Est Living on Creative and Compact Study Spaces

Produced in partnership with Est Living
Architecture, interior architecture & landscape design: Shareen Joel
Styling & furniture selection: Swee Design
Photography: Shannon Mcgrath

Design a pared-back, versatile, and sophisticated study space within any room of the home with KING.

Once a home office or study space was an optional extra, but nowadays the ‘WFH era’ means most of us require a comfortable and flexible space where we can work or study from all day long.

Open to the ebb and flow of a home or tucked away to ensure privacy, a work or study space can hold its own through pared-back simplicity, and thoughtful materiality and features the fundamental furnishings of a desk and chair. When spatial constraints are a challenge, a study nook can be an innovative solution to integrating a workspace into the kitchen, stairwell, hallway, or living room. Applying clean lines, minimal shapes, and rich, natural materials such as wood and metal can create a modern and streamlined aesthetic – not to mention the profound effect it can have on motivation and productivity.

Championing five decades of design history, we’ve engaged the expertise of KING to explore how best to build a contemporary study space. We look at the curated selection of elemental and multi-use furniture pieces it takes to craft an elevated and inspiring home office. These five study nooks throughout the home prove that a dedicated workspace can be possible, regardless of spatial footprint, and each is sure to inspire a more productive and focused outlook.

The Quay Console Table is styled using handmade ceramics pieces by Belinda Wiltshire from Makers’ Mrkt.

The Hallway

For a study area at a moment’s notice, the Quay Console Table provides an ideal desk with an elegant touch. Featuring an aluminum frame wrapped in customisable thick timber veneer, the console lends itself to any aesthetic and doubles as a hall table, bedroom dresser, or sideboard. Simply add a plush writer’s chair to complete the study setting.

This cosy nook was created using an Oliver Tub Chair and an Apero Side Table and features a circular vase by Eun ceramics.

The Quiet Niche

In order to craft a cosy spot to curl up with a good book; a comfortable, occasional chair and side table provide the perfect pairing, especially in more confined spaces. The Oliver Tub Chair delivers timeless elegance to any room including the bedroom, living room and hallway.

Available in a variety of premium fabrics or European leathers (and backed by a 25-year steel frame warranty) the swivel Oliver Tub Chair is an essential, multi-functional chair for any home. The sculptural Apero Side Table makes an ideal duo with the Oliver Tub Chair and provides a sweet spot for a lamp, book, cup of tea, or a sculptural vase of flowers.

The Quay Armless Dining Chair creates a comfortable and sturdy study nook, especially alongside a beautiful, handblown glass Pallino Table Lamp that casts a refined silhouette.

The Boulevard Armchair sits next to the sculptural timber form of the Issho Coffee Table. Hermon Blue Neptune Sticks and Arc by Deborah Sweeney add interest and personality

The Living Space

When storage needs to be optimised a multi-purpose desk such as the elegant Canyon Console Table offers additional flexibility. Appealing to Australia’s love for sustainably sourced timber, this American Oak console has two drawers on easy-glide runners to keep unused items tucked neatly out of sight.

A versatile addition to any home the High Bongo can be used as a seat for a study space.

The Stairwell Study

A temporary study nook can be achieved with the addition of the High Bongo Ottoman. A convenient and multi-functional furniture piece, the High Bongo Ottoman doubles as a footstool, or add the additional veneer tray and turn it into a coffee table when it’s not required as a seat in the study space.

The High Bongo Ottoman is customisable in a variety of easy-care fabrics, or elevate this item with the choice of luxurious leather upholstery. Artwork by Dane Lovett from Station Gallery and pieces by Huseyin Sami from Sophie Gannon Gallery alongside a Silhouette vessel by Hermon Blue add interest and personality, while a Pallino Table Lamp offers a modern fresh, minimalist, and light touch to this study space.

The Cassia Bar Stool is pictured with a pink Abs Objects Woman vase, Hermon Blue Ritual candelabra, and wall art by K?ryn Taylor from Gallery 9.

The Scullery

Transform the kitchen pantry bench into a study alcove with the addition of a comfortable spot to sit. Elevating this simple nook is the modern profile of a dark-stained, timber Cassia Counter Stool. Available in fabric or leather and backed by a 25-year steel frame warranty this is the ideal piece for crafting an easy, makeshift workspace.

Discover more interior design inspiration and advice from Est Living: