Interiors with Sarah Jane Nielsen, owner and director of Sarah Jane Nielsen Limited, at Staveley.

More and more of us are working from home at least part of the time, but how many of us have a top floor home office housed in a hexagonal turret overlooking the waters of Windermere? It was a space crying out for luxe styling, a space in which clutter could be cleverly stored and hidden from view to introduce a feeling of calm, well ordered opulence.

The materials were all carefully chosen to communicate luxury, while the overriding design principle was practicality; every item of furniture has a functionality that isn’t immediately apparent. The huge hexagonal desk is inlaid with ostrich leather and burr walnut. It has built in storage for all of our client’s hardware – and plenty of space for the sumptuous buttoned leather desk chair from George Smith.

The Silent Gliss tri screen blinds look amazing with the silhouette of the surrounding trees as a foil, but they also offer enhanced temperature control in a space that would otherwise be a difficult climate to manage for much of the Lake District year. The statuesque standard lamps and desk lamps are from Belgium’s HGC International and introduce unique shape and form in an otherwise angular room.

But perhaps my favourite items of furniture are the burr walnut sideboards with horn handles from Ochre. Designed to house suspension files and paperwork, their external elegance belies their enhanced functionality. Our local bespoke joinery firm brought my designs to life and their craftsmanship really shines through.

All of the planning and design has resulted in the ability to leave all surfaces clean and clear of unnecessary and unwelcome distractions.