A home office is easy to neglect. After all, when you can work from your couch or bed, is it even worth investing time and effort into learning how to decorate a home office?
As liberating as it can be to work from home, it can also be challenging to feel motivated when you’re so uninspired by your workspace. You may not necessarily miss the long commutes, the hours stuck in traffic, or the hustle and bustle of a busy workday, but you might find yourself longing for a more structured work environment.
By incorporating the right bedroom office ideas, you can personalize your home office to your liking and strike the perfect balance between professionalism and at-home coziness. Here, we break down some ideas to help you figure out how to decorate a home office that’ll inspire you to get to work.
1. Start with an idea
Before you begin decorating your home office, try to find some inspiration first. Much like any other room in your house, narrowing down the design style for your home office can give you an idea of the things you’ll need.
After you find your inspiration, it’s time to decide where your office is going to be. If you’re not working with too much space, then a home office might seem like a pipedream. But you don’t need to have a separate room to create working space in your home. You can easily fit an office in the bedroom, living room, or wherever else you can manage.
The best part is all you need for a home office is a desk and chair. Other than that, decorating a home office is simply about including the right details.
2. Let there be light
Perhaps the best way to kickstart your workday might be to sit across a window with a cup of coffee (or tea) and review your tasks for the day.
Natural light is essential for making you feel more alert and productive. Try to create your home office space next to a window to ensure that you’re getting sufficient natural light. If that’s not possible, then the next best thing is to introduce ample artificial lighting.
For optimal results, consider pairing different light sources together. In addition to keeping a table lamp on your desk, you could also add an overhead lighting fixture to fill the space with more light.
3. Define your color palette
If you’re not sure how to decorate a home office, defining your color palette is a good starting point. The color scheme you choose for the other rooms in your house is likely to differ from what you choose for your office.
For instance, while you may opt for calmer colors for your bedroom to create a serene and peaceful environment, your home office may need something that’s brighter and makes you feel more refreshed. A home office is a space you can personalize to your liking, so don’t be afraid to tap into your creative side and experiment with colors you may not usually lean toward.
As fun as it can be to incorporate pops of colors, such as fuchsia, green, or teal, be careful not to overdo it. After all, there’s a fine line between bright and gaudy. To ensure you don’t go overboard, pick a neutral base for your palette and decorate around it.
4. Embrace your personality
How did you personalize your desk at work? Maybe you added a succulent or a framed picture of your dog, but other than that, you might’ve shied away from decorating it at all. The best part about a home office is that you have complete freedom to spruce it up however you like, whether that’s with your favorite artwork, plants, or even a fresh vase of flowers.
If you’ve been hesitant to pepper your professional workspace with personal mementos and photos before, a home office might be the right outlet, especially if you find that these tokens can be motivating and maybe even anchoring in times of stress.
5. Find the right furniture
Let’s face it, if you’re going to be sitting in one space for 8 hours or longer, you’re going to want it to be comfortable.
At the office, you may have been forced to brave an uncomfortable chair that left you with aches and pains at the end of every shift. With a home office, the good news is you have free rein to choose the furniture that meets your comfort needs.
Picking the right chair is paramount, so be sure to invest in a high-quality office chair. Ideally, your chair should offer lumbar support so that your lower back remains well-supported throughout the day. It should also be adjustable so that you can customize the height based on your needs.
If you decide to create an office bedroom, you should also measure your room beforehand to ensure you find furniture that fits. Multifunctional furniture is a great small bedroom idea that can come in handy if you’re working with limited space.
6. Stay organized
Regardless of whether you have an entire room devoted to your home office or you’re trying to make things work in a studio apartment, the key to creating an inspiring workspace is eliminating clutter. If the first thing you see every morning is a desk that’s drowning in paperwork, then chances are that you won’t even feel motivated to start working.
To maintain a clean and organized workspace, take a few minutes after you finish work every day to clean up your desk and put things back where they belong. This way, you can kickstart your morning routine on the right foot and tackle the day’s work with a clear and focused mind.
Tips To Stay Motivated While Working From Home
Inspiring home office decor can certainly go a long way, but on some days, working from home can make you feel like you’re stuck in a rut.
Here are some of our top tips for improving productivity and staying motivated when you’re working from home.
- End work at the same time. One of the downsides of working from home is that you can’t exactly leave your work at work, which is why it’s essential to try and end work at the same time every day. Some days are understandably busier than others, so you may not be able to stick to it every day, but you have to prioritize your personal needs to maintain a good work-life balance.
- Try the Pomodoro technique. When you’re working from home, almost everything can become a distraction. To stay on track, try the Pomodoro method to help you manage your time and tackle tasks more effectively. The technique is simple. All you need to do is pick a task and set a timer for 25 minutes. For those 25 minutes, eliminate all distractions and work on your task. Once the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. After completing four 25-minute cycles, you can take a break for 15-30 minutes.
- Define your work and non-work spaces. On days when you feel lazy and unproductive, it can be tough to shake the desire to work from your bed. But your bed is a place that’s devoted to rest and relaxation, and working from your bed can make it challenging to feel energized. This is why it’s essential to keep your work out of the bedroom and devote a separate space for it.
- Prioritize sleep. Working from home can be disruptive to your schedule, but try to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time to ensure you’re getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. It’s also worth investing in the best memory foam mattress to ensure your bedroom is well-prepped for a good night’s sleep.
When you’re figuring out how to decorate a home office, you don’t have to expend too much time or effort. The main thing you need to get right is the furniture. With everything else, you have the freedom to tailor your workspace to your interests and personality.
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