London - There are few easier commutes in the country.
Each morning I wake up, walk three paces from the end of my bed to the hall, turn right, and walk just two paces more into the study. No delayed trains, no crowded buses, no being at the mercy of striking Tube drivers.
More Britons than ever are working from home. According to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, as of June 2014 there were 4.2 million home workers in Britain - 13.9 percent of the workforce.
While there are many pleasures in working at home - setting your own routine, no office politics, fewer disturbances - there is one great pitfall: you cannot leave your desk behind at the end of the day.
Creating a study, or at least a corner of a room, where you can tidy away your papers and shut the door becomes hugely important. It is dispiriting to have piles of files and books spread over your bedside table, kitchen counter and chest of drawers.
Start with your desk. Modern, Shaker-style furniture may appeal for its clean lines, but you will regret not having drawers for filing and stationery.
Do think about power sockets when deciding where to position your desk. Trailing cables are unsightly and tripping over them will drive you mad each time you pop to the kitchen.
Sufficient storage is essential. Designer Rebecca Winward, whose book Everything In Its Place: Storage For Stylish Homes is published by Ryland Peters & Small next month, recommends: “Always buy more boxes and magazine files than you think you’ll need, so that the look remains coherent even if your storage needs grow (and inevitably, they will).
“For a budget-friendly storage option, cover shoeboxes with decorative paper. Similarly, cereal boxes with the tops cut off at an angle, covered in your choice of wrapping paper, make excellent magazine files.”
“Don’t underestimate the storage potential of the wall space behind your desk being within easy reach,” says Rebecca. “It’s a good place for things that need to be immediately accessible. A large noticeboard is a must, while shelves, peg boards, caddies, baskets, hooks, and all manner of special racks can all help ensure that even the smallest home office is both tidy and stylish.”
Do not skimp on shelving. Whether it is cookery books, medical textbooks, law periodicals or scientific journals, you will need them at hand - and with empty shelves for your library to expand.
Leslie Geddes-Brown, author of Books Do Furnish A Room (Merrell Publishers), advises having floor-to-ceiling shelves built (with a ladder) if you have the space for them.
Not only do they look smart, but they provide heat and noise insulation. She suggests having taller shelves at the bottom for A4 box files - Leslie’s are all dark red - and shorter shelves for novels higher up.
If you are short on space and your home office is the wall of the sitting room, consider a combined desk/shelving unit.
Geddes-Brown also stresses the importance of good overhead lighting in a study. Our homes tend to be less brightly lit than offices and it is easy to find yourself squinting at a screen in semi-darkness after five o’clock.
Consider a classic Anglepoise lamp) or something more idiosyncratic.
Avoid bland grey and corporate navy and banish the ugly swivel chair. One of the joys of working from home is doing so in a room that lifts your spirits - not in a cubicle designed by a committee from Human Resources.
Daily Mail