Carving out a home office that not only inspires creativity but also helps you reach peak productivity when you’re working from your house can be relatively easy. And it doesn’t require a dedicated room or ample square footage either. So when you’re thinking about layout ideas, get creative with the space you already have—even if that means making use of a spare corner in your bedroom or an unused closet.
Then, focus on your needs, says Keira St. Claire of Anthony Wilder Interiors Studio. “Everybody has different preferences when it comes to their work environments.” Ask questions like: How often will you use the phone? How quiet does the office need to be? From there, you can explore what kind of furniture will function best and get to work on the fun part: decorating.
Whether your goal is to go modern and sleek or cosy and chic, here are brilliant (and beautiful) home office decor ideas and tips from the pros that prove even the smallest spaces can help you become more industrious.
Whether you work from home or have carved out a space for something you love, like crafting, reading, or writing, your home office is a place that should inspire the flow of creativity and allow you to get down to business. But often, that’s not the case. Home offices can be the most neglected spaces in our homes—messy and unfriendly environments for inspiration, driving us to work anywhere but in the actual office, like the couch, kitchen, or bed (guilty!). To help you create and update your own inspiring space, we asked experts—from designers to bloggers and editors—for their advice on the best home office updates and small home office ideas that will make you want to buckle down and get to work.
Think Chic
Your space should inspire you—and reflect your unique personality. So don’t be afraid to go all out.” We wanted to design a fashionable, functional and reflected Desi Perkins’ personality. The black accent wall added drama and depth to the space, and we added a chandelier above the desk to add a little glitz and glamour.
The wood tiled sideboard organises the space, serving as a storage unit for beauty products and a countertop for office supplies. The functionality of the space makes it possible for Desi to stay on top of the business side of her career while the chic decor provides the perfect backdrop for her videos and Instagram photos.” — Leura Fine, CEO and Founder of Laurel & Wolf.
Get The Look: One way to glam up a home office is by refreshing your lighting. This eye-catching pendant lamp with gold detailing from Target will give your space a luxurious yet professional feel.
Add Green
Breathe some life into your space, so you’ll want to stay longer. “I try to ensure a balanced home office which is practical, ergonomic, comfortable, and clean—if these elements aren’t in the place, I know I’ll end up working at the kitchen table! A lovely plant is said to help keep you feeling calm and clean the air—plus, it looks pretty. I like either a Snake Plant or a ZZ plant. Both look lovely, are good for cleaning the air, and are low maintenance!” — Niki Brantmark, Author and Founder of My Scandinavian Home.
Get The Look: We adore this elevated cute little clay planter—perfect home for a snake plant—to add some dimension to your workspace.
Get Artsy
Decorate with images that speak to you even if you’re crunching numbers all day. “Fill your office with vibrant art to energise your space and make you feel motivated. I create my artwork and have it framed by Framed, or I shop from Chairish and Society6.” — Dabito, Founder & Creative Director at Old Brand New.
Get The Look: Dabito is happy to share his genius DIY instructions for his multi-purpose wall shelf/desk. (They’re surprisingly easy to follow, phew!) But if you don’t want to spend your Saturday spray-painting and building shelves, this wall unit from Ikea is a similarly chic option that can be up and ready fast!
Find The Rug
Ground your space with a colourful area rug—for visual interest and soothing sound absorption. “The multi-coloured rug brings in other colours that accent the peach and green nicely, too. But you could also do a neutral grey rug with this colour combo. Keep the furniture simple and clean to make it sleeker, and then add in some green foliage to give the room some texture!” — Joy Cho, Founder & Creative Director of Oh Joy!
Get The Look: World Market is great for beautiful, affordable textiles, and we love this multi-shaded patterned rug, which works with light blue, plum, apricot, or creamy white walls.
Practice Hygge
Make it welcoming—but not too cosy that all you want to do is a nap. “Neutral colours on your walls and floor, paired with natural wood, plants and some kind of textile, like blankets, throw pillows, rugs or a yarn wall hanging, create a simple yet cosy working space.” — Caitlin & Manda, Co-founders of The Merrythought.
Get The Look: This soft space-dyed throw from West Elm is just what your home office needs. Create a DIY blanket ladder, and hang a few wool ones near your desk for keeping warm in winter; switch them out with thin, cotton ones in the summer.
Hang A Gallery Wall
It’s your space—crowd it with what you love. “Style a gallery wall against a neutral wall. You can arrange them on the floor first, moving the prints around until you achieve the harmonious look that you want. Use removable wall strips to hold your prints up. It allows for the flexibility of changing the look of the wall.” — Geraldine Tan, Founder & Editor of Little Big Bell.
Get The Look: We love Minted for its huge, affordable collection of prints. They also provide a free service so that you can text a picture of your wall to their stylists, and they’ll put together a recommendation of art pairings for you. Matting and frames are a way to make art prints look more expensive and styled but can be a pricey i
Mix Old And New
Don’t be afraid to steal decor from other rooms in the house. A mix of vintage and modern makes a home feel warm and lived in and personal, instead of feeling like a showroom. “We paired a gorgeous antique rug that the client already had (hidden away in a dark spot elsewhere in the house!) and a pair of new red chairs. The art on the walls is limited to black and white images so that the colour in the space doesn’t become too overwhelming. It is such a comfortable, beautiful room to work in.” — Melissa Mascara, Designer at Homepolish.
Get The Look: Nothing in the attic? Shop antique stores, flea markets, and even Craigslist to find pieces for your office, whether it’s an antique roll top desk or vintage lamp, and pair these with brand new items, like a pair of vibrant chairs for guests to use when you’re hosting a meeting from home.
Let Light In
Stay connected to the great outdoors. “Natural light makes a space feel bigger—which is always a plus in a small space. I used fogged window film on all the windows for my home office to always have the blinds up. It allows enough light to feed the plants in the room and keep them, as well as myself, lively! And when you feel alive, you’re always more efficient.” — Hayley Francis, Founder and Blogger at Neon Doves.
Get The Look: If you, like Hayley, have an office that also functions as a dressing room/walk-in closet, affix a non-adhesive frosted film to windows to allow sunlight into your space while maintaining privacy.
Work In Colour
Choose colours that speak to you—not what’s trendy. “I found this Stone Blue colour by Farrow & Ball provided the perfect background for a productive day’s work. Having a bit of fun with the filing cabinets in a non-conventional turquoise meant that even the more functional elements of the room looked attractive.” — Emily Murray, Founder & Editor at The Pink House.
Get The Look: Whether you’re painting office walls, shelves, and ceiling with one colour to make the space feel larger or using a filing cabinet like this one from CB2 for just a pop of colour, working in a colour-filled environment can make you more inspired to work from your office—and not the couch.
Optimise Your Space
The organisation is key—use every trick in the book. Nobody works well in a messy home office. “Don’t waste an ounce of space by tucking printers, filing, etc., into corners and in drawers. Use all your vertical space, too, by putting cabinets up to the ceiling with varying types of storage and a wall hanging pinboard to help organise supplies that might otherwise end up shoved in a drawer!” — Carly Callahan, Designer at Homepolish and Founder of Callahan Interiors.
Get The Look: This is one home office decor idea that’s non-negotiable! Kick off your newfound commitment to the organisation with this rose gold wall grid.
Tips For Designing An Office At Home
Location, Location, Location
You’ll likely spend many hours in your home office, so don’t stiff yourself on space (e.g. squishing a tiny desk into a windowless closet to preserve the rarely-used guest room).
These clever small home office ideas prove you don’t have to give up your workspace just because you live in a small space.
Also, consider traffic flow and your ability to withstand distractions. Do you work best in the thick of activity, or should your office be tucked away in a quiet space? If clients stop by, a private space with ample seating is necessary.
Don’t Sacrifice Form For Function.
Your desk, shelves and storage should serve you, not the other way around. Consider your workflow and what items you need at your fingertips before investing in furniture, and then look for beautiful and functional pieces.
Home office furniture should complement other rooms in your house instead of screaming “soulless cubicle.” If your home has traditional decor, warm wood and soft, comfy chairs or a loveseat are ideal if you have the space. A contemporary home office can feature artistic pieces or modern metal furniture.
Invest In A Great Chair
You spend hours parked in your office chair; a beautiful, ergonomically correct, comfortable seat is worth every dime.
Paint The Walls A Colour You Love
Forget “office beige”: You need a colour that gets your work motor humming. For some people, that’s a bright, cheery colour like orange or lime green. Others need a calming shade like botanical green or seafoam blue to perform. Find out more about how certain colours can affect your mood.
Give Yourself A View
Position the desk where you can stare at something more interesting than a blank wall (even if you do love the colour) when you glance up from the computer. Of course, a window’s natural light is ideal, but if you’re in a windowless space, hang a pretty picture above the desk or position your chair to face the door.
Choose Homey Accessories
Unless you’re going for a contemporary look, choose extras that enhance the comfy feeling of your home office, like a pretty mug for a pencil holder, trendy notepads and sticky notes, and a decorative wastebasket. Next, wrap your bulletin board in a gorgeous fabric, and hide utilitarian bookshelves behind curtains made from the same material. Finally, hang inspirational prints on the walls, whether that’s your kids’ framed artwork or a classic painting.
Organise Vertically And Horizontally
Many home offices aren’t swimming in square footage, so using space efficiently is imperative.
Hang floating shelves on the walls to get papers and office equipment off the desk, and use vertical file folders on the desk to keep important papers within arm’s reach. Are you a stacker or a filer? If you tend to make piles, get a nice basket to tame your mail, notes and papers. Designate one drawer for your “to-do” papers if you prefer a clean desktop. Wooden or metal cube storage is a fun alternative to bookshelves since you can use each space for books, knick-knacks or baskets of odds-and-ends.
Master Your Technology
There’s not much you can do to beautify the computer, printer and phone, but you can hide unsightly cords. Start by making sure your equipment is close to outlets and easy to access if you need to unplug. Next, encase cords on the desk in a fabric cord cover, and feed the cords into a desk grommet, a plastic or metal cap that helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Finally, tame the cord jungle on the floor with cord winders, tubing, or a wire organiser that’s attached to the desk and lifts the cords off the floor.
Let There Be Light
Here’s a bright idea: make sure your office has plenty of light to reduce eye strain and headaches. Position the computer monitor, so there’s no glare from a window or overhead light, and put a small lamp on the desk for task lighting.
Inspire Yourself
Set up a mini-shrine — a few cherished knick-knacks, a piece of framed art, a special photo on your desk — that motivates you to create and get the work done so you can get out of there. A print of Paris can channel your inner muse, or a photo of your children might remind you that you’re doing it all for them.
Posture Is Key
Ergonomic chair
An ergonomic chair can make or break the comfort of a work environment. Staying seated for several hours a day can lead to many issues, including backaches and improper posture, but the right chair can help. So upgrade to this faux-leather desk chair from Albaugh that was crafted to be customisable: its adjustable back angle, seat height and centre-tilt conform to fit the contours of your body. Other features include its 360-degree swivel wheels, lumbar support and a padded headrest to help nix slouching.
Conclusion
So, these are just a few ways to make your home office cosy and comfortable. Which of these will you try first? Even if you don’t have the money to buy all new furniture, you can do plenty of things with what you have to create an inviting workspace. If you have the opportunity to revamp your office space, keep these tips in mind! By reading this post, we hope that you feel inspired and motivated to make your home office a place where you enjoy working – after all, it is important to find ways to bring a bit of comfort into our lives even when we’re stuck at home working.
FAQs
How Can I Make My Home Office Feel Cosy?
- Find a smell that makes your heart happy with aromatherapy.
- Find an accent rug that softens the room.
- Elevate the mood with inspiring art.
- Create warmth by adding live greenery.
- Adjust the lighting in your space.
- Choose furniture that reminds you of home.
How Can I Make My Home Office Homely?
To truly make your home office more homely, you need to add some personal items and fun décor. If you have hard surface flooring in this space, soften it using a stylish area rug. Hang personal photos in the office of your family to remind you that this space is sacred.
Should Your Desk Face A Window?
Windows are best on your side. If you’re facing the view, you’ll be distracted. Work while you’re at your desk and enjoy the view when you’re on a break.
Should The Home Office Be In The Bedroom?
No. Overall, if you can avoid it, don’t make your bedroom your home office. In the long run, you will run into issues around sleep, the ability to stop work on time, and general productivity issues around being in a multi-use space.
What Should I Put On My Desk At Home?
Keep pens, a pencil or two, a highlighter, a Post-It Notes pad and an eraser in a cup in one corner of your desk. All these must-have items. Keep books in a cupboard and take them out only when needed.