During the pandemic, working from home became the norm for many. Almost overnight, we were all ordering office furniture, setting up shop around our kitchen table and working out how to juggle meetings and the distractions of normal daily life at home.
Some of us have gone back to the office, but for many, working from home – at least in some kind of hybrid setup – is still the norm. In fact, it’s more and more common for people to be looking for homes with extra office space or dedicating existing space purely to work.
But how can you style a home office? Of course, it needs to be practical and a productive space for working, but does that mean everything has to be plain and boring?
In this article, we’re going to lay out our top tips for decorating and styling a home office to make it a productive and beautiful part of the home.
10 Home Office Styling Tips for The Perfect Setup
1. Think About Colour Carefully
Colour is one of the most important aspects of interior design, especially when it comes to workspaces. Most people think that white is a good colour for a workspace as it’s plain, minimalistic and should encourage us to concentrate. However, many studies have proven that white isn’t a good colour for an office – even though most commercial offices tend to be white. It can be too bright and distract us. Other colours to avoid are pink, bright orange, turquoise and red as these can all be over-stimulating.
Instead, choose natural and soft colours. Blue and green are two of the most calming and productive colours and are a great choice for work-from-home environments. Even if you don’t want to paint the entire room that colour, a focus wall can really help to bring a sense of calm and creativity. Yellow is another good colour and even bright yellow can be used really well as an accent, for example in a piece of furniture or stationary.
2. Functionality Is Essential
How you work really has to be a priority when it comes to your home office. Do you need lots of creative space? How many screens do you have? How do you like to work best? When you concentrate on function, you’ll automatically create a space that works well for you and that allows you to be your most productive.
3. Think About Storage
One of the key things that quickly makes an office feel cluttered and disorganised is paper, equipment and other office supplies left out without a proper place to go. Thinking about storage in the design process will help you to take functionality and aesthetics into account.
These can include buying a desk with drawers, cabinets or even custom-designed storage that suits your overall decor and style. It will be easy to put away things at the end of the day, meaning that every morning you start off with a fresh area to be productive from.
4. Consider Lighting Carefully
Light is a really important part of helping us to keep our focus. If it’s an option for you, try to organise your office so there’s plenty of natural light as this helps to keep energy up and clear our brains. But, be careful where you place your computer or monitor in relation to large windows or doors. Glare can be a problem in home offices and make working difficult. If you do have windows close by, try using curtains made from a natural material that you can adjust throughout the day.
You can also use various lamps in your office to create different moods. Play around with lighting that helps to create an ambience, direct light for tasks and accent lighting for different times of the day or year.
However you choose to do your lighting, one thing’s for sure, dark rooms are not conducive to happy and productive workers.
5. Desk Location and Layout is Key
According to Feng Shui, where you place your desk and the other furniture around it is very important. For optimal working conditions, you want to make sure your desk is in the power position. This means in a place far from the door, with a wall behind you (not a balcony or window) and with a view of the whole room. Whether this is possible for you or not, think about where you feel most comfortable sitting and whether you get distracted there. You also need to have plenty of space to move around.
6. Use Greenery for a Burst of Colour and Freshness
If you’re sitting in the same spot for hours on end, it’s only natural that the place starts to feel tiresome and dull. Plants are an excellent way of bringing vibrancy and vitality to your workspace. Using plants in interior design is nothing new but they really do help with home offices. The fact that they produce oxygen can help with mental stimulation and mood too.
A large plant in the corner can help to fill space without becoming a distraction and you can even use trailing plants or succulents when styling your shelves or bookshelves. They’re an easy and often cheap way of bringing colour and style to a working space.
7. Keep Things Simple
Home offices can easily get cluttered and, what doesn’t help, is adding too many decorative pieces to begin with. Start with a simple and even minimalistic style and add a few favourite accent pieces here and there. Try to keep the less attractive office necessities, such as folders, technical books and typical stationery, behind a cabinet door. This helps to build a space with clean lines that are attractive to the eye.
8. Get Creative with Walls
Chances are that floor space is scarce in a home office. With bedrooms and living spaces to compete with, home offices are rarely the largest room in the house. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t look to other areas of the room for space.
Walls, for example, are an excellent place to hang calendars, inspiration and other important work documents. They’ll help you to focus as you’ll have easy access to them. There are lots of different wallpaper solutions that can make the space functional and stylish too. For example, magnetic linen wallpaper is perfect for displaying your work without pinning it to the wall.
Just remember, keeping it simple is important too. So only display the things you use often and don’t overcrowd it.
9. Think About Furniture Very Carefully
You’re going to spend a lot of time sitting at your desk, so it’s really worth investing in a stylish yet comfortable set-up. Test out both your desk and chair before buying, to make sure it has the functional and comfort features you want. Think leg space, back support, height etc. With this in mind, you can also get creative. Office furniture doesn’t have to be boring and black. Desks can be made out of all types of materials to match your decor and aesthetic.
Investing in good quality and stylish office furniture will help to give your home office a timeless design that will last for years to come.
10. Use Your Favourite Accessories for Personalisation
Offices should primarily be for working and concentrating, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a little room for fun and personalisation. In fact, accessories can really help to keep you motivated. Use your favourite mug or notebook or light a scented candle. You can also add small things to your desk, such as a cacti, mirror, souvenir from a trip or anything else that adds character. Just make sure you keep it basic and don’t overcrowd.
Styling Your Home Office – Final Thoughts
It’s really important to get the balance right between stylish, functional and a space you’ll actually want to spend time in. It needs to be sleek, yet you need everyday items close at hand too. Storage is important to keep things looking organised and tidy and, just because it needs to be a formal area, doesn’t mean you can’t bring your own personality to the room. After all, decor that you enjoy having around you will help to keep you motivated!