IF YOU’VE been working from home and enjoying it, and face no pressure to going back to the office just yet, well, have you thought about how to enhance your den?
Interior designer Pat Nightingale has.
According to the Home Builders Federation (HBF), two in five people would prioritise space for a home office if they were searching for a new property and one in six are more interested in updating their homes since lockdown started.
With this in mind, Pat, who is Interior Designer at Blocc Interiors, shares their tips: and they know what they’re talking about, as they have designed multiple Crest Nicholson homes, including The Collection development in Reading.
Her first piece of advice is to create a stress-free environment by using neutral tones: she says that wall colours have a huge influence. Keep the palette light and neutral, or have a feature wall just a couple of tone shades darker than the other walls to create ambience and a focal point.
The next part is to choose the right lighting. By using a combination of strong ceiling lighting and a task lamp for reading, light can be angled on to the desk surface.
And Pat says that you should make sure to control the light coming from the window on to your screen, by using items such as wood slat or venetian blinds – you can control the amount of light by tilting the slats.
They say a bad workman blames their tools, and it’s very true. So ensure your desk has enough space to sit comfortably and is positioned close to a power source.
Pat recommends giving an old desk a facelift and repainting it to match the colour scheme in the room. White is perfect as it tones with most colours and always looks fresh.
Choose a chair that gives enough support to your back and posture.
Adding some inspirational décor will help when you hit the metaphorical wall. Pat recommends interesting artwork on the walls to energise and inspire you.
Use artwork to bring in pops of bold colour, and choose an eclectic mix of frames.
And, to remember those happy times – anything other than between 9am and 5pm probably – add in a mix of travel and holiday photos. A wall clock is a good idea too to keep track of time.
The final tip from Pat is to make the space your own by adding plenty of bookshelves.
Also consider incorporating lots of greenery, such as trailing plants on shelves and window sills to help promote a feeling of peace and calm as you try and hit that deadline.
