Upgrade your WFH space: Stylish desks, storage and stationery for a September reset

September arrived in a rush this year, catching many of us unawares. But as the back to school/work/waterproofs whirl settles, now is a good time to take stock and sort your life out before the chaos becomes entrenched. The good news is that there are plenty of great-looking options to make getting straightened out seem like a treat.

For those with the luxury of a home office or dedicated workspace, there are all sorts of big-ticket items that can set you up for a productive, clear-minded school year ahead. Erik Munro, founder of London-based interior design studio Munro, says the ideal home office set-up should “start with a comfy chair and a large desk — you want space for more than just a laptop.

Include storage for stationery and a sliding drawer to hide your printer. Add a cool desk lamp and integrate power cables properly — I always suggest a small slot in the desk with plug sockets hidden in the wall below or a discreet floor box. That way, all your wires disappear beneath the desk rather than becoming a tangled mess.”

The ETO desk from King Living (from £1,390, Kingliving.co.uk) does away with the need to worry about tangles thanks to its integrated power, wireless charging and cable management system. In a cramped London flat where your desk may well be part of your living space, a folding or compact option might be preferable — either way, let this be the year you stop slouching over your laptop on the sofa.

Lozi’s newly launched wall desk comes in various sizes and finishes and can be folded away when admin is done (£960-£1,380, Lozidesigns.com). The Leandesk (from £610, Leandesk.com) is another compact option, while possibly the least intrusive desk out there is the Stackers desk in a box (£120, Johnlewis.com), which can be packed away almost instantly at the end of the day.

John Lewis stackers desk in a box

John Lewis

Modular furniture is a smart choice for anyone not yet in their “forever home”, but it is ideal for renters in particular — you can start small and expand or rearrange as you move, rather than buying and discarding cheap bits. Swiss brand USM’s Haller system is the aspirational design classic.

A special edition claret series is set to launch next month in collaboration with London design shop Aram (from £1,568). Danish brand Montana Furniture offers another colourful system, with everything from shelving units to desk organisers and memo boards. The mini series is especially handy for the space-starved (from £285, Montanafurniture.com).

Montana Furniture mini desk series

Mikkel Mortensen // Yellows

No matter how many times you choose to go paper-free, the world still conspires to send some essential paperwork via snail mail. File it away in one of Bisley’s attractively coloured steel cabinets, still made in its factory in Wales (the 29 Series Multidrawer, from £109, Ryman.co.uk).

When designing her own studio, interior designer Jasmine Fisher used storage units from Zara Home, elevated with baskets from Oka. “People often avoid engaging with admin because it’s chaotic or it feels like a burden because it’s not very beautiful,” she says. “We had a lengthy search for beautiful folders and binders and pen pots and found them at Harris & Jones (from £39, Harrisandjones.co.uk) and Pentreath & Hall (£35).

Harris & Jones folders and binders

Copyright Luma Content Ltd

For labelling, we tie on marbled gift tags. You want your admin and workspace to feel like part of your home, especially if it’s integrated in your living space rather than in a separate office — it doesn’t have to jar.” Gabriella Marcella, of risographic specialist and stationery designer Risotto Studio, takes a similar approach. “Colour can be super practical as well as decorative,” she says.

“I use it almost as a system in itself, to separate information, highlight priorities and make things easier to navigate. Getting organised is much more appealing when the things you’re using make you smile.” Her A1 XL year planner (£20) is an organisational tool and a decorative feature in one.

A desk lamp is the most calming and attractive form of task lighting. “Bright white spots will only make your nervous system agitated. Often if you have a family, you’re picking things up after bedtime and harsh light will disrupt your circadian rhythms,” says Fisher. Anglepoise’s update to the Original 315 desk lamp — the Navigation Edition (£245, Johnlewis.com) — has bright directional light and a notebook and pencil that can be slotted on to the base.

Anglepoise Original 315 desk lamp — the Navigation Edition

Anglepoise

Systems in place? Now you can treat yourself to some gorgeous stationery. As former map designer Amy Cooper-Wright, founder of stationery brand Mark + Fold, says: “Having tools around you every day that make you feel good has a real effect on your state of mind and well-being, which ultimately makes you more productive as well. A great pen that writes smoothly, a notebook that spreads flat and has great paper, means you can get lost in your work and reach that dream state of deep work they call ‘flow’.”

The brand’s Ultimate Gift Box (£175, Marksandfold.com) covers the essentials, including a notebook, diary and planner, brass accessories and fresh pencils begging to be sharpened. Abask also has beautiful thick ledgers from Choosing Keeping for the smartest list-making in town (£50, Choosingkeeping.com), and you can’t go wrong with Niwaki’s covetable Japanese design, perhaps a pair of ergonomic Mainichi desk scissors (£36, Niwaki.com).

Abask ledgers

Abask

As Cooper-Wright says: “Life can be messy and busy, but if we can instil some form of order and systems, then we feel calmer and more able to tackle it all.”