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More people are now working from home than ever before. If you have decided to take this direction as well, the first thing you need to do is a home office.
Setting up your home office is more of an art, and if done correctly, it can become your new favorite spot in the house. When you’re just starting out, however, it can be hard trying to figure out where to put the workspace, how to make your home office look good, what accessories to add, and so on.
In this post, we’ll take you through cool home office design ideas and tips to help you put up your new office or transform your existing home office into a work-friendly environment.
Table of Contents
Home office ideas for a new office:
We’ll start by giving you office design ideas for home office designs for your new office. These ideas vary to suit the needs of each different individual such as space, budget, style preferences, etc.
1. Vintage home office design
Vintage furniture can help bring a level of uniqueness and sophistication to your home workspace. Plus, the furniture will blend pretty well with modern interior ideas.
If you go with this idea, you’d want to keep things as simple as possible. Get a vintage-styled wood desk and a comfortable chair.
You might also consider vintage-style paintings [1] to help fill the empty walls surrounding your work area. Vintage lighting will help further increase the traditional effect in your office.
2. Mid-century modern office
Mid-century seems to have some staying power. It never gets out of style! If your home interior décor is mid-century themed, adding a mid-century office is a good idea. Or if you’re simply fascinated by this style, you should also consider this idea.
You’ll just need to get a wood desk and shelving or storage unit bearing mid-century design [2] (dark-toned furniture like walnut and chestnut will be a great choice).
As for the accents, gold is a good choice to help you elevate your work place further! To complete the look of your mid-century office, bring in a mid-century area rug.
If possible, paint the walls a deep and moody hue!
3. Industrial style office
A good alternative for mid-century would be industrial modernism decor [3]. Here, you’ll need to pair tactile materials such as iron, wood, and cowhide in your workspace while keeping things clean and contemporary.
Additionally, you’ll need to ensure you have some closed storage to help you hide away any clutter that may pile. This will make it easy to achieve industrial-style texture furniture without creating an atmosphere that feels heavy.
4. Tuck it under the stairs
One usually unused nook you can use to set up your home office is the space under the stairs. As much odd as this space may seem to you, it will easily accommodate a table and a chair.
Moreover, you can use the unused wall space next to it for wall shelves and pinboards. The adjacent wall can also host additional shelving, books, docs, and other supplies for your home office.
5. The stairs landing alternative
If the “under the stairs” nook isn’t available or simply not practical for you, a great alternative would be to set your office on your stairs landing.
However, you want to keep in mind that this is a tricky area for a home office.
Firstly, space is limited and will only allow setting a small office.
Secondly, it is high traffic and an open spot and you want to set up your office in such a way that you don’t feel like you’re stepping into a messy area.
You just need to ensure you have enough space for a comfy chair and surface space for holding your laptop, computer, notebook, etc.
If room allows, you can also have a file cabinet by the side for storing your paperwork and documents.
And don’t forget to suit the empty walls with a photo gallery or art to improve the small office looks.
6. Floating home office
A floating office is another way to set up an office when you have limited room in your house.
Here, you’ll set a floating table on any wall in your house for holding your laptop and storing your notebooks. This idea will be great for students or those who live in small apartments.
7. Carve out a workspace in your kitchen
Yes, even the most unlikely spaces can make a good space for your office. You can easily retrofit your eat-in kitchen or dining room to create a workspace.
The good thing about a dining room is that it is already equipped with a dining table and chairs. Since you don’t use your dining table all the time, it will easily serve as a double-duty space.
8. Turn the closet into an office space
You can also turn your little-used closet into a well-organized office (or is it cloffice?) with shelves for storage.
If the closet has a door, then you should consider getting a petite desk that lets you easily close office your office when you’re done.
If all you need is a workstation to get all your documents and paperwork organized, you can simply put a file cabinet plus a couple of pretty boxes into the closet and set them in such a way that they’re easy to access.
Alternatively, you can make use of all the vertical space offered by your closet to add shelves right above the worktop so that you have ample shelving for all your papers and other materials.
But you don’t always need to close your cloffice. If you intend to create a gorgeous office at home, then ditching the door is a good idea and will let the world see how beautiful your home office is.
One more thing…if you own a walk-in closet, then it means you’ve got a bit more room to set your office. You’ll simply make it a double-duty area that stores your clothes while acting as your home office.
For the decoration part, you can add wallpapers to the cloffice. You can also equip it with colorful supplies and artwork.
9. Home office space-saving idea
Don’t let limited space stand in your way of setting a workspace in your home. Consider a DIY or custom folding work desk for your tiny space.
This piece of furniture will easily fold away when not in use and help you free up space.
10. Create several work zones
Some folks like switching workstations as a hack for increasing their output. In this case, setting up multiple workstations [4] in your office is a good idea.
This idea is also great if you like to break up your task. This photo shows the idea by Heidi Caillier Designer who set up a small built-in desk for getting organized and a large table for meetings and mapping out larger projects.
11. Home office idea for two users
Do you work from home with your partner or a colleague? If yes, then you’ll need to set up a work space that comfortably accommodates up to two people.
You can use your guest room as your office and fit it with a custom-made desk for two. You can then fit it with secret drawers on the front and sides of your desk to act as your office storage space.
Comfortable chairs for two will help you spend sitting long hours in front of your computer without feeling exhausted.
Lastly, you can add your own preferred favorite books, house plants, artwork, etc. to make it feel inspiring and an amazing spot to spend your days in.
12. Set up your office in the living room
Working from home and at the same time looking after your kids can be hectic. You’ll most likely have limited spaces for a workstation.
And in case you have a home office, it might be challenging to lock yourself inside it and keep an eye on your kids at the same time.
That said, the best solution here is to set up your home office in the living room or seating area. You can simply place your desk behind the sofa—the spot usually intended for sofa tables or a console.
This will not only be an ideal office to work from but you’ll also get to keep an eye on your kids easily as they watch TV or play games.
13. Put that forgotten corner to use
Chances are high there’s that neglected nook in your living room that will offer you a suitable place for putting up a mini-office.
This can be directly adjacent to your fireplace or any other nook. Put a chair and desk in the nook.
If you to spice it up, you can also add a hanging plant or art to make the simple office look good.
14. Work by the window if possible
Staring at a blank wall all day can really kill your mood. And the cure for this is setting your office by or next to a window.
This lets you enjoy plenty of natural light pouring in through the window. You’ll also enjoy a great view of the greenery and nature surrounding you which is calming and stress-relieving.
15. Go for minimalistic office desk
This is one of the top home office design ideas for those who don’t work from throughout or those who want to set their office in a multi-use room.
Using a minimalist chair and desk makes it easy to move them when not in use.
The minimalist furniture design also ensures they don’t cause much distraction to other features in the room.
You can add a gold organizer to hold your docs or paperwork and a desk lamp and house plants to give your set up some personality.
16. Get outside with a backyard office
If none of all the above ideas seem to work in your home, you can just head out and to the backyard to see if your dream home office will be feasible there.
You can convert that unused garage, freestanding shed, gazebo, etc. into a home office.
The benefit of having a backyard workspace is that it recreates a scenario similar to that of commuting to the job every day.
Ideas to make your office look good:
As we promised you at the beginning of this post, this part contains additional office design ideas and tips for decorating your office and making it more motivating to work in.
17. Give it a pop of color
Want to get rid of snoozed look from your work area? Well, give it a bold pop of color and keep the rest of your space neutral to make your space look more inviting.
You can easily achieve this by adding one colored piece, e.g. a bright colored office chair.
18. Gallery wall for interior design ideas
So you cant figure out ways on what to do with the blank walls in your workroom? How about turning them into a photo or art gallery wall?
Surround the walls with inspiring artwork and prints and you’ll enjoy a view that you couldn’t enjoy for not having your wood desk near the window.
19. Stylish wallpaper
You can also personalize your work space by covering its walls with stylish wallpapers. The good thing about wallpapers is that you’ll have countless designs to choose from depending on your office decor or unique preferences.
20. Modernize it with metallic accents
Incorporating metallic accents into home offices such as copper, brass, gold, silver, rose gold, etc., can also help you modernize your work area.
However, you should be careful how you combine these metal accents with your existing decor without distracting the color pallet or decor already in place.
Where exactly should you put them? Think trash bins, lamps, plant misters, pencil cups, and other small accessories before you can move on side tables, wood shelving, etc.
21. Paint soothing colors
Home offices should give a feeling of calmness and reduce stress as you work on your projects. And achieving this is as easy as painting the walls with colors you’ll be happy around for long periods of time.
Blue and earthy green colors are good options. Light colors such as warm whites are great for creating a distraction-free environment.
22. Give your office life with plants and succulents
Plants help remove harmful pollutants, increase humidity, and improve the quality of air in your work area.
Both green plants and succulents help reduce stress and improve the quality of life as you tackle your projects from your home office.
Conclusion
That’s it about our list of cool home office ideas and tips. Whether you’re planning to set up a new office or you want to work on your existing one to make it more work-friendly, this guide will offer you multiple tips and ideas to get you started.
We have shared home design ideas that meet the needs of different users including those with limited room, tight budget, and those who put style first.
Whatever your needs, you should find an idea that works for you from this list.
