How to create the perfect study space in a new home

Computer on Oldman Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk

Creating a study space is similar to creating a home office type of space where you can work undisturbed. But, all too often, we ‘settle’ for a dark corner or a gloomy desk facing a wall.

This is how to create the perfect study space at home…

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Choose the Space Carefully

You may be fortunate enough to have a spare room – an ideal location for a study or home office. At the end of a working session, you power down the PC, switch off the printer and shut the door.

Or, you may struggle for space. The good news is that even in small spaces, you can create an amazing home study space with a reclaimed wood desk and comfy chair. Choose a space that is free from distractions, and in a quiet location, and that’s half the battle.

Bring in Light

No matter what work you do, in any working space, the right lighting is essential and industrial style lights are a great choice for the modern office or study space.

  • Pendant lighting – this is the main central light and although there are many stylish options, if you are working with the light behind you, you will be working in shadow.
  • Desk or table lamps – excellent for adding on-the-desk luminosity and prevents you from working in shadow. Be as bold as you like with design and style.
  • Floor lamps – movable about the space, floor lamps can add height and texture to a room. Consider a floor lamp that could act as a spotlight too.

Rainbow Vallen Floor Lamp for office

The Desk

Your work is important and this, the working platform at which you will sit for often hours at a time needs to be able to accommodate everything that you do. But this does not mean throwing style out of the window. You can be as stylish and as vibrant with your choice of desk as your budget and imagination allow.

Of course, you will want a desk that matches your style, whether that is an industrial style desk or a rustic inspired table. There is no reason why you can’t be quirky with your choice either. This is why the Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wooden Desk is possibly one of the best buys when it comes to study desks and spaces.

Shop Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wooden Desk

The Chair

Ergonomics is the study of everything that makes life easier and more comfortable. If you do spend hours at your desk, it needs to be the right height. Your bespoke leather chair needs to support you, especially in the lumbar region.

Shop Standford Grey Faux Leather Office Chair

But again, this doesn’t mean opting for the ‘plain’ or the ‘normal’ office chair. The Standford Grey Faux Leather Office Chair is on castors, perfect for wheeling yourself about the to fetch books or notes from around the room.

There is no reason why you cannot create a study space that inspires and enthrals. Why wouldn’t you want a study space that is stylish, with depth colour and texture?

Nickel Torre Taper Holder pack of 3 for home office

Keep an eye on the time with a wall clock whilst being surrounded by appealing items such as contemporary candle holders or even a wall or floor mirror to maximise light in the study. Or, add an industrial bookcase to keep things organised. The addition of an urban modern rug will add a softer tone to your space that may make it feel a little more relaxed if that helps you study better.

How will you design your study space?

How to make your small home office stylish

Small home office ideas

The way we work is changing. Increasingly, more of us are choosing to work flexibly and from home. This means you may be looking for small home office ideas to create a work space at home that is comfortable, ergonomic, suitable and stylish.

Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Desk

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Finding the Right Space

What is the right space for some, may not be for others so this is a personal choice. You are, however, looking for a space that offers:

  • Plenty of space to work and store a few things – being too cramped means an uncomfortable home office that you won’t be able to work in for longer than a few minutes.
  • Good light – natural is, of course, best but ambient lighting is also needed. Don’t work in shadow as poor lighting leads to eye strain.
  • Minimal distractions – you may love looking out the window and this is all well and good but if the habits of the garden birds because all encompassing then your workload will suffer.

Creating a Bespoke Space

Working from home means taking on the exciting project of re-modelling a part of your home to be a comfortable and stylish workspace.

Once you have decided on where you are going to locate your small home office – spare bedroom, a corner of a room, conservatory, small extension, rooms under the stairs – you can choose the furniture accordingly.

The Desk

A primary piece of kit is the desk. A flat-pack, mass produced item is not always the most practical nor ergonomically comfortable. This doesn’t mean spending thousands on a bespoke design. We love the look and character of reclaimed wood items, especially when the old wood is teamed with modern stainless steel to create an industrial desk. Take a look at our Standford range, such as this reclaimed wood desk with black steel frame.

Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wooden Desk

Shop Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wooden Desk

In terms of bespoke design, you will need to consider the space you have available – thus, if a narrower desk would suffice, you can order a made to measure desk that will fit your space perfectly.

The importance of getting the right desk for your work cannot be under estimated for your comfort as well as for not swamping the space.

You need a clutter-free environment that is appealing as much as it is to keep clean and organised.

The Chair

If you work at a PC or design at your desk, then the right chair is a must to make sure your back in well-looked after.

We have a range of leather office chairs, perfect for supporting you. This Hudson vintage style chair is perfect in so many ways. Note its cleanliness and uncluttered appearance. The open frame the smaller office space from being ‘closed down’.

Standford brown faux leather desk chair

Shop Standford Brown Faux Leather Office Chair

We also love the fact that our office chairs look nothing like ‘office chairs’! In other words, they are robust, comfortable and stylish.

Storage

With so many documents and data kept on the cloud, storage needs for the home office are now different to how they used to be. Our bespoke bookcases can be used for styling and decor as well as storage, perfect for keeping those smaller things that don’t need to be used on a frequent basis.

Colette Reclaimed Wood Metal Open Display Unit

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What tips do you have for creating the perfect small home office?

How to achieve an industrial style office space

Industrial metal arc floor lamp for office

Creating an office interior often means choosing from furniture and pieces that are, at best, functional and, at worst, downright bland. But, it doesn’t have to be and introducing an industrial style to an office space can change all of those preconceptions. Industrial interior design works brilliantly in a modern office and can be as simple as adding an industrial office desk or industrial office chair. With collections specifically for the office, including the stunning Aviator Keeler Desk Wing, let us show you how to bring an industrial style that will make a real impression on your office space.

aviator  industrial office desk

What is the Industrial Style?

The industrial style means mixing raw materials – exposed brick walls, naked steel beams – with the warmth of natural materials, the cool elegance of leather and the warmth of reclaimed wood. But to add the industrial edge, mix it with well-known materials that with additional processes look stunning – like polished concrete worktops or desk tops.

Impressions Start in Reception

No matter who is visiting the officer, customers, interview candidates or key stakeholders, creating the right impression is key. And that means a reception or front of house that means business. Made to order brown leather chairs are the ideal seating solution for reception and social areas of the office too, offering a welcoming yet professional first impression.

Caesar Brown Leather 3 Seater Chesterfield Sofa

Industrial furniture

No office space is complete without a desk and chair for the team to work, but practicalities aside, these pieces are where you can bring in the industrial style to your office interior. An industrial office desk paired with an industrial office chair will instantly elevate your office scheme and add a lofty and urban cool no matter what business you are running.

industrial office desk in reclaimed wood

Social Areas

There has been research that shows office spaces that have a mix of spaces, such as dedicated working areas and informal social areas, have a team that works more collaboratively. As well as leather chairs and leather sofas, opt for industrial style furniture, such as an industrial coffee table to keep the mood professional, but cool.

Oldman Industrial Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table with Shelf

A reclaimed wood coffee table is perfect for when staff need informal spaces with colleagues and customers, along with leather sofas and armchairs.

Style Out the Boardroom

The boardroom is the place where deals are struck and discussions are held. There is no reason why it can’t be stylish but it needs to be practical too – we all know how long meetings can go on for. A substantial industrial office desk or boardroom table is the ideal addition – strong, robust and delightfully stylish, it is the main focal point of your boardroom space. Match it with comfortable seating for maximum effect.

industrial office desk boardroom table

Storage Solutions (Not a Filing cabinet in Sight)

The business landscape has changed so much with the digital age meaning that paper is not always needed to be stored in such vast quantities as it once was. The filing cabinet may soon be defunct and replacing it with reclaimed wood shelving is a stylish addition to any room or unit within your company.

industrial bookcase

Lighting – Functional and Stylish

For optimum productiveness, lighting has to be spot on in any style office space. Whilst it must be functional, it can also be stylish – think metal desk lamps or hanging pendant lighting that cast a warm glow but plenty of luminosity without being stark and fit seamlessly with an industrial interior design.

Metal Arc Ravland Floor Lamp

Extend Work Space to the Outdoors

On a glorious sunny day, why can’t the team innovate in the sunshine or, enjoy lunch or a break in the garden or outdoor space, such as a roof terrace? If your industrial office is lucky enough to have an outdoors, style with an outdoor industrial dining table with outdoor dining chairs and encourage staff to work outdoors.

industrial outdoor dining table with matching wooden dining chairs

All too often we assume that there is only one way of styling a workspace, well, we suggest you think again. Shake things up with an industrial office desk and an industrial office chair and you’re sure to make the right impression on anyone who enters your office.

How to choose the perfect rug for a room

Louis de Poortere rug in dining room with white dining table

The main purpose of modern rugs is to define a space, and that means choosing the right size, colour and shape. It is, however something people often struggle with, and here at Modish we want to make buying our rugs more of a pleasure and less of a pain.

Here, we provide some advice for those looking to purchase a rug for every room in the house, whether to complement industrial office furniture or as the perfect addition to the bedroom.

Our top tip for getting the right size rug is to create an ‘ideal size’ out of newspaper or marking out the rug edges with masking tape. When in doubt, opt for a rug that is slightly bigger rather than smaller – but there are several tips that work specifically depending on what room you’re looking to style with a rug. Read on to find out what they are…

How to use a rug in… The Living Room

Rugs look fantastic next to wooden living room furniture, but a great tip for small to medium sized living rooms would be to opt for a rug that fits all of your modern living room furniture on it. This helps to define the size of the room, giving it an ‘ordered’ appearance. Choose colours that complement your colour scheme or use contemporary rugs to introduce an accent colour into a space.

Louis De Poortere Vintage Patchwork Yellow Rug in Living Room

In larger areas, choose a rug that is large enough to fit well in the room and with the ‘front’ legs of furniture resting on it. This stops you breaking your budget with a very large or custom-sized rug.

If you have a large sofa, the trick is to choose a rug that is longer than the sofa. If you don’t want a too-ordered look, pull the sofa off-centre and have one end of it not sitting on the rug to create an abstract feel to the space.

The rug for The Dining Room

In an open plan dining room and kitchen, a rug is a great tool for separating the dining space. Opt for a rug that your contemporary dining room furniture fits on, making sure you have enough of a ‘border’ on the rug for chairs to fit, so that diners are not balancing their chair (two legs on the rug, two legs off) when eating.

And yes, for round dining tables, choose a round rug.

Louis De Poortere Fading World Rug - Atlantic Deep in dining room with dining chairs and table

MEASURING TIP: place the dining chairs under the table and measure 50cm from the back legs. Add this to the measurement of the table and this gives you the minimum sized rug you will need.

The Bedrooms

In the master bedroom, rugs are a great alternative to carpet and they also complement wooden bedroom furniture perfectly. Like the dining table, you need a border of 50cm on a rug that you are fitting under the bed and any bed side tables you have. In the kids’ bedrooms or guest rooms, you can use rugs in various ways, including being a pleasant focal point that welcome people into the space by creating a path.

Think safety too – making sure that rugs do not ‘travel’ when walked on.

The Hallway

A long, runner rug works well in a hallway but if you have a large entrance space you may like the idea of placing a larger rug to define this area too. Choose complimentary colours and don’t forget that darker colours absorb light so think lighter shades or patterned rugs for maximum effect.

Your Home Study

With more and more of us working from home, the home study or office is increasingly common. In this space, you can be bold with your rug choice but again, ensure that it fits under your desk and office chair, leaving plenty of border so you don’t have the irritation of ‘falling off’ the rug with every movement.

Louis De Poortere Spring Leaves Green Rug

A rug in the right place, in the right size and proportion lends texture, depth and interest to a space, as well as providing a definition and a boundary. Which rug will you choose?

Now that you found out how to choose the perfect rug and know how to measure your space get shopping! Browse the luxurious Louis de Poortere collection or make your feet comfortable on a sheepskin rug and get cozy on a reindeer rug.

Make a big impression with a big clock

Round Wall Clock

Summer is the perfect time for a little decor overhaul with a statement such as a big clock. An oversized clock is great for creating a sophisticated feature on your walls and is handy for timekeeping too!

Clocks are fantastic in any room, but look especially great in rooms you probably spend a lot of time in, like your living room, kitchen and home office.

In your living room, use your wall clock as a fantastic, classic decor piece, instead of art on one of your walls. In a black and white living room, an extra large black metal wall clock would look fantastic. The industrial style and open design would make a wonderful vintage addition to a stylish, contemporary space.

Extra Large Black Metal Wall Clock size 110cm

Alternatively, the strong style of a black metal wall clock would look great in a bright white Scandinavian inspired space with injections of soft pastels.

In a glamorous living room, with a gorgeous brown leather sofa, like one of our classic Oswald 2 seater sofa’s, the large metal and gold wall clock would create an opulent finish. The blend of the slim black metal frame with the golden numerals is fantastic for a stunning injection of industrial style.

Large Metal and Gold Wall Clock size 102cm

Zinc looks great in the kitchen. The elegant style of a large zinc effect wall clock is perfect for placing in any contemporary kitchen, especially if you create a strong contrast against glossy worktops. The simple zinc effect frame is perfect for blending with any colour scheme but with a mix of mid-grey walls and reclaimed wood furniture, it would look simply stunning.

Large Zinc Effect Wall Clock 109cm

For an old-style home office, go for a vintage-inspired design like a large rustic metal and gold wall clock. The subtle colour of the bronze effect frame and vintage style golden clock hands would make a wonderful addition to a neutral colour scheme. Keep the rest of your furniture and decor simple to make your clock the star of the show.

Large Rustic Metal and Gold Wall Clock 76cm

How to style and organise your home office

Oldman White Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk styled with flowers and a wall clock

With recently being ‘Organise Your Home Office Day’, it seems the right time to remind all the thousands of home workers that their office space is important. And yet, so few of us make the effort to create a space that is stylish, functional and welcoming. Styling your office doesn’t mean throwing practicalities out the window. You can have the home office you want, in the style that works for you and within budget.

The Desk

You need the right work platform that fits your space and offers you the space you need to work. To illustrate this, we’re launching a range of beautiful yet practical desks, which you can customise to perfectly fit your space. You’ll be able to choose from a range of sizes, and a range of coloured legs, bringing a stunning yet functional piece to style your office around.

Home office design

Office Furniture

No office can function without office furniture that offers the right amount of storage. When you store things, from papers to books, the items need to be accessible.

However, finding office furniture that compliments your home office design can be tough and that’s why your office space can look and feel mismatched.

We have solutions, from bookcases made from reclaimed wood to industrial furniture and bookcases in a style to match your desk.

Hudson Living Oak and Concrete Bookcase

Add Finishing Touches with a Dash of Detail

Detailing is important in any space. Accessories add warmth, depth and texture to a room, and your home office should be treated no differently.

The Power of Green

Plants and flowers in any space but especially your home office are the perfect additions that not only look great, they add colour and scent too. But, there is also research to suggest that a plant in the office creates the right environment for more productivity.

Office Desk styling for home with flowers

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Keep an Eye on the Time

You know what they say: too much work is never a good thing. Make time to play by keeping an eye on the time with a stylish wall clock.

Dress the Walls

Art inspires us and when you work long hours at a desk, it can be helpful to have another point of focus in the room, other than your computer screen. Wall art is a great way of adding detail to your room, providing inspiration without distracting you.

Dress the Floor

A rug adds texture, as well as warmth beneath your feet. Choose a colour and style of rug that matches your décor or use it to add a streak of colour and detail into the space. Louis De Poortere Fading World Rug - Raspberry Cream

At Modish Living, we love to make even the most functional home office design beautiful – so why not try a new look in yours?

5 creative ways to use a sideboard in your home

Hudson Living Chilson Oak Sideboard for Living Room or Dining Room

Wooden sideboards are a wonderful addition to almost any room in your home. Traditionally, sideboards are seen in dining rooms but there are so many different ways you can use a sideboard in your home decor.

What are sideboards used for?

In the Kitchen: kitchen sideboard decor

A reclaimed wood sideboard offers understated and classic style at its best. Perfect for almost any interior scheme, a reclaimed wood sideboard will provide a practical storage solution and give a charming finish to any room with the natural markings and unique character. If you are looking for something a little more creative, a white reclaimed wood sideboard such as our Large Dorset Reclaimed Wood Sideboard could be used as a kitchen island to bring the rustic vibe with a contemporary twist this spring. For more kitchen sideboard ideas read pro interior stylist, Kate Hill’s sideboard ideas.

reclaimed wood white sideboard

 

Sideboard decor in the Home Office

A sideboard with drawers can be very practical in the office area, as it can help declutter your working space. This creates a better space to think and motivates productivity. An industrial style sideboard with dark grey metal handles and frames is fantastic for office space for creating a stylish, streamlined finish. The addition of three double drawers is fantastic for providing plenty of extra storage for stationary, folders and filing away paperwork.

In the Dining Room

If you are looking to use your sideboard in a dining room, we suggest choosing a style with room for a wine rack which can store your favourite drinks close to the dining table. This also cuts out storage space needed for wine bottles in your kitchen and creates a cleaner finish. An oak sideboard also fits well into a dining room decor as its paler finish blends seamlessly with other dining room furniture and colour schemes. The Rocco Industrial Rustic Oak Sideboard is a nod to modern Scandi or Nordic styles and provides the perfect stage to display your paired-back accessories.

oak sideboard

Living room sideboard decor

In your living room, a sideboard is a great place for proudly displaying your collections or trinkets. But they can also provide storage space for family games, films, or even special glassware you don’t want to keep in your kitchen cupboards. When it comes to a sideboard for living room ideas, the modern shape and eye-catching brass inlays of the Farnham Sustainable Mango Wood Sideboard will add an instant a touch of glamour to any room and will be adored for its stylish, contemporary look.

mango wood sideboard with brass hexagonal inlays

Sideboard in bedroom

Finally, a sideboard can even be a fantastic addition in the bedroom, especially as kids’ bedroom storage. They are often a more compact solution than a chest of drawers and provide space for storing toys, books and games. The Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Small Sideboard is a wonderful option with its mixture of cupboard and drawer storage and smaller size, perfect for your little one’s bedroom.

small reclaimed wood sideboard

 

To find the perfect one for your home, take a look at our collection of sideboards, or get in touch with one of our team members.