You might have had to quickly improvise a temporary workspace and it might be nice to take some time to make it as pleasant and as practical as possible. If you have a home office that means most of the basics are already in place and adding a few extra details and finishing touches shouldn’t be difficult.
With that in mind, we’d like to share with you today some design and decor ideas that we came across on Instagram. We hope they can inspire you to make your own workspace more enjoyable, even if it’s temporary.
A few useful design tips
Working from home is more common now than it has ever been. With that in mind, it’s time we focus our attention on ways in which we can make this more pleasant and ways in which we can successfully bring together our home and work environments. Here are a few tips that might help:
Find a good spot for the desk
The spot that you pick for your desk is very important. It will directly impact your productivity and mood. It’s usually a good idea to have the desk placed with its back against a wall. It’s a good way to save space and it also gives you an opportunity to decorate the wall and to accessorize it with shelves and other storage-oriented features.
You should also try to position your desk close to a natural light source like a window or a skylight. Natural light is very pleasant plus it’s nice to have a view of the outside world and to get some fresh air while you’re working.
You might also have to pay attention to what’s going on behind you when you’re sitting at your desk, especially if you’re doing video conferences. Find a good spot for your desk that gives you a nice and neutral backdrop and don’t put it in a high-traffic area where there’s people constantly moving around.
Set up an area where you can relax
It’s good to have a proper deck where you can work and be productive but it’s also important to have a spot where you can sit down and relax from time to time, a space where you can clear your head. Make it nice and inviting. This could also be a feature to keep in mind if your job involves setting up in-person meetings with clients or other colleagues.
Consider a shared home office
It’s quite common right now for two people from the same household to work to home. In that case, it might be more space-efficient and practical to have a shared workspace, a space for two. Find a way to make everyone happy by making sure you don’t interfere with one another when working. Also, give each person plenty of personal space.
Build proper storage for all your equipment
Depending on the type of work you do, you might need a bunch of equipment like a printer, a shredder, a file cabinet and so on. Make sure you home office can accommodate all these things. Keeping these items in plain sight can make the space look less appealing so consider some ways in which you can hide them but still keep them operational and accessible.
A multipurpose room
Since we’re usually dealing with a very limited amount of space when it comes to home offices and work areas, relying on multifunctional furniture is a really good idea. Consider desks with built-in storage or tables that can be turned into desks. Similarly, you could have a space that serves a double function. It can be a home office as well as a guest bedroom for instance.
Layer the lighting
As mentioned before, it’s best to set up your desk close to a source of natural light. Of course, artificial lighting is also important. Try to include more than one type of lighting in your home office. For example, you can have a ceiling light, a table lamp on the desk and some accent lights dispersed throughout the room which can set up a nice mood.
Cool Instagram Home Office Decor Ideas
Make the space your own
A desk or a table, a comfortable chair and a few accessories is all you need to make yourself a little home office, a space where you can work from. Add a table lamp, put up a painting or a poster on the wall and look around for other finishing touches you could add to the space. Let this lovely space shared by olivergalart inspire you.
Bring some greenery into your life
This is a tiny little home office area next to the kitchen island. It’s not exactly a part of the kitchen itself but it’s not a separate area either so you won’t really get much privacy here but it does look lovely and cozy. Follow giselerampazzo for more details and more inspiration.
Keep it simple and chic
Check out how airy and stylish this home office is. It has light-colored walls, breezy white curtains, a sleek white desk and a chic metal chair with a comfy faux fur cover on it. There are also plenty of small details that add a lot to the space such as the framed poster on the wall, the flexible wall-mounted lamp and the soft area rug. This is a design posted by emskipihla.
Repurpose an existing room
If you don’t have a separate room in the house that you can use as an office, turn the dining table into your desk. Position yourself in a spot that gets plenty of natural sunlight during the day and enjoy the comfort of your cozy home. This decor shared by tinyandthehouse is a wonderful source of inspiration.
Add a few accessories
We love how chic and cozy this home office shared by mygreyhome looks. It has a small wooden desk with two storage shelves and tapered legs, a classic chair and a nice bulletin board with miniature clothespins to hang pics and other things from.
Don’t overlook storage
Every workspace needs at least a bit of storage for essentials and accessories and other things. Shelves are a great option because they’re very versatile and don’t look bulky plus they don’t take up any floor space. Put up a few shelves next to your next and decorate them with a few books, some framed pictures and anything else you see fit. Keep things simple and check out this post frombaking_a_home.
Find a cozy spot for the desk
If possible, place your desk next to a window so you can enjoy natural sunlight during the day. Take this lovely design shared by crack_the_shutters as an example. It’s a small area in the living room, between the fireplace and the window and it’s such a cozy space, even if it’s just a small desk, a chair and a few cubbies up on the wall.
Put the desk in front of a window
Once again, this is a small home office setting that takes advantage of the sunlight coming through the window. There are lots of potted plants around the desk which creates a fresh and bohemian decor. The chair has a sleek metal frame and a curved rattan seat and the desk is small and fit perfectly in front of the window. Follow bohemiandecor for more beautiful designs.
Hang stuff from the walls and the ceiling
Even if your home office consists of only a tiny desk and a chair, you can still make it look rather lovely. Since there’s not any room to spare on the desk, you can hang some items up on the walls. Add a poster and hanging planter to turn this into a beautiful corner. It’s a combo inspired by a post from brandolins.
Use a soothing color scheme
The greenery is also an important of this home office design shared bycasadasamigas. What we really love about this space is the palette of colors used throughout. It’s a combination of warm neutrals, pastel pink and metallic gold details and the vibrant greens contrasts with everything else around them.
Use potted plants as decorations
Speaking of greens and plants and everything related, check out this chic home office shared by andrea_groot. It plays with lots of warm wood accents combined with black metal highlights and a neural backdrop. The room also has a green accent wall and is decorated with lots of potted plants placed around the windows.
Try an elegant approach
A more formal-looking home office can also look very beautiful We feel really inspired by this post from ci.design.mimarlik. This is a small but elegant space with lots of storage in it. We love the way the desk transitions into a bookcase and vice versa.
Keep the room airy and uncluttered
Don’t overcomplicate things unnecessarily. You can probably get away with only a small desk and a chair for your home office. You can still add a few extra bits like a table lamp and some decorations on the wall but don’t clutter the room with furniture unless you actually need it. Something simple like this space shared by inclassicfashion is more than appropriate in most cases.
Of course, you can create a simple setup and make it stand out at the same time. Check out this amazing desk featured in a post from luxrevive. It has this amazing live edge wood and resin design and it looks spectacular on its own.
Take advantage of bay windows
These bay windows form a perfect nook for a home office. The desk sits at the center and gets natural light from all sides and you can add shutters or curtains to make it more pleasant. Use this post from galeriasavaria_online_antik as a source of inspiration if you have a similar design in mind for your own home office and living room area.
Set up a little office in the attic
It would be nice to somehow separate your work area from the rest of the house. Setting up the home office in the attic is a great way to do that and a perfect use of this space. To make it look less tiny and cluttered paint the walls and the ceiling white and go with a minimalistic décor. Check out this beautiful setup from cocokelley if you need more ideas for your own attic office.
Add some color to this space
Don’t let your workspace bring you down or feel boring. Make it fun and exciting by decorating it with bold and vibrant accent colors. There’s a multitude of ways in which you can do that. For example, look at all the colorful details in which shared office space featured on thecraftedlife.
Give yourself a nice view
One of the advantages of placing the desk right in front of a window is that you can take advantage of the view. You can open the curtains during the day to let all the sunlight in and you can have a quick look outside whenever you’re lacking inspiration. Head over to athomewithashley for more inspiration.
Create a gallery wall
Placing the desk against the wall is more practical but in some cases it can actually be better to try a different layout. For example, this lovely home office from paisleyandsparrow features a gallery wall which creates an amazing backdrop for the desk. It can also look great when you’re in a video conference.
Put a cozy seat in the corner
Room corners can be quite difficult to furnish and to decorate but there’s plenty of ideas that can work. For instance, this cozy little home office featured on michealadianedesigns and comfortable corner seat area with an armchair sitting by the window. It’s such a simple thing but it makes a big difference in the room.
Make this space your own
It doesn’t really matter if you can use a separate room as your home office or if you’re just setting up a little area somewhere else. Find ways to make this space your own. Decorate the shelves, delineate it with a cute area rug, decorate the walls and so on. You can find a bunch of cool ideas on mintarrow if you’re curious.
Separate the actual desk area from the rest of the space
This is an especially useful tip if you’re setting up your workspace inside one of the existing rooms of the house, like the living area for example. Try to make this section of the room stand out. For example, in the home office featured on twistmepretty the desks and storage modules are all on one side of the room and the sofa and everything are on the other.
Add diversity to your design
Even if you only have a small room to work with you can still make it sort of multifunctional. You could have a little desk area, some space for storage and a small seating nook where you can relax and unwind. It can all fit within a small space and you can make each little section feel special. Check out this inspiring makeover from kierstinsmythdesign if you need more ideas.
Create a space that suits you
Your home office should suit the type of work that you do. Perhaps you don’t need a ton of storage or maybe a regular desk just isn’t right for you. Create a design that suits you and your work and be creative. Include elements that inspire you and pay attention to the little things. Check out this blogger home office from walkinginmemphisinhighheels for some ideas that you can potentially adapt to your own style.
Choose a multifunctional design
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can’t use your workspace for other activities too. A multifunctional design can suit someone with a flexible work schedule and can also be a good option if you’re short on space in general. Take a look at the home office featured on somewhatsimple to learn more about this strategy.
