Melbourne Interior Stylist Aimee Tarulli is no stranger to working from home. As a working mum, she's a seasoned professional at balancing the demands of running her business with raising a young family.

In this instalment on How We Work From Home, Aimee shares her advice on maintaining an organised and stylish family space, along with a selection of mood boards inspired by the King Collection championing soft and relaxed tones and fabrics and finishes ideally suited to family life.

Start with a clean slate.

On a regular day, Aimee works from her dedicated home office in Melbourne, but life has changed now that the rolling lockdowns of the pandemic have made home-schooling the new normal. These days Aimee finds herself camped at the dining table with her two children.

Thankfully as a talented interior stylist, well known for creating functional family spaces with her signature style of minimalism with a touch of luxury, she’s been quick to adapt to life in lockdown. For Aimee, it all comes down to organisation.

“I function better when I have a clean, clear workspace. I feel my stress levels rise the minute I set clutter. I try to keep my space quite minimal.”

For a home office, Aimee likes the clean lines and integrated technology of the Eto Desk featured here in Congo.

Aimee is a big believer in starting and finishing the workday with a clean slate. This is especially important when the dining table doubles as your desk. As Aimee points out, taking some time to clear the decks helps to set you up for a successful day working (or schooling) from home.

It comes back to getting organised and prioritising storage space so you can clear away school and work clutter.

"I've dedicated one big drawer in the kitchen to all the kids' school stuff. It's filled with all their books and pencils. We bring it out in the morning, and it all goes back at the end of the day - which is key."

The Dining Table Desk

Dining tables need to be robust and durable to stand up to the demands of family life, even more so when you throw in hours spent working from home. For Aimee, it comes down to choosing durable materials and finishes that are easy to maintain but still bring a touch of luxury to your everyday.

Quay Dining Table in Carrara Marble.

"I'm loving marble tops on dining tables at the moment. I've got one myself from King, and I find the marble surface so durable. When it doesn't have all the kids work all over it, it has this lovely glamorous feel to it.”

Aimee also recommends looking for tables with rounded edges, such as Quay Dining Table or Issho Dining Table, that sit lightly in a room.

“The softer edge makes the table easy to navigate and creates a sense of occasion and conversation.”

The round edges of the Issho Dining Table in American Walnut work for both family life and entertaining.

Connect with the outdoors

Aimee reflects that we’re all paying more attention to our outdoor spaces at the moment. Our outdoor rooms become an extension of our indoor spaces and a welcome refuge when we’re spending many hours at home.

"When you're working from home, it's important to step outside, sit down on a nice sofa, relax, and take a moment."

Aimee’s mood board entitled Living in Style uses soft greys and bold textures to create a connection between the living and outdoor space. It’s about finding those moments of escapism when we are working from home to take a breath and relax.

The Zaza Sofa covered in Hoxton Surf, and the Luna Outdoor Chair in Salt provide a beautiful opportunity to create an occasional seating space indoors and outdoors, no matter the size of the space. The Hue Rug in Steel grounds the living room with an elegant edge, and textural fabrics like Lindsay and Manhattan in rich tones are perfect for occasional pieces.

The Luna Outdoor Chair designed in collaboration with Charles Wilson.

The soothing study

For Aimee, similar rules apply when styling your home office. Whilst she prioritises organisation and functional furniture, Aimee also makes a point of incorporating artwork and statement lounge chairs that provide space for a break from the workday without disrupting your flow.

"Adding an artwork is a chance to inject some personality into the room, and it gives a focus for that little five minutes of escapism."

Aimee’s Work From Home mood board uses a transeasonal palette referencing Spring. Textural fabrics like Nolan and Manhattan bring warmth, while the Seymour Chair upholstered in the Preston Velvet adds a sophisticated edge to the space. Rich timber tones in the Eto Desk, Amara Dining Chair and Vertio Wall System contrast against the beautiful Hue Rug in Sage.

Aimee's Key WFH Pieces:

Vertio Wall System