Well, it’s Monday again, and some of us will soon be heading to a desk job, so we thought it would be appropriate to start with a small, inspirational home office. Now a lot of people are talking about creating a workspace under the stairs. It’s definitely cheaper than a toilet and takes up less space, but it’s realistic about how much work space you need.
This is a great example. There is a cupboard next to the desk, where you can put home coats and shoes, or use it for office filing. Even if you can work in a small space, you still end up with a lot of stuff that needs to be filed and stored. Now, without looking at the remaining space, it’s hard to tell if that bench is part of the main room, or if it’s space that could have been used to extend the desk.
My house has stairs down to the kitchen, which severely limits the amount of space that can be used as a desk, and is very dark.
But if you can get it working, here are some tips to make both it and yourself work better and be more productive. First, if you want to hide your office at the end of the day, but don’t have the space for a door, curtains will give you more decoration and privacy. I am currently obsessed with curtains as doors and purchased materials from the Haynes Collection to create curtains between the hall and kitchen.
Then, if you’re lacking natural light, you can add a suitable spotlight above your desk, not just a desk/task lamp, to vary the light source. And staring into the middle distance has proven to be not only good for your eyes to rest, but also inspiring. If you don’t have a window and can’t see the view, use a photo of a beach, mountains, countryside, etc. that the eye can move to, preferably a landscape.
And when all the work is done, you should be near the kitchen for coffee most of the time. Which tenuous link will take me to this lovely space above? If you have any doubts about the delights of Disruptor Color, see AGA above. Cobalt blue may not have been an intuitive choice for this color scheme, but it brings a modern and flash of color to this vintage-inspired space. The cream is nice too, but classic. Mint and pale blue are also good.
I also like to tile the walls as high as possible. It’s perfect for a Victorian-era vibe, but dark grout makes it not only more practical, but also more modern looking.
Leave the kitchen and head to the pantry. Fifteen years ago, a private bathroom was considered the height of luxury and a middle-class necessity. With everyone expecting more than one bathroom in their home, the new essential is the pantry. It could be an entire room or just a fancy cupboard. My room used to be called Utility Room but has been rebranded. This one is small but, as they say, powerful. Its curtains hide a lot of storage, and the worktop is large enough to create the perfect breakfast nook. The colors are also reflected in the downstairs desk space, where the checkered floors and gingham curtains blend beautifully.
Go to the aforementioned bathroom. This is an amazing shower created by her Leanne Kilory from Good Bones London. Rather than a glass shower screen, she opted for microcement. I also gave up the glass screen. Glass is expensive and difficult to clean. My shower has a wall that, like Leanne’s, creates space for a heated towel rail outside. I chose this because bathroom space is at a premium. Ms. Leanne had a larger room and was able to build a shower large enough that she didn’t need a curtain. Ask your plumber about the splash zones associated with your showerhead, as you may be able to do the same.
We have shower curtains, but for those worried about the infamous “ripples” where the curtain magically sucks into the shower and wraps around your body, a) a weighted curtain will do the trick. b) I can confirm that adding a shower curtain helps. Attaching decorative fabric curtains to the outside adds weight and prevents rippling.
Lastly, this is a small thing, but a solid shower wall is more private, and if you have a busy family bathroom or small children coming and going, you might prefer an arrangement like this that’s also easy to clean. I can’t.
Finally, this blog is a huge fan of Sophie Lowell from Côte de Folk and wanted to introduce you to this gorgeous upholstered table she made, Chubby. Details haven’t been posted on her website yet, but if you want to know more, contact her via Instagram. I’m sure they will be happy to tell you.
We wish you all a happy and exciting week. Let us know in the comments – glass shower or wall? pantry or utility? downstairs office or toilet?
