30 Stylish Finishing Touches & Decor for your Home Office

The idea of working from home has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with more of us embracing the idea of working remotely or running our own small home business than ever before.

When I started PhotoFairytales I worked from the kitchen table, sitting on a back-breaking dining chair that really wasn't designed to be sat on for 8 hours! Thankfully now I have my own dedicated studio to work from (with a nice comfy swivel chair), and I can't tell you how important it is to create a work space that's not only functional and comfy, but inspirational too. 

The end of the day at PhotoFairytales HQ!

I'll be honest, my studio isn't always this tidy - quite often I'm joined by a clothes airer full of damp clothes! But when you spend a significant portion of your day working from home, it's vital to be able to create a calm space where you can concentrate. At the end of my working day I always try to have a quick clean down of my desk so that the next morning I can sit at my desk ready for a fresh new day.

Make sure your desk and chair are comfortable and at the right height for you. Ensure you have sufficient lighting too - natural daylight is great, but mix in a great desk lamp too (my desk doesn't get natural daylight, so I have to rely on a wall light and a desk lamp). Personalise your space with artwork, touches of decor and gorgeous stationery to encourage a creative, pleasant environment to work in. Just because you have to work every day, doesn't mean it can't be pretty! Plants look lovely anywhere, so find a corner of your desk or a shelf for some greenery - whether it's real or fake. And keep your desk organised and as clutter free as you can with some practical storage.

Whether you're work space is tiny or spacious, dedicated or shared with other needs in the home (kitchen/work table-type scenario), I've curated a round up of gorgeous handmade finishing touches for your home office space that will make your working day so much nicer! Everything shown is handmade and designed by small, independent creative British businesses...

Part 1: Your Desk

Items featured, left to right, top to bottom:

• Pantheon Bookends/Candle Holders, by Goblin Craft London
• Reclaimed Scaffold Board Desk, by Gibbs Design Furniture
• Personalised Mug, by PhotoFairytales
• Hand Crocheted Coaster, by Gracie's Place
• Mousemat, by Studioart22
• Table lamp, by Chiselwick

2) Wall Art & Decor

Items featured, left to right, top to bottom:

• Ministry of General Cleverness personalised print, by PhotoFairytales
• Hello Gorgeous typewriter print, by PhotoFairytales
• Tickety Boo custom made wooden sign, by PhotoFairytales
• Cloud Plaque custom made sign, by PhotoFairytales
• Hot Pink Letterpress print, by Happytomato7
• Linocut library print, by Of Books And Bees

3) Greenery & Plantlife

Items featured, left to right, top to bottom:

• Glasses Plant Pot, by Sculptech3DPrints
• Honeycomb Wall Pot System, by Sculptech3DPrints
• Personalised Planter, by Carve Creations
• Crochet Rose, by Greenhouse Cat Studio
• Motivational Plant Marker, by Jolly Dee
• Handmade Wooden Planter, by Studio Fifty Six

4) Organisation & Storage

Items featured, left to right, top to bottom:

• Wooden Pencil Pot, by Harley and Steffan
• Blush Pink Basket, by Clare Gets Crafty
• Leather Cable Tidy, by ToriLoLeather
• Crochet Lidded Pot, by Janiemade
• Personalised Wooden Doorhanger, by PhotoFairytales

5) Beautiful Stationery

Items featured, left to right, top to bottom:

• Greyhound Notebook, by Michele Willshaw Print
• Pencil Case, by Bees And Blossoms
• Kraft Notecards, by Crafty Ali
• Pink Bow Paperclip, by Crafty Ali
• Houseplant Stickers, by Tishpaints
• Handbound Notebook, by Victoria Snape - Pretty paper goods

Making your home office work space a creative, serene and inspirational area is key to getting through the working day. Make it reflect your style and personality, and create a haven that makes you productive every day. Your home office should be a place that makes you feel comfortable and motivated, so incorporate personalised touches to make your working day a joy.

Sarah :)

What I love this week...

Even the screen cycles through soothing colours....

When I'm sitting hunched and round shouldered straight-backed and posture-perfect at my desk, one of the things that keeps me company (apart from the dog at my feet) is the radio. I've never been able to work in silence - as a child doing my homework I always had to have Scooby Doo/Blue Peter/Rentaghost on in the background...

Music radio is too intrusive I find - plus I nearly always end up with an unwanted earworm while laying in bed at night. So my background noise of choice is talk radio; something I can mentally tune in and out of without too much effort. And the channel I normally choose is Radio 4 (which is, I think, both slightly farty and cool at the same time).

But... I've discovered something this week which has actually worked just as well (and hasn't involved my listening to The Archers tum-tee-tum-te-tum-te-tum, or Gardener's Question Time discussing plum rot, or Woman's Hour talking about the menopause - all of which are very entertaining of course, but sometimes you need a bit of variety eh?!). No, I'm tuning into www.noisli.com - and I love it!

You can control your own soothing background sounds - the pitter patter of raindrops and the wind rustling in the leaves... or tweety birds and the sound of a nearby stream... or a cosy crackling fire with a rumbling thunderstorm. In fact you could have all of those at the same time if you want - and the sound of waves on the sea, crickets chirping at night, and the ambient sound of a coffee shop thrown in too. If you really want!

You can adjust the levels, sending that thunder into the background or bringing up the noise of the rain - tweaking it to your hearts content. Or you can put it on 'random' and it'll cycle through sounds for you.

I had it set on 'thunder-rain-crackling fire' yesterday afternoon which was lovely and cosy (for the middle of July). And right now I'm listening to a forest filled with birds and a gentle breeze. Ahhhh.....and reeeelax.

There, that's my little gift to you for today - enjoy :)

Sarah x

Office inspiration...

PhotoFairytales HQ is not a grand affair - my office is, let's say, compact and bijou! However, amongst all the paperwork and general organised chaos (if you've seen my hole punch by the way, let me know) there is a little oasis - one that I often sit back and look at during the day. Sometimes I'm gazing at it in contemplation, often I'm not particularly focused on it, but it definitely has a calming affect!

The item my eyes travel towards is my Annora Spence picture - I've had it for years, can't remember where I bought it, don't even know it's title (probably something like "Man with Dog and Sewing Machine") - but it is without doubt one of my favourite things. The colours are stunning, the style is simple, the image is one of stillness. And I love it.

Annora Spence is without doubt one of my favourite artists - should I ever be in a position where I can afford one, I would love LOVE to own one of her works "properly". Annora studied printed textiles in Liverpool and Birmingham in the 80's, and since the early 90's she has worked successfully as an artist exhibiting in the UK and abroad. Her work uses various mediums, and the colours range from deep and warm tones, through to soft, pale shades as seen in her current gallery. I'd happily own any of them - please!

If you haven't discovered this wonderful artist, you can see more of her work by clicking here.

I know that whenever I hit an inspiration wall, sitting back and gazing at my beloved picture hanging above my computer will point me in the right direction. And along with the phrase "keep it simple, stupid", the other phrase I like to ask myself is: "what would Annora do?"...

What do you have that fires your creative juices? - leave a comment and let me know!

Sarah x