REGARDLESS of whether or not you work from home, a small study area is a useful addition to a property.

Most of us have a computer to make a space for, or we need a quiet place to sort out our bills and other paperwork.

We have to be realistic about the amount of space we need and finding a suitable place may be your main concern. Take a good look at your home and consider how much space you can spare.

Here is a list of questions to help with the decision-making process.

Do you have a guest room that you could transform into an office?

You may not to be able to give up a whole room, so what about a dual-purpose room that could be rearranged to accommodate two different uses?

Do you have an unused space under the stairs that could be converted?

How about an alcove in a lounge, dining room or kitchen?

Are you planning an extension or loft conversion that could include a space for a study?

How about outdoors? Do you have space for a summerhouse?

Ask yourself what style would suit you and your home office.

Work out your key pieces of furniture. Decide whether you want them to be freestanding or built in pieces. You may be restricted on space so a conventional free-standing desk with drawers on both sides may not be practical.

Make sure whereever you end up sitting to work that it's comfortable for you and that, if you are planning to sit for long periods at your desk, you have a supportive chair.

An office can accumulate quite a lot of clutter, which means you can never have enough storage.

Decide on the best ways to organise files boxes books and stationery - do you want it all within easy reach or can most of it be hidden from view?

There are so many choices available to complement the individual style of your room.

An all-in-one unit that stores everything from your computer to CDs, books and files is the perfect solution where your room has to serve two purposes.

If this is the case, make sure that your unit has doors so all the clutter can be hidden away.

Don't forget about the lighting. An office needs to have sufficient light source by which you can work.

If you can, invest in recessed ceiling lights to give a crisp clean light. A desk lamp that can have its light directed to where you need it is essential if you have a central pendant fitting.

Spend time thinking about what sort of colours to use in your office as these influence the mood of the room.

Yellow is a stimulating and energising colour, red will raise the pulse, and blue will focus and sharpen your mind. Whichever colour you decide on, bear in mind that it will reflect how you work or relax, so be sure to base your choice on how the room will be used for the majority of the time.

If it's a bedroom with a work area, try to use a calming shade.

When thinking about how to dress your window, consider the amount of natural light you want.

Curtains are always a good choice but you may want to add a blind.

Whether you use Roman, wooden Venetian style or even a voile roller blind to defuse the light off your computer screen, there will always be a perfect solution to allow as much or as little light into your room as you require.

For details of a full House Doctor Service, contact the design team at Honeysuckle Interiors, Oakley, on 01256 780831 or visit the website honeysuckleinteriors.co.uk