My desk chaos was infamous so I designed an office that works for my ADHD brain – a space that supports mental focus, creative energy and health

Strategist and content creator Francesca Swan is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on the concept of 'Everything' and what makes a home special to you. See the rest of her articles here.

This may (or may not!) come as a surprise, but in my previous working world, I was infamous for my unbelievably messy desk. In already chaotic fashion offices, my desk was quite the standout – folders, magazines, and paperwork piled precariously high.

Imagine the scene in “The Devil Wears Prada’ where Miranda strides into the office and everybody starts frantically tidying up. That was me every time I saw the CEO heading my way. Literally shoving stuff under my desk, already home to 17 pairs of shoes, or sweeping it across to colleagues', which understandably didn't go down terribly well.

To be fair, I had undiagnosed ADHD and was working in environments that weren't remotely suited to me. Nevertheless, it’s a miracle I actually managed to get any work done at all.

When working from home doesn’t work

As I design my new office, I’m thinking deeply about the what, why, how and where of my working space.

For many of us, COVID permanently changed how and where we our jobs take place. We were suddenly forced to work from home, when few of us had proper setups in place. We likely resorted to an ugly desk because nice ones sold out, then shoved it in any available corner. This probably took an already not ideal office set-up and made it worse at home. Our supposed sanctuary from the world. Five years later, many of us are still working in those hastily thrown together spaces.

Then there’s another hurdle; if you work at home, when does it stop feeling like home and start permanently feeling like work? No door to close at the end of day means no boundaries. It’s easy to unwittingly toil away until midnight – and that’s both physically and mentally unhealthy.

And it’s not just working from home - whether a communal office, a coffee shop or a co-working space - the chances are it’s not working for you.

If you drop a frog in boiling water, it jumps out. If you put it in cold water and slowly increase the temperature, it stay put and boils alive. We don't realise we're quietly boiling our brains and creativities, simply because our workspaces morphed around us, without us first considering our needs.

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Think about your needs to find your everything

My ongoing quest to find my Everything feeling of contentment and joy, means I interrogate things ruthlessly.

I’ve sought to understand what I need to work effectively to create an ADHD-friendly space, thereby reducing stress before I start and thereby allowing my creativity to flourish.

My current working situation is either in bed or sitting at a draughty dressing table with wood wedged under my chair to fashion a vaguely ergonomic setup. My “in tray” is a jute bag on the floor, filled with papers and stationery. Every time I move to get something, I fall off my chair. Which is fun. Thankfully, my long-awaited office is soon to be a reality - but I need to design it first.

Finding my Everything

My office design has been a long time in the making.

Thankfully I now recognise I have a strong and unique creative identity. I want my Everything office exactly as I want it, without needing to consider others. This may sound selfish, but it’s really not. For me, after years of conforming and people pleasing, it’s a revelation and gift.

I’ve taken forward what I loved about my old office - the painted ceiling, statement window, art, books and a very big desk - things that gave me my Everything feeling.

My old office walls in the wrong white, unconsciously made me uncomfortable. Live it, learn it. I need the right colour for comfort and inspiration. My new office is small with two beautiful windows but north facing with little natural light. It needs to feel warm, with bright, energising colour. Lots of it. On every surface. All together. A bit extra. Like me.

The perfect palette

The walls, ceiling, window frames and door will be a kaleidoscope of matt shades and strategic gloss for extra drama.

I’m having a bit of a Goldilocks moment finding the perfect colours. I need highly pigmented, contrasting colour popping off the walls into technicoloured reality to work with the tricky light.

It’s a tough brief, so the search goes on until I find something JUST right to create an oasis of Everything, that fills me with joy whenever I cross the threshold.

I’m not blowing my own horn, but, when I do get there, I have total confidence that it's going to be utterly incredible *crossing fingers tightly*.

Curating my Everything pieces

I’ve spent the past year seeking and falling in love with very special pieces to create that Everything design magic.

My first find was an exceptional Italian mid-century chandelier – chrome and Murano glass - from the fabulous concept store, Pitch. I got into serious trouble with the other half for buying a light when my office was a distant dream and cash flow was patchy, to say the least. Nevertheless, I’m glad I braved the storm and will now have it forever.

Art - with my inspiring icons looking down on me - is also essential to my design process. My David Bowie, Patti Smith and Joan Didion prints are finally coming home from storage. I’ve also recently discovered the incredible artist, Rachel Jones. In the words of Jennifer Scott, the Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, which recently exhibited her Gated Canyons show:

“When we stare for a while at Rachel Jones’ paintings, they work their all-consuming magic. In that moment, we cannot think of anything other than the language of her colours.”

A true Everything artist if ever there were one.

The chair that doesn’t exist… yet

Bizarrely, beautiful office chairs that are ergonomically correct don't seem to exist.

I’ll solve this by reupholstering my slightly battered Charles Eames chair in a gorgeous fabric, adding back supports and footrests.

It will look incredible and stop me wrecking my back. Win.

Organisation makes me happy

I’m most excited to finally set my office up to make my ADHD happy, so I can function without friction.

I work with A3 paper, monitors and laptop, all spread out in a structured way. A small desk is a no go – I need room or I can't find anything. Like a pilot’s cockpit, I want ergonomic design with essentials in the right place, so I can easily reach what I need, when I need it and pilot my creative plane with ease.

I've found the perfect big, long, deep desk on eBay; plain classic metal, in a choice of vibrant colours. I’ll add beautiful folders, desk organisers, shelves with my reference books and a A0 year planner. It will be tidy, streamlined and, most importantly, ADHD optimised and stress-free. Heaven.

Design that is not for everyone – it’s for me

This room will be a lot and very Marmite. Yet exactly what I want. A zebra rug. Electric blue gloss windows. Pale green ceiling and raspberry walls. Clashing beautifully in a small space.

I wouldn't have been able to go this wild in a shared space. That’s the point. It’s not for everybody. It’s for me. We are all different, so what works for me won’t necessarily work for others.

It will be a room of my own.

A room of one’s own is for everyone

It’s bonkers how we unconsciously create hurdles that make our lives unnecessarily difficult. We’ve all fallen into ways and spaces of working that don’t serve us. We have enough conscious reasons to procrastinate about work, so don’t let the unconscious ones make it harder.

We owe it to ourselves to rethink how we function - physically, emotionally, creatively, intellectually and practically. What do you need to create the space that makes you feel Everything?

It’s not indulgent or selfish to want this. It’s necessary. You don’t need a seven-bedroom house to carve out an effective spot that suits you.

Designing for how you work

It’s not always easy to see knotty elements, especially if your space has grown around you over time.

Consider your personal foibles and nuances, so you can start from a place of advantage, happiness and contentment - not stress, unease or discomfort. Trust your senses to identify what isn't working. What can you physically see, smell, hear and feel? How does each part of your body feel?

Do you feel calm, energised, anxious? Are you inspired, focussed, logical, efficient? Do you need peace or buzz? A view or visual containment? Privacy or shared energy? Then look at your wish list vs the reality: what do you have to work with? What can you adjust? The solutions don’t need to be expensive; there are quick and easy fixes.

Get organised

Declutter. Ratty old notebooks, dead pens, broken staplers - get rid. Organise your toolbox. Find a home for everyday essentials. Files things properly (digitally and analogue).

For a pop-up desk, source a beautiful box to methodically store kit in, so you can bring it out and put it away easily at the end of the day - rather than sweeping it into a tattered supermarket bag for life. Yes, I see you, because I am you.

These remove barriers, so you can find what you need when you need it. Plus, it looks nice, which soothes both your creative and rational brain.

Create boundaries

Working from my bedroom means my professional life has become deeply tangled into my personal life. There is no separation. If you can relate, how do you signal to your brain: now we are working, or more importantly, now it’s down time?

If you're lucky enough to have your own room and shut the door at the end of the day, brilliant. Have at it. But if you're starting out by wiping down breakfast mess to clear a kitchen table or using a desk doubling as a dressing table, how do you create that essential divide?

A beautiful foldable screen could be your fix. Or a cloth to shift the physical and visual tactility of a kitchen table into a workspace. These simple things respect your body and your mind and support your creative and intellectual energy.

Be kind to your body and your body will be kind to you

Bed working. Just say no.

Doing this for hours on end, using my lap as a desk, legs outstretched, gave me a painful bout of gluteal tendonitis. The body is not designed to sit this way for long lengths of time. If you've got any existing aches and pains, I guarantee this will make them a lot worse.

For ironic transparency, I am writing this from my bed. I’m clearly better at giving advice than taking it. Also remember your chair and desk height matter. It’s worth a quick bit of research to make your setup ergonomically suitable. Trust me, your body will thank you.

Light and colour matter

The right light is crucial. Let’s not collectively ruin our eyes by working in gloom.

Is the overhead light suited to you? Are the brightness and colour of the bulb right? Do you have a nagging headache and don’t know why? A strong bright white light might be your culprit. If you need a desk light, choose one to add a unique style accent.

Colour psychology is vital for focus and inspiration. I didn't use my old office properly, because the cold white felt stark and unappealing. Again, research on this will pay dividends.

Control the controllables

If you’re working in busy, communal spaces, it’s not easy to personalise for your needs. Can you work comfortably with constant traffic around you? If not, can you reposition yourself away from distractions?

Noise-cancelling headphones can control your audio space. The Calm app is indispensable for soundscapes to zone out.

The finishing touches

Small things count and are fundamental, especially if you don’t have a permanent space.

Curate inspiring and personal pieces: a beautiful water jug and glass, considered stationery, small meaningful objects. Your creative soul matters: listen to what it needs and treat it with the love it deserves.

An Everything space Of your own

We don’t know what we don’t know. We all unwittingly create friction for ourselves. Work can be hard enough. Why are we making it harder?

I wager many of us unconsciously feel this way because we haven’t designed our working areas with our needs front of mind. We all deserve a space that supports mental focus, creative energy and health. It’s not indulgent. It’s essential.

Hopefully these tips help, so that when you sit down to do whatever you do, it’s with a glimmer of Everything and ease – not angst and anxiety before you've even opened your email.