Budget-Friendly Decor Ideas For Your Home Office

Working in style doesn’t have to break the bank. Using your space to its advantage and combining DIY techniques with supplies you might already have can turn a drab room into a fun or relaxing area.

Whether your home office is designated for running a business or working from home, you deserve more than a metal desk and hard-backed chair. What’s so important about having a good home office space? Having a space that’s comfortable and chic decor that reflects the design and comfort of the rest of your home will be a place you’ll want to go. Doing any kind of work isn’t always enjoyable, but it can be more gratifying if your office is pleasant to behold.

Let’s look over some ways to create a practical and charming workspace.

Decor Ideas For Your Home Office On A Budget

If you’re planning on spending ample amounts of time in your office, utilize that space! For example, let’s say you have a small room under the stairs and an extra bedroom. Why waste the spare bedroom for guests who may never come? Don’t force your work into a small area when you have other places to use. This way, you can really get your creative decorating juices flowing.

When choosing the general layout of your space, you want your desk, shelves, and storage area to serve you and not the other way around. You don’t want to get all of your furniture in the “right” place to only find that the corner of your favorite desk nails you in the hip every time you walk into the room. Consider your workflow and the items you will be using constantly. Then find pieces that are both functional and beautiful for each purpose.

You want your office furniture to scream “It’s great to work here” not “I die here every day”, so add some personality and charm to your decor. If the rest of your decor has a rustic feel with dark wood and soft comfy cushions, incorporate that into your office by adding an attractive soft loveseat, if you have the room.

Deciding on furniture doesn’t have to be expensive. Yard sales, salvage, and thrift stores, online shopping, and even outlet malls will have tons of choices for low prices. If you find something you like but the appearance needs some TLC, then get to crafting. Reupholstering older furniture or patching up holes isn’t difficult with a little do-it-yourself know-how.

Choosing Decor

You will be spending hours and hours in your office chair. Make this your main focus when starting to choose your decorating scheme. You’ll want a product with a design that optimizes human use, or ergonomically correct so that you are comfortable for the duration of your sitting.

Would a chair with wheels be beneficial or a chair that stays put? If you decide on using an accent rug for your room, maybe a stationary chair would suit you best. Either way, a comfortable functional office chair can make all the difference when you’re working those night hours.

When choosing paint colors, stay away from boring beige and off-white. Talk about a drab office. You’ll want a color that gets your work motor humming. While some people find a calming shade of seafoam green or sky blue better for this, others might prefer a bright cheery orange or loud yellow. Look into the psychology of how colors can affect your mood for more help.

For example, red can raise a room’s energy level. As the most intense color, it causes adrenaline to pump like no other hue. It is a good choice when you want to stir up excitement, particularly at night.

When deciding on the little things, like notepads or pencil holders, you want items that will enhance your room’s vibe. If you’re going for the comfy and welcoming feel, you can hide bookshelves behind a flowy curtain or wrap your bulletin board in a gorgeous material. If you choose an item made of metal, try to stick with that theme, so you don’t want to have a metal wastebasket and wooden cup holder.

Hang inspirational prints on the walls if that suits your fancy or some paintings from your children. Whatever helps you feel good, go with that for your wall hangings. In the end, you’re the one spending ample amounts of time here.

Position and Organize

Even though you might like the color, choose something better than a wall to stare at. When you look up from your desk, you need to view something pleasant. Usually, the best bet is to position your desk to where you’d be looking out of the window. Natural light on great for making a hard-working individual feel better. If you are in a windowless space, hang a nice scenery picture about your desk or move your chair so it’s facing the door.

When organizing, it’s imperative to be efficient. A lot of home office spaces are overflowing with optimal square footage, so using the space you have in the best way will improve the layout. Floating shelves are great and can be pretty cheap to find. They add a little decor to the room while also adding function. You can store books, papers, and other office trinkets in them. Vertical file folders for your desk are helpful for documents needed within arms reach.

If you tend to make piles of your papers, having a designated basket or drawer can reduce clutter. Depending on your theme, a metal or wooden storage cube can be used as a bookshelf alternative.

Don’t forget about all that technology. It’s hard to really make a printer or a computer more pleasing to the eye, but hiding pesky cords and cables will make the space less hectic.

Start with making sure your equipment is as close as possible to any outlets needed. You can then encase cords in a fabric cover or feed them into a desk grommet, which is a cap that helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Cord winders, tubing, wire organizers, and other products are available to tame the jumble of cords that come along with technological devices.

Motivate and Get to Work

After you’ve chosen and positioned your furniture, painted the walls, decorated spaces, and organized the necessities, it’s time to get inspired for work. Don’t forget about little odds and ends that could really make your space more personal. Maybe you have some favorite candles or a picture of your family. Whatever motivates you and helps you get the most out of your office space, use it to help that brainpower!

About Clarissa

Clarissa Caouette is the proud owner of a residential cleaning service by day and an interior design enthusiast by night. Clarissa deeply enjoys researching, reading, and writing about design topics and is currently working towards becoming a certified interior designer.