The Design Column – October/November 2007

Technological innovation and the changing nature of workplace practices have inevitably led to a greater interest from directors and senior executives in having designated work areas at home. The study or home office is well and truly back in vogue.

Many of my clients run their own successful businesses or they are senior executives in large corporations. The notion of a standard 9-5 job is therefore not something they are familiar with. They need to be able to work much more flexibly, often have much more demands on their time and must be able to access their corporate back office systems at any time of the day from wherever they are. Blackberry technology obviously helps, but what is becoming increasing important for them is to have a fully functional study at home.

Wireless systems, consolidated data centres and virtualisation of IT infrastructure has meant that many businesses now have the capability for people to operate from remote locations as effectively as if they were sitting in the corporate HQ. These same technological innovations also enable rooms at home to be converted more easily into fully functioning offices as space requirements are reduced, cabling installations are minimised and less intrusive and core hardware can be hidden away easily or is sufficiently compact and even stylish to be on display.

In the homes that many of my clients have, the space allocated to a home office or study is a dedicated, and often large, room. Whereas the rooms in the rest of the house are designed and decorated with the family in mind, when it comes to the study my clients are looking for an exclusively adult and personal space that is both functional and luxuriously comfortable.

My starting point for any study design is capturing the essence of a room that is ready for business, but that also has a relaxing and welcoming warmth. Taking into account the location of windows and doors, I prefer to create the dedicated desk area as the focal point for the design. The desk should be freestanding, so that clients can sit facing into the space rather than looking at a wall. This also allows them to interact with other people, to easily view a wall-mounted flatscreen TV and to fully enjoy the aspect of the room and rest of the furniture.

Getting the right mix of storage is also crucial. Large cabinets are required to ensure that printers, scanners, media centres and other vital technology can be hidden away. Shelving needs to be designed to be both stylish and suitable for a range of uses. Comfortable seating areas need to be integrated into the overall design and the right balance of task, mood and decorative lighting is absolutely imperative.

By taking the principles of the traditional managing partner or chairman’s office, I create a contemporary and timeless study because it is lighter, cleaner and not overly fussy. Luxurious veneers are mixed with simple, sharp lines and the elegant use of lighting ensures that large pieces of furniture are more subtly integrated into the overall design rather than dominating it. This recently completed study in Kent that I designed for luxury property development company Green Amber Ltd captures exactly the function, elegance and wow factor that I believe every modern study should achieve today, and that will last for ever.