Stylish Home Office Ideas

It happens to the best of us. You finally get a place with enough rooms to have a home office. You picture yourself sitting at your desk, maybe resting your feet on a cozy shag area rugs, and getting lots of things done. You gleefully mark your moving boxes with the word “office” and on moving day they get stacked up in the newly designated room. And there they sit. And sit. And sit. Until before you know it, you’ve been in your place for six months (or longer!) and haven’t made your way through those dreaded boxes.

That’s how you know it’s time for a home office rescue. Time to bring it back from the brink of becoming an overgrown closet and into the stylish, productivity-inducing haven that it can be. Here’s some simple advice to get you started.

Shades of grey and white

The first thing you want to do is make this a place you’d want to spend time in. Feng shui experts tell us that white or grey palettes are most effective for creating a feeling of clarity and precision. Neither of these colors need to appear dull – just search for a shade that feels calming yet stimulating to you. You can also incorporate these colors in your furnishings and décor with metallic accents or black and white area rugs for around your home.

Shine a light

Allow for plenty of light in your office to help yourself feel refreshed and mentally stimulated. Steer clear of heavy drapery or blinds on the windows and opt for sheers or roman shades instead. Overhead lighting should be bright but not glaring (after all, you’re still at home). Additional lighting like a desktop lamp can literally illuminate reading at your desk while floor lamps placed in a corner will provide additional light when the sun goes down.

Send a message

Perhaps you’re in a creative field and you want to feel inspired every time you sit down to work. In that case, a wall-sized corkboard might be just the thing you need to see when you look up from your computer. Fill the board with photos, magazine clippings, and pictures you find inspiring. This is also a good place to tack notes and reminders that might otherwise clog up your desktop. To really get outside the box with this idea, you might even consider covering walls in large letters in varying sizes and fonts. Fill blank spaces with words like “relax”, “imagine”, or “create”.

Float on

If you don’t have room for a traditional stand-alone desk, a floating tabletop might be just the fix. This piece attaches to the wall like a countertop and instantly becomes the centerpiece of the room. If you can, attach your floating desk near a window to give your workspace as much natural light as possible.

Sit and think awhile

Give yourself someplace to hang out besides your desk. As a writer, much of my work is done mentally. I only spend the time that I need to type at my desk. If you’re the same way, a nice feature like a cozy leather couch or oversized chair can provide a second place to relax and think. Add a cozy chenille throw and a silk area rug to add to the comfort of the space.

Shape it up

Once you’ve got all the essentials in place, it’s time to get organized and make sure you make it easy on yourself to keep it that way. Just like you’d outfit your work office with a place for your paperwork, pens, and books, it’s a great idea to outfit your home office the same way. Invest in a few desktop organizers that will make it easy to file bills and other important documents. A pair of tall bookshelves on either side of your desk will make the most of every inch of vertical space in the room and also help designate your desk as the room’s centerpiece. You can easily pick these up at a discount home and furniture store for less than $100. Instead of just piling magazines and other periodicals in a corner or on a shelf, purchase a sleek and stylish magazine holder that can sit neatly between books on a bookshelf or next to your computer’s monitor on your desk.