Vanessa Arbuthnott's guide to creating a beautiful office space anywhere in the home

Whether it's in the bedroom, living room or the end of a kitchen, there's no need for your home office to be a dull, uninspiring space with just a desk and chair.

With flexible office hours, working from home is becoming the norm for many professionals, and so it's important to create a beautiful and personal yet inspiring space. Fabric designer and interiors expert Vanessa Arbuthnott shows us exactly how to integrate your work space into any room of the home.

Vanessa says...

'For this workspace in a bedroom, I have used a Cox and Cox desk which has a hole in the back of the desk for power leads, and an antique eBay swivel chair which I have reupholstered with one of my plain linen unions.'

Vanessa says...

'This home office is in a hall under the stairs which gives a lot of space for pinning up drawings and work in progress. Again an ordinary white table and an eBay office chair covered in Shibori in Kale and Charcoal from my Artisan Collection. Jaunty modern lights are also helpful to make the space attractive and less obviously office-y.'

Vanessa says...

'This is an office at the end of a sitting room, with pretty Cow Parsley blinds and paintings on the walls. The white floor lamp gives an airy feel and the paintings make it feel like it's part of a normal room and less of an office space.'

Vanessa says...

'My husband's and my home workspace is more of a studio and are in a garage type building but with heating. This is just a trestle table with a piece of oilcloth on it and an upholstered Ikea chair! The timber cladded boards are perfect for drawing pins and work in progress.'

Vanessa says...

'This is a built in workspace with lots of shelves and is at the end of the sitting room. My Pretty Maids wallpaper in Dusky Pink makes it very cosy and soft and welcoming. The upholstered stool is yet another eBay find...and we have covered it in Pretty maids in Dove and Winter 100% Linen.'

Vanessa says...

'Here we have an office in a cleaned up shed. With a good heater and lots of insulation this is a great place to get away from the house and all the jobs it always presents to you! The jolly red Bird Hop is on the eBay vintage chair and on the curtain the whimsical animals of my daughter Rose’s Wild and Free design help to make this feel contemporary and cosy.'

Vanessa says...

'This work place is in spare bedroom and is tidied up when guests come to stay. The table doubles as a dressing table and the lovely wooden chair is more suitable for an occasional bedroom. The luxurious Cow Parsley in Teal curtains with their flop over frill, look lovely mixed with our stone and mushroom coloured fabrics.'

Vanessa says...

'This workspace is in an attic bedroom which is used as a bedroom now and again. The table fits well into the small space under the roof and contains the work space well. This modern chair has been upholstered in my Simple Spot fabric in Duck Egg and Speedwell and the blind which keeps this space quite simple is Pie in the Sky in Speedwell and Straw.'