Home Office Decorating Ideas

Looking for home office decorating ideas? Perhaps you've been thinking about converting a space or room in your home into a "home office" and are looking for inspiration. Or maybe you already have a "space" where you work, whether on your own home based business or for a company but want to change it up a little. If any of these describes you, you've come to the right place. :-)

When I first started working from home, I simply used the "family computer" when the kids were at school or sleeping. This worked in the beginning stages but as you can imagine, eventually I needed to have a separate area… and my own computer.

It wasn’t long before I moved my "home office" to a corner of our family room and added a decorative portable room divider to keep my work area out of view of the room. You can purchase tasteful decorative room dividers at stores like Target or Ikea to help keep your room looking attractive. They’re great for adding a little privacy and for keeping your work stuff out of view.

After a while I bought a computer armoire which allowed me to have everything I needed efficiently at my fingertips yet still be able to close the doors on it when we had guests. Eventually though, I ended up converting an entire room into my office. 

Perhaps you’ve done something like I have moving from one space to another in your home and now you’re ready to set up a larger space as your home office. Or maybe you already have an office space but are looking for some new home office decorating ideas.

When you convert a space in your home into an office, productivity and functionality are important considerations.  You’ll want your home office to be visually appealing to you and a comfortable place where you can get your work done. Adding your own personalized design and home office decorating ideas can turn even the smallest space or nook into a great little work environment.  I hope you find the following home office decorating ideas helpful in setting up a home office that suits your needs and budget.

Choosing A Space

The first steps in home office decorating will be identifying a space, corner, closet (yes, really!) or room where you’ll be able to concentrate on your work. If you have an extra room that’s great but many folks don’t and need to start “somewhere” like I did in the corner of our family room. Your options for decorating your home office will depend on whether you have a separate or shared office space. For example, if your office space will be in a corner of a bedroom, dining or family room you’ll want to try to have any office furniture blend in with the rest of the décor (i.e., like my office armoire idea above).

Planning For Office Furniture  

If you’re going to use a desk, armoire, treadmill desk and will also a need filing cabinet or shelving units, be sure to take measurements of your space so that furniture pieces will fit.  Draw a sketch of the room/space and decide where you want to place the furniture.

Tip: with laptops, ipads, etc. you may not need a desk at all. Perhaps a comfortable chair with a laptop holder will suffice. Alternatively some folks are more productive working at a desk in which case I recommend looking at a small one so as to have the use of a desk while maximizing the space available around you.

Selecting Home Office Furniture And Storage

When you first start looking at office furniture needs, I recommend choosing the absolute minimum you’ll need to get started with. Try to avoid getting carried away with all the cool office supplies and gadgets marketed so heavily in office supply stores. A simple desk, shelves or a bookcase and a file cabinet may be all you need. Craigslist and garage sales are also a great place to find nice office furniture from those who “over bought”, are changing their office or are moving.

I’ve been working from home for 7 years and went from needing a large desk to hold my bulky monitor and desktop computer along with having bookshelves, a file cabinet, printer table and more - to really only needing my laptop, a place to sit and a printer! My accountant asks me every year to find more home office expenses but the reality is, there really just aren’t that many in addition to my laptop, printer and printer supplies. Of course depending on what type of business you’re in, you may need a nice desk because you’ll be meeting with clients or maybe you’ll need other specialty items to keep your particular business organized. Bottom line is start only with what you’re sure you need and build from there.

Lighting

This is an area I’m really starting to realize the importance of when it comes to working in a home office. Your workspace or office should have lots of adjustable lighting which will be key to helping you stay alert and productive. There are loads of home office decorating lighting options on the market which range from a few simple simple light strips with track lighting to high-end options and everything in between. You can choose accordingly depending on your budget and style preferences. Just be sure to allow for lots of lighting that can be changed throughout the day as your natural lighting changes from morning until evening.  Making use of natural light whenever possible is not only energy efficient but better health wise. You’ll also want to position any lighting you add so as to not cast a glare on your computer screen which will make it difficult to see and work on. Add mini-blinds or drapes to help adjust natural light as needed. 

Color Scheme

An important element in home office decorating is choosing a color scheme that makes the space or room feel more spacious and peaceful. Light colors help to create the illusion of space and a relaxing atmosphere. Natural colors such as whites, soft yellows and light pastels can actually inspire you to work better. They also provide a neutral backdrop for paintings, photos and other decorative wall objects.

Functionality

When choosing what to put in your office, try to keep functionality and space maximization in mind. For example, a small table for your printer to sit on but that also opens up to provide storage for paper and ink cartridges might be a good space saving solution. I have my printer on top of a small file cabinet where I keep both work files and printer supplies. Storage space, work flow and location of office equipment and supplies are the most important considerations for making your work area one where you won’t get easily distracted and will feel motivated to work.

Wrap Up

Setting up a home office or space and then tackling home office decorating ideas requires some thought and pre-planning. Think about what area makes the most sense for you and your family’s needs and functions. Consider starting with just the essentials in terms of office furniture and supplies and add more as needed. You may need less than you think!  Use light colors and allow for sufficient lighting using natural light as much as possible. Aim to keep things orderly, efficient and functional and you’ll be able to be highly productive when you work at home.