Photography - Denise Braki. Styling - Jono Fleming.

Karen McCartney on how to make your home office more than just a place to pay bills.

While it might seem contradictory to talk about a home office and a creative space in the same breath, it is definitely a trend to watch.

The days of the dreary functional corner, or room, with furniture which does its best to mimic a scene from The Office, are numbered. You know the look - the white melamine desk, wire waste paper basket, bulky black printer and cheap swivel chair that is not far from the next throw-out because a castor is loose.

Image - Lina Ikse

It doesn’t matter if the space is simply for household paperwork (there is certainly enough of that), an actual home office workspace or just somewhere to feel a mixture of inspiration and organisation - a combination we all need in our lives.

With the rise of the laptop and iPad we are much lighter technology wise, and the anchoring effect of a large desktop computer no longer applies. This also has the effect of freeing us up visually.

Image - Ferm Living

How would you like your space to look? It can be an extension of the style of the room; it can be an area for a pin-board for images you love, calendars on which to scrawl the swimming timetable, reminders and mantras. It can reflect your creative personality and still be efficient without chaos and clutter. The key is containment with places for things to live so that you avoid that jumble of dockets, receipts, unopened letters, bills and kids drawings. Yes, we have all been there.

Image via Pinterest (source unknown)

I looked at a heap of home offices images and a few key elements stand out that I think would form part of my fantasy space.

1. An entire cork tiled wall adjacent to the desk to form a giant pin board. Cork is having a trend revival and has a warming effect on a room as well as its obvious practicality.


2. Built-in shelves, behind the desk, that are shallow with a little lip at the front to prop books, artwork, and cards.


3. A host of same/same heavy-duty cardboard filing boxes with things like TAX 14-15 written on the front.


4. I love a trestle table, which hints to an industrial past but is also completely domesticated.


5. Ditto a vintage task light – perhaps with a hit of strong colour.

The goal is to feel organised but not uptight in a space that makes you feel competent and in control but in a way that, of course, allows for a little creative dreamtime.