7 Inspirations for Your Home Office Design

Whether you work from home all week long or put in extra hours from home at night and on the weekends, most of us today have the need for a home office of some sort, even if it is just for paying the bills and managing your family’s schedule and paperwork. Depending on the size of your home, you may have a whole room or just a sliver of a room to dedicate to a home office. Either way you deserve to have a comfortable and stylish space to work in, right?

Here are 7 inspirations for your home office design:

Treat It Like a Masterpiece

Many times the home office is overlooked as a space that have can style and panache. We tend to only see its functional purpose and figure as long as we have space to work that is all that matters. But it doesn’t have to be this way at all.

Take your time and actually pick a design for the space and choose one or two luxurious or stand out items that make your home office unique. For example raspberry leather chairs can make an otherwise drab space pop or a cowhide rug on the floor can bring a note of luxury and warmth to the room.

If the rest of your home is filled with cool antique finds, why not let that carry into your home office as well. Look around for an old-fashioned writing table and chair that can set the mood for the room.

Splurge on Your Chair

When you know that you are going to be spending long hours in your home office, comfort is key. Splurge a little on your desk chair so that you have a chair that won’t cause you aches and pains the longer you sit in it. You are more likely to be at your productive best if you are feeling comfortable. Just make sure it is not too comfortable or you will end up taking a nap in it instead.

Choose a Bold Wallpaper

People tend to either love or hate wallpaper, but the right design and material can add color and texture to your home office. Don’t be afraid to go with thick stripes or another pattern in a bold color. It will make an interesting backdrop for your desk and chair and make it lose the institutional feel most office spaces have. If you really don’t like wallpaper, bold paint on the walls can also have a similar effect.

Make Organizational Tools Look Like Art

Calendars, desk trays, file cabinets and other organizational tools are, of course, must haves in any office, but with the right purchases they can blend into the room and not stick out like a sore thumb. For instance, instead of just putting a days of the week calendar on the wall, hand craft your own to make it look more like wall art than a calendar. Another idea is to buy cabinetry that on the outside doesn’t scream office supplies and could easily fit in a living room as well as a home office.

For the pens and other supplies that tend to end up scattered across the desk, find cool pencil holders and desk trays that also are sculptures or cool knickknacks that fit the theme of the room.

Create an Inspiration Wall

Who couldn’t use a little inspiration, right? If you are stressed and worried about things at work or if you have a major deadline coming up, but you can’t seem to focus on what you need to do, a little inspiration can go a long way.

Think about creating an inspiration wall or a mood board behind your desk. You can set it the  inspiration wall up gallery-style with different framed photos and sayings that will help keep you on track when you need it the most. If a certain person inspires you, then include photos and mementos of that person as inspiration.

Some people also find mood boards motivating. Find a large cork board that you can hang up on the wall in your home office and fill it with words, images, colors and textures that can jump start your creative juices when you are feeling blocked.

Splurge on Lighting

Just like in all rooms in your home, every little detail in your home office matters, even the lighting. When making your selections, keep in mind not only what would be the best type of lighting for the work you will be doing, but also the statement you want to make with it. For large, luxurious office space, go big with a fancy chandelier. If you are instead going for a funk, downtown New York City vibe, then some colorful art deco lamps might be more of what you are looking for.

Add Space for Entertaining

Especially if you are an entrepreneur working full-time out of your home office, you will need space for meetings and business entertaining. See if there is a nook where you can set up two comfy chairs and a little table for chats and discussions. If space allows, think about setting up a large table and chairs for larger conferences and for dinner meetings and other types of business entertaining.

Proximity to the kitchen or the ability to set up a mini kitchen or bar area in your home office will also make entertaining easier. It is important to show your potential clients and business partners that you are the consummate professional in everything you do.

Other tips to keep in mind when you are designing your home office include trying to keep distractions to a minimum. While this may be difficult if your home office is situated in a public room like the kitchen or dining room or if you have little ones that you have to keep an eye on while working, the best way to ensure productivity while you are trying to cross things off your to-do list is to have minimum interruptions.

Also when choosing a desk, think about how best you work so that the arrangement of your computer and general workspace is conducive to your personal work style. Remember, you need the space to work as hard as you do!