How to create a stylish workplace in your living room
Angus Fergusson
1. Get creative with shelving
Start with big bookshelves that can stow your work. Cabinet doors conceal technology essentials, paper and accessories so your living room never looks like your workplace.
Hidden in these bookshelves:
Printer
Laptop
Pens and pencils
Stacks of bills
Invoices
Envelopes
Stamps
Reference books
Get this solution: Perfect home essentials bookshelves, Homedepot.ca. Suzanne Sharp area rug, Avenue-road.com. Lotus wallpaper, Farrow-ball.com. Sofa, throw cushions, coffee table, white ceramic-coral vase, Elte.com. Grundtal bookshelf lighting, Nostalgisk box (on coffee table), Ikea.ca. Navy blue bowl, cream and navy lacquer boxes, Homesense.ca. Apples, Teatroverde.com.
2. Choose compact equipment
A laptop and a small printer fit perfectly inside cabinets. Go wireless to ditch those unruly cords.
3. Create comfortable seating
You spend so many hours at your desk, a comfy chair is crucial. At home, there’s nothing better than an armchair that doubles as living room seating. This Chippendale-style one is just the ticket.
Get this solution: Canon Pixma IP100 photo ink-jet printer, Canon.ca. Laptop, Apple.ca. Bowl, Homesense.ca.
4. Put a pin in it
Corkboards are useful, but they can look utilitarian. We dressed ours up with door trim and painted it to match our decor. A gallery wall around it helps disguise its all-business function.
Get this solution: Black-and-white art, Elte.com. Other artwork, Artinteriors.ca. Paint, Sudbury yellow, Farrow-ball.com.
5. Pick pretty storage
Fabric boxes and attractive cardboard file folders keep everything close at hand. Pens and household bills find a place in this tailored box, while filing is hidden below in inexpensive patterned magazine holders.
Get this solution: Boxes, magazine holders, Ikea.ca.
6. Buy hardworking furniture
When a room has to do two jobs, make sure your furniture does too. This clever side table conceals magazines, cellphones or file folders without compromising style.
Get this solution: Nuc table, Eighteenkarat.com. Tablelamp, white ceramic horse, Elte.com. White ceramic camera, book, Teatroverde.com. Artwork, Artinteriors.ca.
