The study is probably one of the least used but most important rooms in the house. Getting the details right is important, so here are ten steps to improve your study (or you spare room).
You probably don’t spend much time in the study or whatever room is spare for just pottering around. However, what little do time you spend in there is precious. That’s where some of your most serious work is done, so here are ten steps to help improve your study.
Step 1: Paint
Getting the right colour for your study can be a tricky job. Strong colours such as bright red or bright green are often too stimulating and you’ll find that you’re actually more distracted in the room. You’re better off going for a more natural toned down colours, even if they’re dark.
Step 2: Space
Make sure you have enough space to walk around your study. All you should need is a table a chair and a bookshelf. Pretty much everything else can be removed from the room to give you space to pace around whenever you’re stressed out or searching for that eureka moment.
Step 3: Shelves
Put up some shelving. You can’t have enough shelving in a study. The more shelving you have the less cabinets you’ll need, and this will also free up some extra space for you.
Step 4: Technology hub
Set up your technology hub in a particular corner of the room. Pick a corner to put your modem, telephone, printer, fax machine (do people still use them) and whatever else you might need to keep in contact with the outside world. You can also save electricity this way by connecting everything to one remote control socket that you can turn off when it’s not being used.
Step 5: Books
You can never have enough books. You’ve seen study rooms on TV that are filled wall to wall with books, right? Do you think the guy has ever read them all? Not a chance. Crack out your old college books and anything else that’s lying around the house to give you that ‘educated’ feel. The older the book the better the look.
Step 6: Blinds
You should put up some blinds in your study. This way, if you want to work in the dark you can, but you can also let some light into the room without it being overpowering.
Step 7: Lighting
A good idea for your study is to put in a dimmer switch. With a dimmer you can chose to flood the room with light if you’re working hard or keep it low if you’re just having a leisurely read of something.
Step 8: Chair
You should make sure to invest in a comfortable chair. If you look in the right places you can find a good office chair on the cheap. Try eBay and the likes for a good executive chair that will make you feel like a boss.
Step 9: Tranquillity
Do your best to make your study as peaceful and tranquil as possible. This means getting rid of anything that distracts you, be it a poster of Pamela Anderson or a lava lamp. Try to find a nice painting that makes you feel relaxed and hang it up directly in front of you. Maybe even one of those inspirational posters.
Step 10: Plants
Get a few houseplants for your study as this will help to keep it nice and oxygenated, which will help to keep your mind sharp and in the game. Plus, trying not to kill them will keep you occupied for a while.
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