Designing a study the whole family actually uses

The brief was simple: one study, three people, very different needs. A parent who works from home two days a week. A teenager who needs a quiet desk. A younger child who mostly wants somewhere to draw.

We built one long worktop across the longest wall, with three zones underneath — a deep filing drawer, an open shelf for art supplies, a soft chair tucked in for reading. The shelving above is shallow on purpose; it holds books one row deep, no clutter.

A year in, every member of the household uses it daily. That's the test — not how it photographs, but whether the room earns its keep.