Affordable and Chic Small Home Office in 8 Easy Steps
Whether you’re looking to decorate your desk at home or the small home office, these desk decor ideas are guaranteed to make working 10x more enjoyable.
- Have you been drooling over beautiful home offices and dreaming about your little corner, but you don’t have enough space?
- Sick and tired of working from a dining table, while your family eats and drinks?
- Do you have a home office that makes you cringe every time you see it?
- Are you afraid to let anyone see your messy workspace on Zoom?
If it is!
Here are cheap and easy ways to make a small home office look better!
Whether you’re looking to personalize your cubicle at work, design an at-home office, or spruce up your vanity, these desk décor and small office ideas are guaranteed to make the time you spend there 10x more enjoyable.
You’re sure to be spending a lot of time at your desk so you want it to be as comfortable as possible!
This post is all about the small home office and how to create a stunning workspace on a budget. it’s all covered here!
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STEP 1: A compact and stylish desk
The first step to working toward comfort and productivity in setting up a home office, even if it’s in a small apartment or small room is to invest in a desk for home, even if it’s small and compact.
You can also use a standing desk if you have room for one.
GET THE LOOK: FLEXISPOT Comhar Electric Standing Desk with Drawer Desktop
STEP 2: Rearrange Your Office Furniture
Just rearranging the furniture can completely improve the flow and feel of a home office. First, think about how you want your home office to function as a workspace.
Think about what view you want from your desk, the best wall for books and shelves, and where you’ll place anything, you need to easily grab or use while you work (like a printer or files).
Once you have everything set up to be a great workspace, you can add in extra comfy seating or tables, if it makes sense.
STEP 3: Swap Furniture & Décor Between Rooms
Don’t be afraid to steal decor from other rooms in the house.
To save money, you can always swap furniture and décor between rooms in your home. That’ll give your home office an updated feel without spending much money.
Just be sure to not pull any items from a room that you already LOVE. You don’t want to ruin the look of one room to improve another.
STEP 4: Buy A Comfy Office Chair That Looks Great
Aside from a desk, make sure you have ergonomic home office equipment so that you avoid hand cramps, neck cramps, or strains in your body, attributed to office chairs or table height that’s not good for your body measurements.
GET THE LOOK:
Big & Tall Executive Office Chair
“Extra Wide Women’s Office Chair – the exact chair I use to get me through 10+ hour work days while always being comfy! “
STEP 5: Declutter & Organize
Optimize Your space.
I don’t know about you, but I honestly CAN NOT work in a messy room. And a messy or cluttered office never looks good. Spend an afternoon going through all of your books, files, and piles.
Get rid of anything you don’t need anymore. And pack away anything you don’t need to see often. Then hide those boxes and hardly used items out of sight.
Organization is key—use every trick in the book.
“Don’t waste an ounce of space by tucking printers, filing, etc. into corners and in drawers. Use all your vertical space, too, by putting cabinets up to the ceiling with varying types of storage and a wall hanging pin board to help organize supplies that might otherwise end up shoved in a drawer!” — Carly Callahan, designer at Homepolish.
Writing Desk Pad
Heat Resistant Waterproof PVC Round Edge Durable Desk Protect Mat, Anti-Static Writing Mat-23.6’’x13.7” Table Protector.
“Keeps my desk super clean and it stays in place.“
File Folder Bin Storage Organizer
“I am very happy with these magazine holders. I have placed in them reading material that otherwise would be lying flat, using up a lot more real estate in my home office. The fact they are sheer helps me identify contents quickly and I like the way they make my shelves look neat. “
STEP 6: Add Natural Light or Brighter Lighting
Sometimes the biggest design problem in a room is poor lighting. If a room feels dark and dreary, it can affect your mood. AND bad lighting affects your overall impression of the room, in a bad way.
Brighter, natural light gives you more energy. That’ll help you get all of that work done.
Brighter lighting makes you feel happier and more positive, overall.
So, keep the blinds and curtains open during the day. Give those windows a good cleaning, inside and out, to let light in.
Then add enough lighting to really brighten and energize your home office.
“Natural light makes a space feel bigger—which is always a plus in a small space. For my home office, I actually used fogged window film on all the windows so I could always have the blinds up. This allows enough light to feed the plants in the room and keep them, as well as myself, lively! And when you feel alive, you’re always more efficient.” — Hayley Francis, founder, and blogger at Neon Doves
STEP 7: Add Plants or Faux Plants
I already mentioned that I LOVE to add plants or faux plants onto bookcases and shelves. Also, they look great on an office desk or in large pots on the floor too.
A little greenery can be a huge improvement when you’re trying to make a home office look good!
“I try to ensure a balanced home office that is practical, ergonomic, comfortable, and clean—if these elements aren’t in the place I know I’ll end up working at the kitchen table! A lovely plant is said to help keep you feeling calm and clean the air—plus it looks pretty too. I like either a snake plant or a ZZ plant. Both look lovely, are good for cleaning the air, and are low maintenance!” — Niki Brantmark, founder of My Scandinavian Home.
GET THE LOOK:
Small Fake Plant
“Very life-like. Look alive—great value for the money. The pot is strong. “
STEP 8: Practice Hygge
Make it welcoming—but not too cozy that all you want to do is nap.
“Neutral colors on your walls and floor, paired with natural wood, plants, and some kind of textile, like blankets, throw pillows, rugs, or a yarn wall hanging, create a simple yet cozy working space.” — Caitlin & Manda, Co-founders of The Merrythought
This post is all about a small home office.
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