Working From Home (Again)

January 2020 begins with a change - after leaving my job as Homes & Interiors Editor at House Beautiful in December, I am freelance again and working from home, so it seemed like a good idea to feature a few cleverly thought-out and super stylish home offices, whether you have a whole room to dedicate to it, or just a teensy corner. Here's a few that caught my eye.

Well if this doesn't get you going in the morning, nothing will! There's nothing like a hit of colour to define a space, so if your office is going to be part of a bigger space, use colour to separate it from the rest of the room - making sure it blends with everything else of course and doesn't clash. The desk is a simple trestle table which can easily be moved out of the way if necessary and using a dining chair is easy. Placing the office space next to a window means you can utilise the window seat too. A similar paint colour is Seaweed from Benjamin Moore. Alain desk lamp, £165, Pooky.

If you are lucky enough to have an area off another room like this, its tailor-made for an office. Natural light from a large window like this is ideal, then you can dress the room with matching furniture to create a stylish space that you want to be in. If you have lots of paperwork and files - and who doesn't? - good storage is essential - so choose a combination of pieces - something to hide the messy stuff, like this chest of drawers, and a taller unit where you can display more interesting accessories and books. Invest in a good-looking, non-office chair and fantastic lighting to up the style stakes. All Maisons du Monde.

Another way of defining a space is with a board painted in a strong colour. A similar idea to the green wall in the first image, but less of a commitment, and if you need the space back in a hurry, just move the board and any office equipment out of the way and its part of the main room again. Big plants are a great way of anchoring the space and are good for wellbeing too. Don't you just love all those concrete walls......Brunel desk, £549 and shelves, £299, Robin Day 675 chair, £320 all Heals

This office from interiors journalist and influencer, Ciara Elliott, is such a great idea, as it uses the 'dead' space on the landing. With lots of daylight and just enough space for the essentials - a desk, small filing cabinet and her computer. Wall space for planners and pictures to inspire. The Hillarys roman blind adds soft colour and cuts out strong sunlight, and the turquoise filing cabinet adds a pop of colour too.

If you just need somewhere to do home admin, a small desk tucked into a corner is enough. This Scandi-inspired design is the Ashwicke from Garden Trading It looks really smart and is unobtrusive, and I particularly like the upstands on either side to stop things dropping onto the floor! Genius. Although it's near a window, a desk lamp for evening is a must and that upper shelf is made for it. Those walls are perfect too aren't they? The epitome of a raw plaster finish

If your desk is in the living room, choose colours that will make it blend in. A dark desk 'disappears' against the deep grey/green wall, a similar colour is Livid from Little Greene and a velvet chair is a bit more sophisticated than your usual office chair, and looks at home in a living space. Baskets are useful for all sorts of things and stack too. The painting brings out the colours and anchors the space. J D Williams

If you are short on space, this desk/shelf unit is spot on. It's really neat and has just enough work surface for a laptop and some essentials, and again, it can be used for anything from accessories to books. Wall colour is Fawn Suede from Crown

An office in an alcove is a great use of space. You could build it yourself with mdf, its basically a series of shelves with a larger one at the bottom. Then the clever bit is that pegboard on the wall, so useful for hanging all sorts of things you need within reach. A clip-on light is a great idea too as it doesn't take up any shelf space, this one is the Hector Pleat Clip Light, £125, Original BTC.