Home Office Feature
Study in Style
Barnes of Ashburton describes what it takes to create a chic study in your home, writes Hayley Gilbert
Hayley Gilbert
9 February 2022
As more of us continue to work from home and actually find that we enjoy it, this provides the perfect opportunity to create the ultimate home office or study area. In order to achieve a tailor-made solution, it needs to be bespoke. For expert cabinetmakers Barnes of Ashburton, this is an area in which it excels, creating hardworking home offices that combine function and practicality with beautiful design and unique finishing touches.
“We are more than kitchens,” explains director Kim Whinnett. “We create and make furniture for any room and we found that home office enquiries have certainly increased now that many of us are working from home.”
For these Devon-based artisans, the key to a successful space lies in creating one that is both functional and inspiring. “Once we know what our customer wants, we design to optimise the aesthetic,” adds Kim, “to create an effective and pleasing environment in which to work. Whether that is a dedicated office space with inspiring views over the garden, or a compact corner of the room that requires clever lighting.”
Barnes of Ashburton enables each step of your home office journey, from concept and design, through to manufacture, installation and aftercare. As it makes its own furniture, it can offer a custom-made environment for you to work safely and comfortably in at home. “Your design is personal to you,” says Kim, “and we will cater for everything you need and want within that workspace. We know that everyone works in a different way with different needs, so we can tailor precisely to those needs. That could mean having a beautiful walnut desk, a gorgeous ergonomic chair and plenty of discreet storage. In fact, we can do so much with storage. We can integrate printers and shredders, design secret drawers and cubby holes for safes and petty cash boxes; even filing can be an art in itself.
We always begin the process much in the same way as a kitchen design, asking the customer what they need and want from the space. Once the practical elements are decided, we get creative. This can involve things like beading, moulding, panelling, chamfered edges, tactile materials and finishes, beautiful desks, bookcases, storage and lots of lighting, which is so important,” Kim explains.
Whether modern or traditional, Barnes of Ashburton can design the perfect space that will effortlessly integrate within your home. “Your home office or study should be inspiring, creative, comfortable and purposeful,” reveals Kim, “a place where you look forward to spending time in and getting down to work. And because it’s a home office, it’s important that it feels like an integral part of your home, built to be in keeping with your property’s age, style and architecture.”
