study – findingtimetowrite

Friday Fun: More Cosy Reading and Writing

I’m not yet ready to come out of my burrow yet, despite the snowdrops and daffodils that are starting to come out. In the cosy places below, I have no doubts that I would make a huge dent in all of my current projects.

OK, this one is more grandiose rather than cosy, but I do like an armchair and a good reading lamp right next to bookcases. From ContentinaCottage.blogspot.com

Bookshelves are the best way to decorate your living room, from RealSimple.com

Use every bit of space, even in the entrance hall for books and armchairs. From stampsandstamps.com

We’ve had many discussions about how pretty attic spaces are… from Anna Wilson Interiors

A bit dark perhaps, but certainly cosy during the dark winter months. From Wattpad.com

I actually had a desk very similar to this in the department in Marburg University where I conducted my fieldwork, so no wonder it makes my heart beat faster. From Legendary_Scholar.tumblr.com

Friday Fun: Studies for Writing Retreats

I am very fortunate this week to have the use of a friend’s flat in one of my favourite locations in the world (the mountains above Lac Leman in Switzerland) and even two furry friends, a dog and a cat, to help me with my writing/editing/translating prowess. So this time I am not envious at all of the dreamy study spaces below.

Room to write, read and collect books, from Houzz.uk

At this time of year (winter in the northern hemisphere), I do have a tendency to retreat to dark, womb-like spaces. Hibernation delight in this study from EcheMartinez.com

If you prefer it lighter and airier, then perhaps this room from LocalArchitectsDirect.com will do the trick. Note the comfy steps for reaching the highest shelves!

For the classical design fans among you, I rather like this vivid shade of green. From Homes and Gardens (where else?)

A more achievable dream, I feel, one that I regret not implementing in my current study. From Fisher Noble.

The reason I did not implement the previous design was because I was hankering after a less achievable space like this (in the loft). From Neville Johnson.

And if you just want to read (or write while lying down), there is always the private library of Nuria Amat in Barcelona to inspire you. Photo credit: Ana Viladomiu.

Friday Fun: More Inspirational Workspaces

I’m not naturally a messy person. I am convinced of that. I simply do not have enough clever storage solutions. That must be the reason why I gravitate naturally towards the workspaces of architects, designers and artists. Most of them seem to be supremely tidy (at least when they have their studio photographed) and have plenty of pigeonholes, drawers and other means of tidying things away.

We’ll start off with something simple to warm up, a living room adapted for creativity, from Ina Referencias.

Isn’t that a fantastic creative island – I don’t want an island in the kitchen, I want one for writing, brainstorming, editing and everything else. From mirandaschroeder.com

This feels so calm and peaceful, with the colour coordination. From In Her Studio, Stampington.com

Desks large enough to accommodate computers, tea-trays, books and doodling are a must. From tressemple.com

The home study of the legendary Finnish designer Eero Aarnio from Ignant.com.

And when you get tired of all that work, this cosy small house seems to have a little bit of everything you might need to be happy. From Instagram of Jody Nonnemacher.

Friday Fun: Happy New Year in Your Happy Place!

Here are a few cosy places that make me happy in winter… if I had them in my life, that is. Hope you have a good ‘Rutsch’ (slip) into the New Year, as the Germans say, and that it is a much better year for all of us!

A double-decker study, from PMC Architects.

A study on the veranda to survive the dark winter days, from SF Girl by Bay.

You might be hiding in the jungle, but you still have plenty of light, from 1stDibs.com

Darker spaces, without windows, can be cosy too in winter. I can imagine storytelling against this backdrop.

Chalets are never far from my thoughts in the winter months, from Architectural Digest.

And when you are ready to conk out, is there a more beautiful place than this bedroom (watch out for the masks though!). From AirBnB.

Friday Fun: Perfect Workspaces?

I’m not so keen on open plan offices, but I’ve always loved the idea of having an office of my own, with a door I can close, and with lots of beautiful storage space so that I can be freakishly neat (I used to be, once upon a time, not so much now!)

OK, this is an office, but it’s an architects’ studio, and it has a view, so that makes it slightly better than most. From ArchDaily.com

A rather strange all-in-one-desk that can function as a room divider. From In Order to Succeed.

A more minimalist approach, with lots of lighting, both natural and artificial, from YLighting.

A window seat for a bit of a break from work is always a good thing, in my book. From Design Cafe.

Huge windows and lots of plants, as well as the pops of bright colour, make this one very attractive in my eyes. From TheModernHouse.com

Another bright pop of colour to give some zing to a rather bland room with a desk in the middle! Still, that view is a bit OK, isn’t it? From Decorilla.

Friday Fun: More Glamorous Work Spaces

Last week’s home offices were too practical, too efficient. Let’s look at something a little more aspirational this week!

A gallery study in a mountain chalet – you can’t aspire to anything higher than that, right? From Career Contessa.

This is a real design studio for Sarah Sherman, but I would use it just for myself.

This looks like a ship’s captain observation deck, I am a fan of wood panelling at times. From homify.co.uk

This one looks like a painting, especially with the open window. From homestolove.com.au

Corner offices, especially with corner windows, have always been my weakness. From the archives of curbed.com

Perhaps a bit too much glare in this Brussels home office, but it does look rather chic. From Wallpaper.com

Friday Fun: Work is Fun

I think I am trying to convince myself with this title, as I would much rather be on holiday in Yorkshire still. But it certainly would feel a lot more fun if you had one of these home offices – not all of them are ideal and fanciful, but they seem to solve a problem.

Tiny space, no room for a proper desk? Try this creative wavy one on a sort of closed balcony. With the radiator right by your legs, you won’t be as freezing as I get in my study! From Home Adore.

No space and no windows? This is typical of Japanese apartments, but author (and manga/anime artist) Tsukasa Kobayashi has found a great nook to aid his productivity.

Your study has to double as a guestroom/spare bedroom? No problem with this stylish sofa bed, which also makes for really comfy reading. From tuacasa.com.br

Under the eaves? This attic office is more of a hobby room, and could benefit from a few more bookshelves, but it’s a start. From unskinnyboppy.com

Under the eaves and you have to share with others? This long, narrow office sitting on top of an entire house might the solution, from archdaily.com

Under the eaves and you’ve got some historical beams to contend with? This pretty combination of old and new could be the solution, from Anna Wilson Interior Design.

More money than need for a home library or study? Then this dual-aspect corner office might tempt you. From 1stdibs.com

Friday Fun: Pod or Shed?

If you don’t have enough rooms in your house, then these sheds (or, currently all the rage, ‘pods’ which you can just drop in your back garden) offer a real alternative for a home office or writing retreat.

Armadilla garden pod has all the mod cons, from Ideal Home.

A bit exposed: they might catch you napping instead of working… from Building Projects.

This Rolls Roycel of sheds is bigger than many a house… or garden. From Roomsoutdoor.co.uk

Saw these simple pods at the University of Lancaster – study spaces for students to book. Great idea!

These floating pods at the University of York are intended more for meetings than individual study, but I could work in there for hours!

More like a conservatory extension than a shed, but I’ll take it. From cotemaison.fr

Friday Fun: Shedworking

One day, when I forget just how cold it gets in the conservatory in winter and how boiling in the summer, and if I will still have a garden, I will also have the perfect little garden shed for my creative endeavours.

This one can apparently be assembled easily, from Leroy Merlin in France.

This one is more atmospheric – I like that semicircular window. From jellysundae.tumblr

Not a shed as such, more of a passageway between two houses or a picturesque way to bridge a gap.

This is very similar to an old tumbledown tools shed that my mother-in-law had adjacent to her house in Athens – except this is the cleaned up version.

Another more romantic treatment of the lowly shed, from purewow.com

Futuristic shed treatment, complete with a patio for lounging or dining. From seloger.fr

Who needs a shed if you have a pergola – especially if it has hanging vines and grapes? My relatives had the right idea all along, although it wasn’t always as gorgeously decadent. From postris.com

Friday Fun: Dreamy Spaces for Escapologists

Well, we all know where people who have an impregnably clear conscience go, don’t we? Even after they mess up an entire country? To a shepherd’s hut in the back garden, of course.

Not David Cameron’s hut but very similar, to be found at Melody Farm in Cornwall.

Here are some alternative places to hide from public scrutiny. All come with a beautiful view, if you feel like scanning the horizon. Nothing to disturb your peace of mind or make you think of the people you left behind. Very photogenic, too, for when you hire photographers to take pictures of you signing your resignation letters.