N o matter where you live or the colour of your collar, living space is at an ever-ascending premium. But, if you’re already squeezed for space, you may need to employ a bit of creativity to carve out a niche where you can get business taken care of. Luckily, the way we work today has greatly reduced the need for physical space in the places where we work. Where once we needed bulky desktops, most of us now get our work done on slim laptops, tablets or phones. And with so much more of our work lives now stored on our devices, many workspaces have become virtually paper free. We use apps and software to store our notes, keep our files in order and help us plan our days without lifting a pen. For better or for worse, we’re getting more work done than ever before – but we’re getting it done by using less. Wall-free working “You can put a workspace just about anywhere now,” says Laura Lockhead of Pocketspace Interiors (www.pocketspaceinteriors.co.nz). “A home office can be a study nook built into a wall in a bedroom or hallway – freeing up the ‘historical home office’ room for other uses.” And for a lot of people, a workspace can be something much more transient than it used to be, something that can moved around to suit the task or need at hand. Determining whether you need a fixed or flexible space comes down to work/life balance, says Laura. “It’s about how much time people spend working at home, how much time they spend on the phone, and how they deal with distractions. If work is just checking on emails, you can probably do it from just about anywhere.” While an entire dedicated room is likely no longer a necessity, having a dedicated space or zone can Homework is no longer just a concept for the school-aged. office out of Resene Untamed Resene Moana Resene Away We Go Resene Daredevil Resene Cleopatra Resene Pohutukawa Resene Noir Resene Family Tree Resene Moonlight Resene Moccasin Resene Mystery Opposite: By switching out the artwork, you can easily turn this casual office space from a ‘she-den’ into a ‘he-den’. The walls are in Resene Mother Nature, the chair and vase are in Resene Peace and the accessories are in Resene Family Tree, Resene Permanent Green, Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Rivergum. The desk top, bookshelf and large planter are in Resene Noir and the floor is in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash. stockists Harrison Armchair from Nood, www.nood.co.nz. Anglepoise Type 75 Mini Desk Lamp from Citta, www.cittadesign.com. Sofia Print from Pop Motif, www.popmotif.com. Arro Vase in Sage Green from Shut the Front Door, www.shutthefrontdoor.co.nz. File boxes from Kmart, www.kmart.co.nz. Resene Noir Resene Family Tree Resene Peace Resene Rivergum Resene Mother Nature Resene Permanent Green Resene Silver Chalice Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash Above: In this fun and vibrant space – inspired by an old schoolhouse – the upper wall has been painted in Resene Moonlight, the panelling is in Resene Untamed, with accents throughout in Resene Moccasin, Resene Mystery, Resene Away We Go, Resene Moana, Resene Daredevil, Resene Cleopatra, Resene Pohutukawa and Resene Noir. The chalkboard has been painted with two coats of Resene Magnetic Magic followed by Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Family Tree. stockists Atelier Desk, Brendon Chair and Melibu Rug from Freedom Furniture, www.freedomfurniture.co.nz. Napier print from Endemic World, www.endemicworld.com. Stationery and organisers from Kmart, www.kmart.co.nz. 57 56 home office