We moved house this week (cue groans).

Our new house is bigger, closer to the beach, and – the clincher – has a little studio in the backyard which will be our office, when we eventually make our way through the obstacle course of boxes blocking the entry. Like so many others, the permanent move to WFH has changed the game for our family, enabling us to make the sea-change we’ve been talking about for years.

But before we can get there, we’re still well and truly in the slog of moving. Despite my best attempts to fanatically label boxes, it’s anyone’s guess where that manila folder went, or whether the cable in this drawer actually attaches to anything, or is just here for moral support. So in the meantime, I’m working from my laptop on the couch, which is both ergonomically and emotionally flawed. Trying to stay on task, ignore my chaotic children, and not throw my back out? A challenge for the ages.

My partner regularly accuses me of being a bit OTT with organisation (which is rich coming from someone who asks me where things are at least 12 times a day). Leaning into the moving mayhem has been quite the task – I can’t sleep if there are dishes in the sink, so trying to work inside a jigsaw of packing boxes is not doing my anxiety levels any favours.

I’m self-soothing by mentally planning the layout of our new WFH space…and everything I need to buy to bring the vision to life.

The office chair

I always thought office chairs had to be one of two things: ugly but ergonomic, or pretty but impractical. Then I found this Eames replica – surprisingly heavy, solid, and soft to the touch. I love this chair (yes, a sentence I never expected to write).

The keyboard

A few months ago I started getting pain in my wrists. By mid-afternoon, I was stacking books under my laptop to try to change the angle of my typing (to no avail). Scrolling Instagram I came across what at first glance I thought was a makeup palette – but turned out to be the Ajazz wireless compact Bluetooth keyboard, and the solution to my typing conundrum.

The laptop stand

Constantly jutting my neck forward to peer down at my laptop is…not great. But most laptop stands are also…not great. Unlike the Dragonfly bamboo laptop stand, which looks more like some sort of minimalist sculpture than a piece of tech.

Image: @casadasamigas

The plants

Trailing plants have been having a moment for a couple of years now, and I’m still all about it. Plants are a natural air purifier, as well as providing that all-important aesthetic element. A little Devil’s Ivy and a slimline plant stand adds texture and height.

The art

In a previous job, a colleague of mine had a dedicated corner of her office for Zooms. I always looked forward to meetings with her, knowing her setup featured a gallery wall of gorgeous artwork that I never tired of looking at. I’ve got my eye on a Rachel Castle print to kick off my own Zoom corner.