Once you decide to have a Home Office, you should start thinking about how to make it attractive and welcoming. A place where design (as much as possible) and comfort makes you want to come to your desk and work. In this blog post, I will tell you some ways in which you can decorate your home office, speaking from my very own experience on how I turned a room in my home into an office that I literally love to be and work in.
So how can you decorate your home office? The first thing to decide is which style you want for your Home Office. This is where you either already know what you like or you can go an fish for inspiration in magazines or websites. Then, there are three major elements to work on: how much space are you working with, your furniture, walls, ceiling and floors. Finally, you need to think about your budget as well even though, a lot can be done on a very small budget.
Below, I will walk you through all of the above and even beyond. Before you hit the magazines and other websites for inspiration, I want to share with you here tips from my own experience.
Space and personality
The very first thing is to think about the space that you have to work with and how to use it in a way that it reflects your personality. You still want to be professional, particularly if you do business with others in your Home Office but this is your space after all, so it should really reflect who you are and have it the way you like.
I know, this sounds like a very general concept but it actually is central to the decoration you want to bring about. First thing I would try and determine is your style: Classic? Modern? Industrial? Minimalist? Not sure…? Then go to the web for inspiration and just browse until you see something you like: that’s most probably is your style…
First impressions: When I decorate or bring a change, I always try to think of the first impressions that will result of that change. What’s the first wall or piece of furniture or even object people (or I) will see coming into the office? What can I display there to give the first impression I want? Should it be a nice painting? A shelf full of old books? Some kind of display with trophies?
Next thing is your space. Two elements to take into consideration: Space as in “size or is there a lot of room or not…” and how your Home Office is integrated / separated from the rest of your house. They both will help determine what furniture and other artifacts you can use. The more your Home Office is isolated, the more you can have a different style if you so wish.
Now that you know what style is for you and the space you have, you can start thinking about the furniture, fixtures, rug, wall colors and flooring you will want for your Home Office. Should you change everything? Probably not. You actually are probably already in the ballpark of where you want to be and only need some adjustments. I do like to start with a mental picture of what I would like my Home Office to look like and then see how and where I can bridge my vision and the reality as much as I can (afford).
Get proper lighting! The right lighting, natural or artificial, can enhance the place and make it look bigger or more intimate and set the mood as well. If you have big windows, use curtains to control the amount of light. If you have to rely on artificial lighting, set them up so you can work and also to highlight some areas and make them more of the focal point.
Last comment about space: make it such that you do not over occupy your Home Office. Obviously: no clutter but beyond that, make sure your desk is not too large (or too small) for the space you have… Make sure you don’t put in three or four enormous bookshelves leaving you no space to walk around.
Matching patterns and colors and personality.
The next thing is to make sure you use colors and patterns that fit with the rest of the Home Office. Everybody will tell you that you want furniture that match or are very close in terms of their colors and style. You can’t really go wrong with that but does that fit you really? Does that work with your personality? If yes, then all good, otherwise below, you’ll have some ideas as to how you can decorate, bring some style and personality playing with patterns and colors
Colors are the first thing you need to think for your walls. More than for any other element, walls are going to display and even showcase the colors you chose. And the colors you chose, in turn will set a mood and even speak to your personality.
So, what should you choose? Wall colors should match or paired appropriately. There is a well-known list of colors that goes together. I suggest you try those. You can always be more creative alter if that list doesn’t help you.
Some color matching guidelines:
- White: goes with everything, especially blue, red and black.
- Beige: goes with blue, brown, black, red, white.
- Gray: goes with red, violet, pink, blue.
- Pink: goes with brown, white, gray, blue.
- Red: goes with yellow, white, green, blue, black.
- Brown: goes with blue, pink, green, beige.
- Black is a universal color: combines with everything notably orange, pink, green, white, red, yellow.
If you do have a logo for your company, you may use those colors in your décor as well. If you are a doctor working from home (often psychiatrists work out of a Home Office), you’ll want white or pastel / neutral color walls in your waiting area…
Patterns are important as they cannot “contradict” each other even if you use the same colors or colors that go well together. There needs to be some harmonization in the patterns, textures, (cement and rugs? That’s a hard sell and hopefully an option you did not consider…).
Patterns just like colors are also injected in your Home Office through your furniture. You need to choose that desk and that bookshelf and even that light fixture so that they all come together. There are a few guidelines if you want and again, you can feel brave and break those guidelines too: you decide, that becomes “artful decoration”.
Some pattern use principles:
- Use the same shape(s) or (combination of) colors all around the Home Office. A bit like a logo that appears everywhere.
- Use two different patterns but with the same color (or close shades). Blue horizontal lines and blue vertical lines for example. Or wall papers of different patterns but very close colors.
- A bit like above, combine different lines: straight, curved, angular but same color (black is best but that’s just me)
- Some more “advanced” ideas:
- Different patterns but keep it to only two colors and layer them: blue rectangles, then pink curves, then blue lines…
- Patterns (any kind) but mixed with block colors. Could be a wall with patterns and a bookshelf with block color.
- Have a mix of patterns but only in one contained section of your Home Office – Choose a wall and make it the wall with the mix of patterns for example.
- Have once section (a wall maybe or a piece of furniture) that purposefully clashes in terms or color or brightness or patterns with the rest. A bit like an accent wall.
Incorporate art into it.
Art is such a powerful motivating force for any kind of mood or space. Again, it also highlights your personality. I have never met anyone who was not inspired by art. Now, I do not mean that you go in search of Picassos and The Mona Lisa. Art could be that painting your kid did at school too.
You could also print out images you find online that you like and frame them too. If you are an artist, you could frame your own work, which makes for wonderful design ideas and inspiration. I personally do like inspirational quotes in frames.
Art will be part of the style you want to bring in. A small object can be your touch of art in the Home Office. It’s not necessary but it does make things different in the room. The two best options I found are paintings as already mentioned and useful objects that are also pieces of art.
If you have a manual work, that can be somewhat easier to find such an object that bridges the world of utility and art. A tailor for example could get a fancy, artful mannequin. If you are like me, more of the office worker but in your Home Office, then I would suggest a nice globe. They can be quite artsy and still be useful and always have a place in an office.
If you do like to have several pieces of artwork around (and have space and can afford it), you can mix various types of objects as well: portraits, chunky vases, ceramics, felt pieces and sculptures, nicely framed inspirational quotes…
Create a picture wall. Now here is something I absolutely love. Could be the liveliest part of your Home Office. Select one wall, or two, and put up pictures of your loved ones, whether family or friends. You can also put up pictures of our achievements, maybe the day you received an award, or met someone important. Pictures will make you more comfortable and at ease to work. I also like to put pictures (or paintings) of my goals… Beautiful painting of a castle of the Loire valley (France) anyone?
Mirrors are wonderful additions. If you have a large working space and have no idea how to fill it, then mirrors are your Home Office design friend. Since they reflect light, they can make the office appear like it is larger and contain more things, kind of like a duplicate effect. Also, you could get a cool frame for your mirror to style things up properly.
Finally, add some plants. Can be considered as the nature’s work of art after all. So, Go green! Get some potted plants for your office space. You could get small ones to put up on your desk or on your bookshelf for example or get big and leafy ones and place them near your door or window…
Budget
I know, after all those dreaming and planning, the hard reality comes knocking in the form of cash limitation. If you don’t have that limitation, then great. If you do, we have to find ways to get to the decoration we want, maybe adjust a little bit the original vision of grand décor so we don’t exceed the budget we have to work with. Luckily, there are a few ways to do so:
Avoid big department stores. You can also visit your local or antique stores, thrift stores and flea markets too. Not only are they cheaper, but you get really unique things. It’s as if people are always getting rid of their bookshelves and desks… Some are in a very good shape: just clean them up, maybe a coat of paint and you are good to go.
Also, when is the last time you went through the stuff in your attic or basement? It is very possible that you find many hidden gems there… Items from your earlier years could serve as really cool Home Office décor ideas, plus it is a great way to mix up the old and new.
If you can’t or don’t want to go with the above, shop around for bargains, go for furniture sales and check what the prices are online. You can try Craigslist or eBay for old or new stuff. Generally, you’ll find deals even though it’s always good to check before you buy (due diligence of sorts).
If you can, try to make stuff on your own. Try and repurpose something from around the house. I saw a door repainted and repurposed to make a very beautiful desk. That does require some creativity and being able (and willing) t work with your hands…
Depending on what you want to achieve, a budget to help with the decoration could be as low as $ 100. That will allow you to buy a few items maybe or some paint. For more comprehensive work though, you may need a budget in the $ 1,000s but the tips above will allow you to keep that amount under control.
Related questions
How to set up a productive Home Office? There are three areas to examine when you want to set up a productive Home Office. 1) Home Office itself: location (needs to be in a quiet place, away from traffic), should have proper lighting and be comfortable. 2) Equipment and furniture, particularly power outlets, IT equipment (tech updated and reliable with backups) and comfortable chair (at the very least). 3) Processes: declutter your Home Office, desk and even house ruthlessly and often and simplify, organize your desk and simplify your processes.
How can I make my home office look professional? Four areas to focus on: first, de-clutter and set up a system to regularly remove clutter from your desk and the whole Home Office. Second, hide all the cables and untamed wires, organize your desk and the whole Home Office: organization equates to professionalism in people’s mind. Third, be prepared with a procedure to welcome guests / customer who come to your office. Have drinks or snacks ready to offer. Have extra pens, notebooks. Create an inviting reception or waiting Area (if you can). Finally, invest in a “Statement desk” or at the very least coordinated furniture: this will help give people who visit a perception of heightened professionalism.