I work full time from home although I do travel to visit clients from time to time as required. The room I use was meant to be a dining room - though it is too small to be a proper dining room. It is only 9 feet by 17 feet and has 2 doors (kitchen and living room access) taking up valuable wall space. Luckily in my industry I don't need too much in the way of filing cabinets, so just 2 do the job. I have 2 desks in there plus a number of other basic office style cabinets I bought flat pack years ago. The room also has to house my tools (a lot) and I tend to keep my bicycles in there too, which I shouldn't as it makes it overcrowded. There is a store for the bicycles but it isn't convenient to use. If I have visitors then I either put the bicycles away in advance or we use the living room, which is more common. My wife works in an office and our son is grown up and not living here, so no clashes there. For most of my work I simply need a notebook on wifi and a mobile phone but the office has a couple of pcs, a multipurpose all in one colour laser printer and a shredder. The second desk is used as a work bench when working on stuff that needs testing and/or repairing. I deal in high tech small equipment. No stock is held, which is good for cash flow and for keeping security risks down. I love working from home due to convenience. I deal with companies all around the world so working from home means I can leave off and when I need to connect in real time to people the other side of the world I just walk back through into the office again and everything is there. To me that is better than having an office and then either having to go back there for a 10pm video call or have it from home and find the details I need are in the office. What I dislike is the lack of company. It can be lonely working from home. My wife works in a large company and they have all sorts of facilities for the staff. Gym, squash courts, room for health classes (yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Qong etc.), cafeteria and so on. They also have all sorts of clubs and other team activities. I miss that side of office life, but then not many get to work in such large office communities. The setup works for me but I don't think working at home would suit everyone. You have to know yourself quite well before making the change.

I agree! As it is not always feasible to install real timber or stone, Karndean is the best vinyl option. I am going to have 36sqm of it installed in my own place. I have direct contacts with the manufacturers here in the UK. If anyone is interested, please inbox me and will get you in touch.

Hi Yolanda - I'd change the stools, table and chairs, and swap the pendants for something in coloured glass or (personally) metallic, and change the cabinet handles from steel to brass/gold. Instant lift. Splashback-wise, try distressed mirror (suitably tempered and toughened) as it has loads of personality, bounces light around and is easy to clean. Then play with wall colour. Warm accents will stop the wood door from jarring so much (or paint it, if you can convince your husband). You have a lovely kitchen - will take very little to get it where you want!

The space has a lot of potential. The first thing I would do is invest in a rug for the living/dining area, something not too bold and colourful, but also not too dark, a nice neutral colour, maybe a light grey. This is arguably the best thing you can do to create a more cosy feel. Another point that has already been mentioned, is that there a little bit of clutter, some kind of simple storage box that works with the colour theme would a a useful addition. When it comes to the lighting, painting that table white would make the room feel a little lighter and reflect the light rather than absorb it. Another tip for lighting is to opt for some blinds that allow for better light control rather than curtains. Wooden venetian blinds allow for precise light control and would suit your space perfectly, or for a more affordable option, you could try day & night roller blinds or dimout roller blinds. Below I have attached an image of a small scandinavian apartment that could give you some inspiration, as well as some blind suggestions. https://www.makemyblinds.co.uk/editions-brilliant-white.html https://www.makemyblinds.co.uk/day-night-natural-bridal-white.html https://www.makemyblinds.co.uk/burst-snowfall-roller-blind.html