Cohesive and Affordable Study Inspiration

Hi all,

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End of term means a lot of us will be working from home a little more than usual over the Christmas and New Year school-holiday-break! I thought it would be nice to provide some inspiration from the Homebuyers Centre Bayside display, that demonstrates how to affordably achieve a neat WFH space, while ensuring the open plan living area still has a cohesive look and feel. If you read my last entry on the Jamieson Gaming Hub, you’ll notice the desk and base are the same making these two back-to-back posts a great example of how versatile these pieces can be!

The drawers, shelf and office chairs are all trusty Ikea! They provide a neutral base that pairs well with the rest of the home and also kept costs down. By saving $ on the main items, it allowed me to get a custom 2.4m bench top made in the same laminate as the kitchen (which is directly opposite the study wall.) The top wasn’t overly expensive because it doesn’t have any hard fixings mounted into the back, so the labour time was cut down and the price was reduced.

** TIP ** If you engage a cabinet maker to make a square-edge laminated benchtop for your home, don’t forget to ask for ABS Edging!

This is a common factor forgotten about because not every cabinet maker includes it as standard in their pricing for shelving or laminated panels but it makes the world of difference in both aesthetic and general wear and tear.

The LÅNGFJÄLL chairs are a fave of mine and I have used them multiple times in study spaces over the years. Here are a few key reasons why they’re a winner in my eyes.

• They’re quite solid and weighty- making them good options for children because they won’t easily tip over. 
• The white frame/ base is a lovely option if you have light and bright interior selections. 
• The fabric is SO versatile and goes with various different colour palettes. 
• The wheels don’t need to be installed if you prefer a ‘swivel’ only study chair.
• The price (being under $200) is awesome for the quality of the product. 
• They also come in a high back option if you need additional support.

The pinboards are awesome wall decor to display anything and everything- memos, planners, kid’s artwork or merit awards, advent calendars, utility bills (ergh), vision or mood boards, photos or small scale accessories like headphones. Depending on how the pinboards are used, they can add personality to the space and enhance a colour scheme that you’re wanting to achieve (if small artwork prints are styled among the everyday items.) Wooden push pins can also be a stylish way to introduce more oak tones into the area. I found this pack of 80 at Officeworks for under $5.

The Bayside study nook is directly in front of the kitchen and beside the dining and living room (in one large open area) so I wanted to keep the colour palette flowing throughout. By selecting a couple of accent colours used in the surrounding areas, it allowed me to style the benchtop and shelf simply but effectively. I used the ruffle vase from target which is an absolute steal at the moment (only $6.00) to introduce a pop of grey-blue and also picked up on the tan tones by purchasing some of the Officeworks Otto stationary (mousepad and A4 storage boxes.)

Other decor selections include the Elena photo frames from Target ($10.) They have a lovely white return on oak frame which is nice and thick- making the frame perfect for shelves as they sit upright by themselves (without needing a support arm.) The marble and brass lamp ($45) adds a touch of luxe, creates ambience and acts as an additional light source for night time work. The ceramic jar ($12) is a great trinket dish for small tech like usb devices, camera cords or to stash the candy you don’t want your children to eat! Lastly, don’t forget your greenery. It adds life to an area which can sometimes feel overwhelming and can be sourced affordably as artificial stems ($6) or pruned from your own garden.

Feel free to steal my style below and shop some of the key items in the Bayside study nook below.

Pinboard || Push Pins || Lamp || Pen Cup || Pens || Office Chair || Drawers || Photo Frame || Ruffle Vase || Ruffle Candle || Trinket Jar || Mouse Pad || Artificial Stem || Storage Box || Laminate ||

If there are any other suppliers you want to know about, please comment below or on my instagram.

Stay cool everyone and take care xo