NEST (^) | HOW WE LIVE
THREE TO MAKE, BUY OR CUSTOMISE
HOME QUANDARIES
Unfortunately we don’t have a spare room, so I am forced to
work in the space under the stairs. This is an area that gets
much traffic as the rest of my family move between the kitchen
and living room. As they do so, they drop a variety of items
on my desk and jostle my chair. How can I encourage them to
treat my ‘of f ice ’ with respect?
Answer in brief: ramp up the office styling.
What does your ‘office’ look like a the moment? Does it look like a
professional workspace or merely another area of the home? To
encourage it (and your work) to be treated seriously, you must do
the same yourself. Banish any ‘cosy’ elements and install a proper
ergonomic chair, a desk tidy, a noticeboard with a spreadsheet or
two pinned on it, and some filing trays filled with important-
looking documents. If all of that fails, consider buying
a screen and hide yourself away behind it.
1
MAKE
Cork is having a revival, and so it
should: it is one of very few
materials that is both renewable
and recyclable. (Bark taken from
the Cork Oak doesn’t harm the
tree, which can live for more than
200 years.) It’s also handy for
pinning things on and thus makes a
neat noticeboard. Cut a panel (this
is Domestic Cork Tile by Biscay,
£21.50 per metre at tiledealer.co.
uk) into an interesting shape
or line an entire wall with it.2
BUY
A wire grid is a semi-
industrial way to display, or
keep close, objects such as
scissors, notebooks, postcards and
all kinds of ephemera. Use bulldog
clips, metal hooks and ribbon to
dangle, clip and hang a variety of
objects. This Grey Wire Mesh
Mood/Memo Board, £56.95, by
House Doctor at hurnandhurn.com,
comes with fittings for easy wall
mounting and has a useful bit at
the base to store bulkier items.3
CUSTOMISE
We are all familiar with the
joys of a chalkboard (see our
back cover for evidence), and the
amazing transformational
properties of a pot of chalkboard
paint. Use it to paint a piece of
wood, the side of a cabinet, or any
old thing you fancy, then chalk your
own inspiring phrases or lists upon
it. This paint, £22.79 per litre,
designerpaint.com, is grey so fits
into home decorating schemes a
little easier than solid black.A noticeboard above your desk is a visible way to express both your efficiency and creativity. It becomes
a patch of wall that is all about you and no one elsePerforated desk
tidy, £24,
vincentandbarn.
co.uk