I too work from home. The change took some to adjust to. Early on it was novel and I was smug that my 'commute' was only 15 seconds - bedroom to office. Over time I found I was not working so well as I was in an 'at home' frame of mind. I combated that to some extent as follows: 1. Paint it to look and feel like an office - if not you gradually feel to much like you are at home and work suffers. 2. Layout has to be practical first, looks count second. I see your desk and I think you are like me. Filing can be an issue. It is easy to end up with a desk buried under a foot of papers and that impacts your work and your mind. Have plenty of filing space - cabinets and/or shelving and ensure a fair amount of it is within a pace of your desk. Working from home means you will need to do most of the taking out and putting away, even if you do have an occasional assistant. Being able to do that within a simple turn from your chair means you can keep doing it. Once it is a chore to do, then suddenly it all piles up. 3. Going to work in the morning - get up, walk out and then come back in to the office. It may sound strange but as a habit you then feel you are at work. I used to stumble down the stairs and into the office and then work didn't really happen properly - I wasn't in an 'at work' frame of mind. Commuting to work is a pain but it actually makes that distinction - I am now at work. For me, making sure I am dressed suitably to go to the gate and back helps with that frame of mind. 4. Lighting - again, make it like at office - bright enough and no shadows. 5. IT equipment. Make sure it has enough space. There is nothing as infuriating as fighting with a printer in a tight shelving unit when the inevitable paper jam/toner change crops up as you are rushing to complete something. Again, working from home means you will be in charge of all this too, so get it all installed correctly so that it all works without too much effort from you. Your time is better spent in your primary role, so IT needs to be there for you, not you for it. 6. Drinks etc. For me I keep all that in the kitchen. This saves space and also makes me get up and stretch my legs from time to time. I don't have any young children anymore so there is no problem going and getting a drink - no break in the 'at work' mode. If you have young children at home this point may not work for you. 7. Make sure family and friends understand that you are at work and not simply at home. There is a tendency for them to think you are at home and that they can thus disturb you any time. Working at home means flexibility but also lost time from distractions if not done carefully. Good luck with your new venture. Onwards and upwards!

Thanks you to you all for your great feed back. Claire to answer your question, lighting is such a great investment and essential to any UK garden where the light fades and for many months your garden is appreciated through the cold months from the warmth of the interior space. What good is it if you can't see it in the evening! its not too late to lay cables along the back of your flower beds, the cable can be laid just below the surface of the soil for ease of maintenance. Lighting up foliage is the best way to illuminate a garden. It softens the light in much the same way as lamp light in a room. Its always best not to see the actual source of the light but instead highlight plants and features such as walls, sculptural elements or water features. Its worth every penny. Good luck with your project!

You need to sit with a glass of wine and think about how you want to use your outdoor space. Are there small children and if so how will you accommodate them - sandpit/ climbing frame etc. Do you entertain and if so do you want a largish table? Do you want to read and relax - if so hammock/ sun- lounger. When you've decided on purpose the form might be easier to sort. Sketch out possibilities on a piece of paper and think about how simple planting could break up sections e.g. Tiger grass - height without too much block and relatively tough and easy to care for. Gravel is extremely cheap, especially if bought in bulk, and can be great short or long term but I would choose something which blends in to existing surface colours and is more natural in appearance. Composite decking is a particular style so you need to decide whether a more natural or manufactured appearance is what you are after. If you pave then there are relatively cheap but ethical Indian sandstones available - I used Kelkay's Borderstone and researched the frost fracture point and sourcing and was satisfied with all except the lightest colour option. In summary - decide how space will be used in next 2/5/10 years - sketch a plan - decide on overall look and choose acceptable hard materials - adapt according to budget e.g. If you do want paving then can you border a small area with gravel to be cheaper but provide you with the focal point. Leaf through a gardening book/ magazine/RHS/ Waitrose gardening website for helpful information BEFORE going to a garden centre and choosing a few key plants which you can then add to in time. IKEA seem to have some good garden furniture which will see you through the next few summers.

Thanks Rachel - that's really helpful. Agree that's where we thought the pergola would go and like the idea of a wall to separate the different areas. Plus we have lots of bricks left over from the old patio which we're taking up as it was a nightmare to keep weed free! Do you think it would be too much patio to have it going round the whole corner of house where bifolds are (at different levels) and stretching across under the pergola? Imagine we could break it up with lots of pots or some 'holes' in it for planting? Tiles - thanks for the tip. We're having a wood effect vinyl planks so we wouldn't be able to do the same look inside and outside which I agree looks nice. We'll probably choose a type of Indian stone but need a shade that will work next to whit render (new extension) and the red brick of old part of the house. Thanks again, Gemma