My favourite space!

Doug Belshaw has shared a composite picture of his attic-office - a space he is sorry to be losing as he and his family move house. He has challenged his readers to share photos of their favourite study spaces.

Of course, I'm going to break the rules.

We have recently moved into a new house. Much bigger than our previous house, with all sorts of extra spaces. While they don't qualify as study spaces, the fact that Doug's shoeless feet are clearly visible in his picture gave me to think that his study space is also a relax space. I thought I'd reciprocate with pictures of my favourite relax spaces in our new house.

First off, there's the conservatory. Large, airy, comfortable. We often retire to this area with coffee after a meal. It makes a great chill out zone. Because of the way it has been constructed, including the brick wall you can see on the left, the room is pretty warm. But it also has another potential use: there's a completely open walk-through from the dining-room, so we could add an extra table and have a sitdown meal for 20 people. I can't wait to have a go at that!

But our favourite space has got to be (like Doug's) the attic. We have decided to use it as a family room. The TV is up there, together with the DVD player (not the XBox - that's elsewhere in the house!). There is a bookshelf full of reference books for resolving family disputes, and checking up on "facts" spouted on the telly without having to power up a computer (although, this is a distinct option as well). The ironing board is also up there, because I can iron for hours on end, but only if there's something to watch on the telly.

Most people are horrified when I describe the colour scheme in the room. We LOVE it! It leaves the lounge free to entertain guests, while ensuring that the kids have somewhere to go when the adult conversation gets boring, and they don't have to compete for volume with the talk. This is our family bolt-hole, and we spend hours up there. What it needs is a few brightly coloured bean bags. I found some in South Africa, but transporting them over by plane would have been tricky. While beanbags are plentiful in the UK, they tend to be in browns and beiges which, while beautiful, are not what we're after!

So - sorry that it's not a study space, Doug, but they are both spaces I treasure beyond my study space. Anyone interested in seeing more pictures of our new house can find them in my Flickr account.