Top 10 tips for live/work space

• Look at the space as if for the first time- perhaps sketch a floor plan
• Mark areas which are ONLY live - and private. Mark areas which are ONLY work, and those that can be BOTH
• In open plan spaces arrange furniture to separate areas, eg bookshelves used as room/space dividers
• Use moveable screens to separate areas, one side can be decorative – don’t be afraid to drape fabrics – and the other side can be modified as a pin board for marketing ideas/posters

• Colour can be used to delineate areas –to separate them or unify – and provide interest
• Don’t be afraid to have a house colour - on business cards, flyers, also accented on a wall, part wall or screen. The ‘work’ part of the space can be livened up even if you only use a computer screen/paper filing
• Think carefully about lighting and cables - avoid trailing unsightly cables (safety issue too) and in flexible live and work spaces have some overhead lights on dimmers, and have additional floor/desk lamps which are also decorative, eg giant angle poise type
• Furniture can be dual purpose, a glass topped desk can double up as a dining table and the glass giving illusion of ‘lightness’
• Storage - be realistic; you will need some closed storage no matter how tidy you are!
• Keep open storage looking good by using attractive files and boxes.

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