Hello Lovelies!
Whether you work from home full-time or part-time, you want to have your dedicated functional workspace and of course, you want it to be CUTE! In this post, I will be giving you a few design tips to decorate your office to your taste, while keeping it comfortable and functional.
Before getting to the décor portion, I would like to discuss some layout solutions. If you are like me and do not have a room dedicated to your office and would like to create a space within your room/living room, here are some layout options:
- Make use of a nook:
Do you have a weird layout where you have a nook between two walls and don’t quite know what to do with it? THAT could be your workspace area. You could simply put a floating desk in the nook, edged between two walls, add a chair in front of it and there you have it, an office space.
- Use a floating a desk
Even if you don’t have a nook, you could still use floating desks. Whether you want to place it at the full length of the wall and make a long workspace or only take up a portion of the wall, it will look GREAT!
GREAT TIP: Floating desks will do wonders for small spaces, the fact that they don’t have legs makes the room feel larger (explained in detail in this article). Plus, if you get a desk that is the same color as the wall, preferably a shade of white, it will add to the illusion that the room is larger than it actually is.
- Use a closet
Cannot find any free wall space in the room? Don’t worry, you can transform a closet into an office and it doesn’t have to be big! All you have to do is to remove the door or install a barn door so it doesn’t take too much space. Once that’s done, you want to install either a floating desk or a regular desk and edge it against the far wall, pop a chair in front and there you have it, a functional workspace.
Now that we covered some clever ideas on where to locate your office within the space, let’s look at how to make it yours and appealing enough to make your day seem less bland!
15 DÉCOR IDEAS FOR YOUR WORKSPACE
- Use area rugs
Area rugs are great for adding personality and color to your space. This piece can be a starting point, choose the rest of the décor based on the area rug. However, fashion is not the only advantage to having a rug in your office, it can also be used to hide a scratched, stained, or simply ugly carpet/floor. Another positive to having an area rug is in the name, defining the area. If you have placed your desk in a room that is not dedicated solely to your workspace, the rug would be able to separate your office space from the rest of the room. The fact that you have separated areas can also make your room feel larger than it is. If this wasn’t enough to convince you to get one, an area rug can also protect your floors from the chair’s movements against it, nobody wants those chair trails!
- Bring in natural light using mirrors
I speak for myself when I say that natural light makes a HUGE difference in my mood, so for me, it was a must to have as much natural light as possible when I worked, which is why I placed my desk in the living room, next to the window. So, if you’re like me or just like a bright office or want your space to appear larger than it is, but don’t have enough natural light then, use MIRRORS!
Whether you choose to put an oversize mirror facing the window or multiple small ones, you will have the same effect: reflect the natural light from the window and bring it to the room.
GREAT TIP: one oversized mirror can elongate the room vertically by bringing the eyes upwards, so if you have low ceilings, invest in a tall mirror.
- USE ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING
If your space doesn’t have enough (or any) windows to bring in that natural light, I say: FAKE it ’till you make it! Make use of artificial lighting to fake/increase the light in the room. Also, don’t be afraid to have multiple sources of light, floor & table lamps, wall sconces, overhead light fixtures, under-shelf lighting, etc. Be creative! because darkness is your nemesis. The idea here is to keep your workspace bright and airy.
GREAT TIP: direct some of the lights towards the walls, ceilings, corners, and behind furniture to add more depth to your room and give the impression that your space is larger than it actually is.
- Add plants for pops of color
Work can get tedious at times, so what’s better than a fresh pop of color to get that extra bit of motivation?…yes, plants! When you’re feeling down or feel sad about missing out on a nice day, look at your plants and they will give you that extra push to feel happier and more productive.
Whether you want to boost your morale, add a design feature or purify your air, you should definitely add a few plants to your workspace. However, if you are like me, and lack that “green thumb” everyone keeps talking about, don’t worry! You can get low-maintenance succulents or simply… dried or fake plants. I use a mixture of succulent to watch them grow, and fake flowers because for the life of me, I cannot seem to keep anything other than succulents alive. So, don’t feel bad about using fake plants! Besides, not everyone has natural light in their office space to allow for plants to thrive.
GREAT TIP: put some plants on your higher-up shelves, this will accentuate the height of your ceiling by drawing the eye upward.
- Use peel and stick wall décor and wallpaper
Don’t be afraid to make this space YOURS! Go bold, go big! Just think about the fact that you will be in that space most of the week. Don’t leave it bland. However, it doesn’t have to be crazy colors and patterns, it can be clean and crisp, as long as it makes you feel good, give it some personality, something that would motivate you and increase your productivity.
So, if you’re not sure about having a permanent bold paint color, no worries! it doesn’t have to so permanent. You could use peel and stick wall décor and wallpaper on your entire wall to create a feature wall or just a portion of it. It doesn’t require a lot of effort or time, it’s in the name, peel it and stick it on the wall. The best part is that if you don’t like it, remove it just as easily as you put it on and you won’t have to see it again. These wall decors and wallpaper come in all shapes and forms and have a variety of colors and patterns, which means that you are almost guaranteed to find something to match your taste and style. Try it out and let me know what you come up with!
- Add pops of color with unique décor pieces
If you chose to go with a shade of white for the walls, or enjoy layering, you can include some unique décor pieces. They don’t have to be expensive or luxurious, they can be objects you collected or unique items you found in the flee market. All that matters is that you like them!
This is another non-permanent way to inject some personality into your space. You can scatter the design pieces or put them in a vignette. They can also be used to add pops of color to the room.
- Use candles or scent diffusers
I am crazy about candles! When I moved out of my apartments I had 24 candles to pack! I cannot live without them. So, to add to the ambiance, increase my productivity and creativity, I love lighting a candle or two in my workspace. If you are not a fan of candles, you can use a diffuser or a combination of both. I highly recommend this because I feel so much more energetic and happier when I smell the mixes of flowery scents. Definitely, something to add to your everyday life.
Oh! one more thing, you should also experiment with different scents, you never know what you might like!
- Decorate vertically (shelves, storage, art)
Whether you have a room dedicated to your office or use a portion of a room as workspace, think about using your space efficiently. Don’t clutter your floor, it just would makes your room look smaller. You want to work vertically when decorating your office, make use of your walls, no matter how high or low your ceiling might be.
Install floating and wall-mounted shelves/storage for displaying your art, plants, design pieces. Don’t be afraid to stack shelves, no one wants a cluttered shelf either. So, just put multiple shelves on top of each other to allow for your books, reference materials, décor items to be displayed rather than cramped on a small surface.
Another way to use your walls is by putting up a command center below your first shelf to keep you updated with your progress, goals, etc.
Most importantly, get weird, get creative, and make it yours! Whatever works for you, works for you!
- Have a cute and functional planner
How to keep it all together? A planner!
I keep a separate planner for my work and one for my personal life. It helps me keep it all together and not be overwhelmed. However, if you’re a person that needs to keep everything in one planner then go for it!
Get one that is pretty to look at but it also needs to be functional for you. Search wisely because it needs to be useful for you and if it misses features that you need, don’t get that one. I didn’t use my work planner chronologically, instead, I used it by projects, and since it was hard to determine how many pages each project has, I decided to get a planner that is in a binder and the papers can be moved and filed based on projects. So, feel free to take your time in finding what’s works for you.
You also have the option of having a cute physical planner to put on your desk or a cute digital one to have on your screen.
- Use a wall or desk calendar
Another way to keep organized is a calendar, a physical one. Having a digital calendar is GREAT for keeping track of your schedule, however, from experience, I realized that it was much easier to have a physical calendar to keep track of my important dates. I note all the monthly recurring things and doctor appointments, so at any time, I can look up and have a visual of what’s important that month.
I feel as though it helps me keep track of the bigger picture, whereas my planners give me the daily download.
- Put up a dry erase board
If you’re not a post-it kind of person, I suggest adding a dry erase board. I love the easiness of use and access of my board. I put it up on the wall as part of my command centre and this way I have it at eye level and only note things that must be looked at or to be kept in mind during the day. Though I have a to-do list, I feel like, during the day, priorities change, and unexpected actions come up and those are the ones I want to put on my board.
- Invest in some storage for your files
I mostly have digital files, but there are a couple of physical/original documents that I have to keep in record. For those, I decided to use file organizers, which I put on my shelves for easy access since I don’t have a filing cabinet under my desk. That’s what works for me, but you can store your files in bins, filing cabinets, drawers, in/out trays, or floating storage. I strongly recommend having at least one dedicated space for physical documents because whether it is work or personal documents, there are always some documents that you have to keep in an original physical form.
- Add a cork board or wire grid panel
It is also helpful sometimes to have some sort of a board, where you can hang wall art that keeps you going when the day gets long, you know those vacation, family, pets pictures, or inspirational quotes. What I find also very helpful daily is hanging my quick references, those acronyms, and reference codes that you’d need to go to 6 different places to find. Combine them on a one-pager and have them readily available to you.
- Put up inspirational quotes
I know it sounds cheesy, but inspirational quotes do lift you up when you feel down or tired. It’s like having a quick pep talk that gives you an extra boost of confidence, energy, and motivation. Whenever I used to feel down, I’d go on my phone and scroll and those inspirational quotes actually made me feel better and more productive. So, I decided to have them on my wall, to look at them and get inspired before I reach the no return point of no motivation. Also, they actually look good and can match any aesthetic.
- Use an ergonomic chair or/and standing desk
I’m all for that cute setup, but honestly, nothing is worth that back pain from hours of sitting. So, when purchasing your office gear or thinking of updating it, get an ergonomic item. You can get a standing desk, an ergonomic chair, or a balance chair OR if you’re like me and already have a full set up, and don’t want to buy everything all over again. You can make smaller changes, like an ergonomic mouse, mouse pad and keyboard mat, a balance cushion, or footstep. No matter how small of an investment you make, it is absolutely worth it! The best part is, you don’t even have to give up the overall design of the room, you can find a variety of cute but ergonomic products because yes! health is trendy!
Ultimately, keep your workspace bright and light in terms of décor and color, but have some fun with it, make a few risky decisions, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to add some personality to it!
Alright my lovelies, there you have my tips to create a great office or workspace regardless of how big is your dedicated space. You can either decide to use all these tips or mix and match depending on your interior design needs, preferences, and budget.
Try my tips and let me know how it looks!
Don’t forget to tell me if you enjoyed this post and if you found it helpful in the comment section. Also, if you have any additional tips don’t hesitate to write them down as well.
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20 Comments
Wow!! so many good ideas in here. Definitely book marking the page!!
Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
I love your ideas! I tend to just move around to spend time between the dog
and cat :). But maybe I should make my own space and let them in separately!
That is the cutest thing! Maybe set up a little pet nook in your office area <3
Awesome ideas! Definitely looking to add some plants to my space
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Plants can make a huge difference, even if it’s fake/dried ones 🙂
These are some great ideas.
Thank you for the feedback 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Great tips!!! I’m going to get the floating shelves seems like it could free up a little desk space and spark some joy!
I’m happy you found it helpful! Yes, plus they add dimension to the room!
So many great tips – love it. Thanks !
Thank you for the feedback Maria 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
so cutesnd great tips! workspace is so important to actually get the work done
Thank you! working from the comfort of our homes can get too comfortable so having that dedicated space will get things done! 😀
These are all great home decor ideas. Loved the photos, too!
Thank you for your feedback Miranda 🙂
These decor ideas are amazing! I love the concept of a floating desk.
Yes! floating desks are amazing and they make the room look bigger, just make sure you hang it on wall studs to support the weight!
I absolutely love these ideas, thank you so much for the inspiration!
Thank you for your feedback Chantal 🙂