My Favourite Room: Soothing sound of indoor fountain helps inspire Cathy as she works

When Cathy Farr moved house  her husband converted the garage into an office for her.

Six years later as an established children’s author she uses  the room to write in.

“It’s a lovely white space with  a timbered roof,” Cathy says.

“I love the room to work in,  it’s a beautiful space”

The house in Dinas Powys  near Cardiff was too small to  include an office so her husband, a building consultant, immediately set to work transforming two thirds of the garage  into Cathy’s work room and the  last section into much needed  storage space.

As a space at the bottom of  the garden it’s the perfect undisturbed work room and retreat  Cathy says.

“I can look out of the window  at our very small garden, there’s  lots of bird song and you sometimes hear steam trains when  they’re running to Barry,” she  says.

It’s almost too idyllic to work  in, but Cathy has books to write  so she has installed two computers – one to work on and one  to keep in touch with the outside world.

A successful self-published  author, whose first children’s  book Moon Chase sold 2,500  copies, Cathy runs the Penarth  Book Festival and often visits  local schools to talk about her  work. As she also works as a  magistrate, she needs one computer for writing and one for the  rest of her life.

“When you come into the  room there is a conservatory  and then you walk through sliding doors to the office so it’s  lovely and light,” she says.

The 20ft by 10ft room has a  big L-shaped desk for her writing computer and a smaller one  for her ‘keeping in touch’ computer.

Piles of books lie on the desk  and shelves as Cathy likes to  consult dictionaries and other  children’s stories for inspiration.

The walls are decorated with  colourful prints, a sketch of  two  Arab women in burkhas and  two seascapes, keeping a light,  refreshing theme.

The floor is oak finished laminate but it’s never cold because  Cathy’s husband thoughtfully installed underfloor heating.

“I take my shoes off when I  walk in, it’s lovely,” Cathy says.

There is a small section of  carpet for her five month old  Irish Wolfhound puppy Mojo,  who has taken over from her  last dog Finn, as her muse.

Mojo sleeps at Cathy’s feet  while she writes and accompanies her on school visits to  talk about her books.

Mojo knows it’s a work room  though and always behaves  himself there, Cathy adds.

“It is a work room. I come in   at about 10.30am after taking  Mojo for a walk and sometimes  I can still be writing until  7pm.”

Spending so much time in the  room it’s important Cathy likes  the space, one reason she created it just the way she wants.

Cathy’s favourite object

 

The sound of water  trickling over rocks  soothes Cathy as she  works.

Her mini indoor  fountain is her favourite  object in the room   although she admits it  doesn’t look very nice.

“It’s the most hideous  thing with a slightly  1970s look but I bought it   because it sounds lovely,”  she laughs.

“It’s about one foot  high and the water  comes from the top and  falls down steps of slate  and through a bed of  pebbles.

“I rarely listen to music  but the sound of trickling  water is  lovely.”

Cathy bought the  fountain at a local garden  centre and it sits on a  wicker table helping  keeping her mind in tune  while she taps at her  computer.