11 Nov 10 tips for styling a home office and spare room

With today’s lifestyle, many homes need to be multifunctional, especially small homes or homes in which lots of people live. Interior designer Juliet Love shares some of her tips with us.

Home offices are popular, as it’s now easier to work remotely due to technological advances and the growth of the Internet. The trick is integrating your office space into your home so you end up with a functional, inspiring space where you can be productive. If you are decorating a home office, it needs to be streamlined, orderly and functional first. Then, you can add in the details.

1. Purpose-made office furniture is often not the most inspiring to purchase. Out-of-the-ordinary items in a home office can work very well.

2. A striking hanging pendant light over the desk, chic window coverings, and a statement rug can all make the space a place you want to go to each morning.

3. Introduce interesting wall art with inspiring quotes and beautiful images.

4. In order to create a space in which to focus and be productive, it’s important to locate the office away from the main living areas of the home, if possible. Otherwise, there will be many distractions.

5. It’s important to have adequate lighting in a workspace. Make the most of natural light if you can. Alternatively, bright lights from overhead lighting and desk lamps will provide adequate lighting in your office.

The spare room provides a brilliant opportunity to design a multi-use space. By being creative with layout and furniture selection, you can create a guest bedroom that doubles as a study, a children’s playroom that converts into a reading room or a sunroom for adults when the toys and games are packed away. If a room doesn’t have a purpose, it can all too easily become a dumping ground to hide junk when visitors pop in.

1. The key to creating a successful multi-use space is how functional your furniture and storage are. Look for ready-made multi-purpose furniture, or design your own and have a carpenter make it for you.

2. Pinterest is a great source of images for inspiration. Just type what you’re looking for – ‘multi-purpose kids’ furniture’, for example, and you will find many pictures to set you on the road to a beautiful result.

3. In a children’s playroom, you could create a reading nook for adults in the corner of the room for use when the kids are asleep or away from the house. Built-in bench seating with storage beneath and lots of comfortable cushions would make this attractive for both uses.

4. Storage is vital for a room like this, so built-in cupboards, toy boxes with lids and closed shelving will allow you to feel as if you’re in your own space and not just sitting in the kids’ play area.

5. If you have open bookshelves, use smart-looking storage boxes or baskets to store games and toys inside so that they’re not on display. From a decorative point of view, you don’t have to use kids’ fabrics with childlike motifs but rather brighten the space and keep everyone happy with fabrics and colours that appeal to both young and old.

Juliet Love is the owner and creator of the interior styling business Love Style. She’s previously worked at Vogue Living, and you can find more of her stylish work on her website.