Organise Your Home Office

Whether you run a business from home or are merely an extremely valued customer of Net-a-porter, a well-ordered home office can make you happier and more efficient – and it's as good a place as any to express yourself creatively. A gorgeous desk should make you want to knuckle down and complete that tax return, not hide in the next room and hope it will go away.

Designer office furniture can be expensive, but even if you're working at the dining table you should still make sure you're sitting properly. London furniture showroom Back2, which specialises in ergonomic furniture, advises on buying an adjustable chair, so you can sit with minimum stress (hips higher than your knees, feet on the floor, armrests supporting your elbows). Your monitor should be at arms' length, with the top of the screen is at eye level. Lighting-wise, you'll need both general (or 'ambient') light, plus a task light, and any lighting should fall on the keyboard, not the screen.

"Design your work area so that there's a place for everything and that everything you use regularly, such as the telephone, notepads, pens, pencils and appointment book are at your fingertips," says Simon Glanville, managing director of storage specialists Store. "Use colourful file folders or stickers to organise your documents by project and keep them in a hanging organiser or tiered organiser on your desktop." Whether you're into industrial-style chic, pared-down Scandinavian style or feminine florals, there's a set-up to suit your working (or shopping) habits.