bottom two fifths of the wall in one shade, then the top two fifths of the wall in the other shade. Use a sponge to blend the two colours together in the middle.
20 Letter days
If you don’t have space for a full-sized desk but still want somewhere to write cards and letters, go for a small folding table that can be stored away flat. Pin pretty postcards and prints to the wall that will look lovely whether the table is in use or not.
21 space saver
Turn an unused corner of your sitting room or dining room into a homework or craft station. Even a slim alcove could be a great spot for a small desk, and means you can restrict clutter or paperwork to one corner of the house.