A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN   

Why is it that men and women are insisting more and more on a room of their own - a private space they can design and decorate according to their personal taste, a place where they can relax, away from family pressures?

Academic Harry Ebworth bought his house in a small village in Oxfordshire ten years ago: "When we came to view the house, the thing that was really amazing was that when you came in through the front door you went up the stairs and then went up again and you seemed to go on and on climbing. And at the top of the house there was this marvellous room so light and airy. The room might look a bit untidy at first glance, but I know exactly where everything is and it's actually very well-organised. I've got a purpose-built work surface along one wall, with shelving underneath. That's where I've got my computer, the printer and the modem for communicating by e-mail. Opposite that, on the other side of the room, I've got my working table. It's actually a draughtsman's table so it's tilted, and I do all my creative writing there. I mustn't forget to mention my armchair, a modern chair made of black leather and chrome. It's lovely to relax and think in.

School governor June Titmarsh lives in Herefordshire: "Our house is always busy - the children (June has four) are always in and out with their friends and Tom (her husband) runs his business from home. I needed a place where I could be by myself. We had this cellar under the house, and it was dark and uninviting, and I didn't see what practical use we could make of it as a family. So I thought, right, this is going to be my space. I had the floor relaid with terracotta tiles, which are lovely rich colour, and the walls are painted white. The biggest luxury was the sofa - I wanted something that was really comfortable and relaxing, and with this one, I can stretch out and close my eyes or curl up and read a book. I've kept the decoration to a minimum, as we have lots of paintings and knick knacks in the rest of the house, but I've got some of my favourite photographs of the children on the walls. This is my bolt-hole. No one is EVER allowed in.

Musician Terry Henchard lives in south London: "Our house is unusual because it was built to our own design and makes a lot of use of glass. The bedrooms are on the ground floor and the living-space is on the first floor. I found I coudn't really relax upstairs - the sitting room is just too big and impersonal. So I looked around the house and found this area under the stairs which has good lighting because of the windows but still feels cosy and intimate. I moved in my stereo and the TV and when I want to be alone, I retreat to my "den", put my feet up and listen to music. I can also keep things here which look out of place in the rest of the house, silly things like my first piggy bank, the half-size violin on which I learnt to play and the photo of me in the school cricket team. It's important to me to have this personal space somewhere whre no one comes unless specifically invited."

Victoria Emerson is a writer and lives in Hampstead: "My room is both my relaxing space and my working space, which in some ways is not ideal. I decided to have the TV and video up here (Victoria's study is at the top of the house in a renovated attic) because I didn't want them downstairs where we use the rooms for entertaining. There isn't much room for hanging pictures but I've got some photos of people I admire. I don't have a coffee-maker up here, but I've got a lovely brass table where I can put the coffee that I make downstairs. I've got lots of the teddy bears and cuddly toys that I had when I was young. They cut down the sense of isolation you get when you spend lots of time working on your own.