9 Jan 6 Great Ideas on How to Decorate your Home Office Area
Image Source: DesignByMisha
When it comes to decorating your home office area, it’s essential to blend style with function. We’re here to help you do just that! If you’re like us, your home office needs to be a place to escape and focus on the task at hand. Productivity is the goal, but it’s possible to get there without sacrificing design. Decorating your home office can be a simple process if you follow these great ideas. Read on to see how to get decorating and get to work!
1. Desk / Chair Essentials
When planning how to decorate your home office space, you need to start with the essentials, which means your desk and chair. We know the importance of a functional desk and comfortable chair. One way to begin is to note how you will be using this space. Is storage the most important thing? Will you be hosting clients in this space? Whatever the scenario, decorating your home office does not have to be difficult. If you are planning to host clients, think of their view upon entering the room. Perhaps a desk with a front panel to give a clean look. If organization is your priority, think of the interior drawer dimensions when selecting a desk to make sure it will work for your needs. A comfortable chair is paramount, but does not mean style can’t be a factor. It’s all what works the best for you, whether that’s an adjustable height, arms or armless, a high or low back, etc. We’d recommend something with wheels so there’s easy maneuverability no matter your setup. A desk and office chair are key components to start with when decorating your home office area.
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2. A Lovely Layout
Layout of your home office is essential and can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and keeping control. Typically, the focal point of the home office is the desk. The great thing about a room that is solely office space, means the furniture can be staged in many creative ways. A desk floating in the center of the room is an option, or if you want a seat with a view you can also face a window. Keep in mind if you’d like to, or need to, be in view of the door when seated at the desk as well. We love the idea of using a beautiful area rug to anchor a centrally placed desk, with a couple of stylish guest chairs ready and waiting for your next client interaction. Be the boss you always wish you’d had!
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3. The Right Lighting
I can tell you from experience that the right lighting in your office is imperative. We all know the drawbacks of lengthy time spent seated in front of a computer (stretch break, anyone?!) However, eye fatigue is often overlooked. The ideal scenario is to utilize the natural lighting, possibly diffused with sheer curtains, plus some warm toned task lighting angled in the appropriate way. If you have overhead lighting, make sure it’s not aimed directly above your head which can cause glare and eye strain. Lighting is a great way to decorate your home office as well, with accent lamps and floor lamps adding needed texture and color to the space. We love a great table lamp, don’t you?
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4. Storage and Organization
The best thing about a home office is that YOU get to make the decisions on how to organize your space. That can also be one of the most overwhelming things though, too. We have some simple ways to keep things clutter free. Decorating your home office with the right organizational pieces is essential. If you have a closet in the room, make the most of it by adding shelving rather than hanging storage. If you can source power to the closet, having your printer and/or paper shredder tucked away behind the closet door can make a big difference in the visual cleanliness of your home office. Also, the inside surface of the closet door is an underutilized asset. Adding a bulletin board, white board, calendar, or hooks for hanging can really make the most of this hidden away surface. When considering the organizational items for your desktop, this is where we’d say to consider the room’s decor. Having one or two pretty paper trays can make any pile of paperwork look more put together, but also help you come up with a system to stay organized more easily. With these tools at your fingertips, I see great productivity in your future!
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5. Built-Ins
If you have the means to do so, one amazing way to create a very functional and stylish home office is to incorporate built ins into your design. Decorating your home office can be fun and functional with a well designed built in cabinetry plan. We love the idea of a combination of open shelving and closed cabinets or drawers. Open shelving will give you that flexibility to add personal touches such as photo frames, special trinkets or books that inspire you. And who doesn’t need more work surface within reach of our desk? Make the most of your built in by treating it like a credenza or extension of your desk surface. That closed cabinetry will be the ideal place to stock your office essentials like printer paper, pens and any other back stock items you want hidden away, yet within reach. It’s also the ideal place for archive filing. Including some hanging file drawers into the built in layout is a great use of space. CEO Vibes in the works over here!
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6. Sound Control
When it comes to working from your home office, one surefire way to ensure productivity is to evaluate the distracting sounds you may encounter. If your a work from home mama or papa, then there’s sure to be a plethora of noises you’ll need to tune out. Aside from popping in those earbuds, there are some design features you may incorporate to your home office decorating which can help ease the situation. One thing to consider is the door(s) to your home office. If you have hollow core doors, it might be worth considering a swap out to a solid wood door that will dampen sound much better. Or, if you are selecting a french door look for your design, making sure it’s double paned will effect the sound dampening as well.
One simple and cost effective way to reduce noise pollution in a space is with soft materials. Adding area rugs and heavier drapery panels can take the echo from a space and deaden outside sounds much better than without. You can even take this a step further and use a full wall of curtains (check out our other blog post for ideas and inspo.!) or add upholstered panels to the walls. This can create a dramatic and high end appeal while simultaneously creating a noise reducing atmosphere. Whatever method you choose, some soothing music from Pandora can’t hurt either.
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7. Personality
With any design, making sure you and your family’s personality shines through is as important as the function of the space. When planning how to decorate your home office, keeping it stylish and character-filled will make it easier to want to spend the time needed to get things done. We’re all about productivity when it comes to working from home, so making the most of any time you’re in the office it imperative. You can add personality and character to a space in a number of ways. Starting with framed photos of loved ones is a great starting point. Adding colorful throw pillows to your guest chairs can add some comfort and up the style factor. If you’re feeling ambitious, creating your own artwork is an option as well. Something abstract and colorful in a nice frame will make your home office really pop. We love the small luxury of fresh flowers in a vase on our desk. They can be an instant mood lifter! Were will you add the personality when decorating your home office?
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