Photography: Maree Homer
Interior designer and stylist Kate Nixon exclusively shares this edited excerpt from her first book, ‘Everyday Joy: Effortless Ideas for Home and Entertaining’, with Home Beautiful. For more of Kate’s work, click here.
For most of us, work finds its way home – either for a few days of the week or hours of the day – and is infinitely more rewarding in a comfortable, functional space that inspires us. A study can take the form of a dedicated home office or a nook under the stairs like mine.
1. Make your home office personal
I have a lovely little pitched roof (thanks to the aforementioned stairs), a timber‑clad wall (engineered oak boards wrapped up from the floor), a painted bookcase niched into the adjacent powder room wall and a pinboard made from the fabric remnant of our entry bench upholstery, filled with sentimental photos, love notes and birthday cards.
There are two skinny drawers for scissors, glue, ribbon and tape, the dwindling pile of preschool art we repurpose into wrapping paper, even envelopes and stamps (which I can’t remember when we last used though they’re 70c each, which should give us a clue). A large sturdy basket beneath the desk wrangles all manner of current craft projects, loom bands and laptops, and usually a tennis ball and dog toy stuffed in for good measure.
2. Organisation is key
Suffice to say, storage in a study is key. Installation day is my favourite moment when a studio project completes: putting the things into all the spaces and places we have plotted and planned for – a place for everything and everything in its place. Shelves are just shelves until they are filled with the things we love, and then they become bolstering backdrops to our lives.
If you have space, a whole room can be dedicated to the home office, with custom joinery, considered lighting and overflow guest accommodation if you can fit a comfortable sofa bed. We often paint or paper the walls with colour or pattern to give depth and personality to these inherently utilitarian rooms.
Seating can range from extra dining chairs to ergonomic investments. My desk chair is a timber‑framed mid‑century affair salvaged from the side of the road and reupholstered in a zebra‑printed cowhide about 15 years ago; it is wearing wonderfully well.
3. Include elements that promote calm and creativity
I love a rug on the floor to curl your toes into and a desk lamp to avoid downlights.
“I believe in layered interiors and attention to detail. In the beauty of gathered pieces found with love. I believe in home” – Kate Nixon
Plan for power, printers and internet connections to avoid a tangle of unsightly cables. If your project and floor plan allows, place a floor box for a central desk.
Desks can be fashioned from all manner of tables – custom, new or antique – and are a lovely way to add character to your space. Art is always welcome, and a plant or fresh posy of favourite blooms makes for an excellent study partner.
They say that if you love your work, you won’t work a day in your life. I can certainly attest that an inspiring study to work from makes the day infinitely more lovely.
4. No home office? No problem!
A smaller workspace can be limiting, design-wise, but less space means less furniture. As such, you can more easily splurge on quality pieces that are akin to works of art themselves.
“That’s what considered design can deliver: a space that feels warm, inviting, polished and practical” – Kate Nixon
Even a nook under the stairs can be a functional home office, as long as you plan it well.
Shop Kate’s book
‘Everyday Joy: Effortless Ideas for Home and Entertaining’ by Kate Nixon
$49.99/hardcover, Booktopia
This is an edited extract from ‘Everyday Joy: Effortless Ideas for Home and Entertaining’ by Kate Nixon with photography by Maree Homer, published by Hardie Grant, $60.
