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Go biophilic
Searches for biophilic design have gone through the roof. Aaron Markwell, colour lead at Coat says this is a trend to embrace for the long term. “In office spaces I always follow biophilic design principles,” he says. “When you’re doing something unnatural like working, it’s good to surround yourself with as many natural materials as possible”. That could be a wooden desk, or just a selection of plants. Markwell recommends using a green-based neutral on the walls as “the cones in our eyes relax when we see green.”
Bright colours are great in small amounts but can drain energy if used too liberally, says interior designer Sophie Pringle of Pringle & Pringle. “Long wavelength colours like orange and red are energising, so it’s good to have a pop of them on your desk,” she says. |
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Draw focus with paint
If your office “room” is a desk set into an alcove or corner, try painting this space a different colour to zone it, says interiors expert and author of Home Sweet Rented Home Medina Grillo. Panelling, or a split colour wall – with a darker tone of paint on the lower half – can also be a good way to draw concentration downwards. |
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Don’t mimic the work stationery cupboard
Instead of taking a simply functional approach, give your desk soul by repurposing things you love, whether that’s a pretty old tray to hold papers or a clay pot for pens. “A vintage display cabinet from a shop can look beautiful in a home office. Put fabric behind the glass door fronts to hide all the clutter,” says interior designer Kate Guinness. If your desk is an open table, try skirting it with a curtain to mask unsightly messes. |
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… but opt for substance over style with the desk and chair
“Having a centrally placed screen level with your eyeline is essential for the alignment of the neck”, says chiropractor Dr Tone Tellefsen Hughes. “An adult head weighs 5kg in an upright position, but if you lean it forward just 15 degrees the pressure on the neck goes up to 12.5kg. Over time, this added weight could cause headaches and neck pain.”
A chair with lumbar support is also essential, but always try before you buy, says Philip Johns of consultancy service Healthy Home Office. “The word ergonomic is overused in office furniture. Ergonomic is not a product, it’s the combination of the user, the task and the equipment, it’s a holistic thing – a chair will only work well if it’s got the right desk and a person who understands it.” Johns cites brands such as Flokk who “have been at the forefront of office seating for a long time”.
An adjustable desk or one which works for your height is also advisable, he says: “Desk height hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years but everyone is about 12cm taller – making your desk just 2cm higher can make a massive difference.” |
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Pull the room together
“A rule of thumb with all schemes,” says interior designer Emma Neame, “is to make sure there is a material that links it together.” In an office, this could be as simple as having identical brown paper box files – rather than random colours – to give the space a calm and uncluttered feel. |
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Make your shelves feel bespoke
If you’re renting or can’t afford bespoke joinery, a simple way to make your office shelves look expensive is by sticking rechargeable LED strip lights under them, says Grillo. Neame agrees: “I have a chest of drawers in my office from Ikea that I bought years ago. I changed the knobs to brass ones from Homebase and put strip lights along the back – it looks amazing.” |
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Find natural light
According to one study, office workers exposed to daylight slept better at night and did more physical exercise than those working in windowless offices. “Always try to place your desk so it’s facing a window, or close to natural light”, says Neame. “Just add a voile [sheer fabric] roller blind to the window for those points of the day when the sun is too low or the glare will bug you.” |
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Meet the Maker: Yasmin Hayat |
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Using techniques drawn from her Middle Eastern heritage, British-Syrian artist Yasmin Hayat’s work includes exquisite display ceramics and a fabric design collaboration with furniture-makers Soane Britain. Hayat makes all her pigments by hand using natural products, and in 2018 was awarded the Kairos prize by the then-Prince Charles for her paintings, which preserve traditional Arabic practices. |
Growing up I … flip-flopped between wanting to be an artist and a vet. I worked at my local veterinary clinic throughout my teens, but struggled with some of the ethics. When I was 19, I was offered an place at Central Saint Martins to study painting – I couldn’t turn it down. But to this day – especially when I get creative blocks – I find myself filling out the application form for the Royal Veterinary College. |
My work is inspired by … my Syrian heritage – so much so that I obtained a master’s in geometry and miniature painting, a style inherent to the region – as well as historic Indian, Persian and Arabic paintings. |
I learned the most from … courses I took with Art of Islamic Pattern and the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts. While Syria shaped my artistic taste, these institutions gave me the skills to understand and construct geometric patterns. |
At the moment I’m drawn to … a chapter in 1,001 Arabian Nights. On night 496, a whale appears. This whale – which some call Bahamut – has the sole task of carrying the worlds (earth and other multiverses) upon his back. He is vast and lonely. He appears cross-culturally, and is found in texts and images across the globe. This legend has inspired a body of work for my upcoming solo show. |
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A highlight of my career so far … has been working with Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain on her Egyptomania collection. |
I would still love to … produce a ceramic dinnerware range. The Aga Khan commissioned me to make a series of display ceramics but I’d love to produce a more functional range that can be used as tableware. |
In my own home … I have an antique Syrian, mother-of-pearl, inlaid table that I was gifted when I married. It is a marvel. I have ceramics from Egypt and Japan, textiles from Tanzania, Nigeria and South America, out of print books which I love to collect, and artwork from friends I admire. |
The hardest thing about my job … is that there are busy periods – bursts of intense interest – followed by a lull in activity. When my calendar is overflowing, I feel confident and content. When there is a lull, I suffer a great deal from impostor syndrome. |
What gets me out of bed every day is … being in the studio. I am most productive when I’m being creative. I sometimes wake in the middle of the night with an idea that drives me out of bed. |
For more information on Yasmin, visit her website here. |
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| Be part of the buzz at Coppermaker Square |
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Right in the heart of Stratford, one of London’s most exciting neighbourhoods, Coppermaker Square is reinventing renting. These aren’t just high-quality apartments with exceptional views, but a modern, holistic approach to city living.
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Home Planet |
Design that doesn’t cost the earth |
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Bringing the outside in might be all the rage in interiors, but what if it could also be a way of giving back to the environment? That’s the idea behind wallpaper and fabric brand Newton Paisley, founded by conservation biologist Dr Susy Paisley.
Her sustainably produced designs champion neglected or endangered species, and for every metre of fabric or wallpaper sold, 100m2 of wild habitat is preserved through the brand’s partnership with the World Land Trust.
Above: Paisley before the Madidi Clouds wallpaper, from £258 per roll |
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Dream Pad: A thoughtfully restored Welsh cottage |
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From the Guardian archive: With farmers for neighbours and walls insulated with sheep’s wool, the no frills restoration of this Welsh hill cottage overlooking the Black Mountains is a perfect celebration of pared-back rural living. |
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This Old Thing: Linen |
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Paula Sutton, founder of Hill House Vintage, on the smart way to hunt for a preloved piece
“A good vintage linen is a seasoned linen, soft to the touch, its colour once saturated but now beautifully washed out and delicately faded to the point of velvety richness. Or, if natural and undyed in colour, then its slubby rawness is hardwearing and the epitome of modern rustic. Look out for several weights of linen. For linen to slip through napkin rings with ease, you’ll often need them in a looser weave fabric that is less durable, but more absorbent, and linen napkins can elevate even the simplest of table settings, so they’re a nice addition to a collection. Plain woven linen is the type most found in towels and dish towels. It’s stronger and hardier – and not so soft to the touch – but in a hardworking kitchen, it combines the necessary beauty with practicality.
“Damask linens are the most delicate, and closest to embroidery. World-renowned Irish linen has a finer and denser weave, soft and with fewer slubs or corrections. If you need something to reupholster a vintage chair, or to repurpose into curtains, then a medium-weight natural linen will do the job beautifully.
“I scour vintage emporiums, French markets and online decorative traders for heavyweight vintage linen sheets with monograms and crests. These make excellent tablecloths and throws as well as bedsheets and will last for years. You can also find heavyweight monogrammed napkins – large, hard-wearing and brilliant for use at the table as placemats, hardier napkins or elegant hand towels. The beauty of these is that even patched up and darned they look authentic and bring a touch of well-aged vintage to both modern and period interiors”. |
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Inside issue seven |
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Next week: how to transform the utility room from an unloved space into a room you can be proud of. Plus: the influencers living the DIY dream, and west African-inspired home decor from maker Amechi Mandi. |
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