Create a home office with a sense of Scandi calm

After the chaos of the past year, home schooling and work-from-home spaces have slowly succumbed to a rising tide of general clutter and classroom mess. So whether you’re reclaiming your space from the kids or not, take this back-to-school moment as a chance to give your home office a mini makeover and create a fresh space with a nod to Scandi style. Calm and clean, with a natural colour scheme, our Scandi vibe is easy to recreate, whether you’re on a corner of the kitchen table or in an office at the bottom of the garden.

After months of juggling the dining table, the laptop and constantly moving work- and school-related ‘stuff’ around your home, it’s time to create your perfect work-from-home space. Start with a simple desk, a statement chair (rather than a clunky, corporate, office chair), a favourite print or noticeboard and task lighting. Then add desk storage, a plant and some new stationery – we all love a new notebook. Try not to clutter up your new desk, opting for baskets nearby where you can tuck away chargers and kit that’s not constantly needed.

But the right home office environment is more than just the furniture. We‘ve all become our own IT helpdesk in the past year, so if you need to replace your current IT kit, then the team at John Lewis are here to help.

As desks are popping up in any location in the house – from living rooms to bedrooms, open-plan kitchen-diners to nooks under the stairs – a simple, Scandi style design will help your working-from-home corner feel calm and uncluttered. Choose an elegant slim-line desk – a piece with narrow legs will enhance the sense of space around it – while a drawer below or to the side is helpful to store your laptop if you need to write or make notes.

‘This season we’ve brought function and beauty together to offer a selection of design-led desks that will elevate any home office space – it‘s about choosing a desk that reflects your personality and interior style,’ says David Barrett, Partner and Living & Dining Furniture Buyer.

Think of what’s lurking in your desk back at your office, the forgotten notebooks, the catalogues, the brochures, old course notes… and whatever you’ve stuffed into your pedestal. It’s amazing how little of this we actually need to do our jobs. What you do use, sort with some new desk storage. Try adopting what the Swedish term ‘lagom’ meaning ‘not too little, not too much, just right’ and only have those essentials you really need around you. You could even adopt your own tidy Friday and finish the week restoring that sense of calm to your work space.

Scandinavians love a hero light, so find a design that catches your eye for your home office. Task lighting doesn’t mean boring. Look for an iconic desk light by brands such as Anglepoise or Tom Dixon. Opt for sleek black, chrome or even dark green – but keep it simple in shape to play to that Scandi style ethos. If desk space is tight, then a top tip is to choose a floor-standing version.

Be inspired by the Swedish tradition of ‘fika’, where people stop, step away from their desks and actually take a coffee-and-cake break. Create a cosy corner where you can sit and call a friend for a chat or brainstorm, read something non-work related or listen to a podcast. Style a chair or bench with a few cushions and stock up on those sweet treats ready to enjoy with your mid-morning coffee.