Home / Life Working from home? 13 ways to be more inspired in your home office Tips to make your office the best room in the house. By Houzz November 27, 2016 Rectangle Inside this article To strike the right balance, consider these 13 decorating tips for perfecting your home office designâ Corral clutter with serving trays Photo by Highland Homes – Search transitional home office pictures If your desk is multifunctional or in a room (such as a guest room or den) that serves other purposes besides working from home, a serving tray gives you a place to stash items and easily move them out of the way. For example, keep your office supplies in jars on a tray, and you can move them over to a nearby shelf on the weekend. Or keep a beverage carafe and glasses on a tray and bring them in to fill the desk when itâs time to declare the workweek over. Original story by Yanic Simard for Houzz More from Houzzâ Check Out These Dreamy Home Offices Stay Organized Without Compromising Desk Space With Wall Shelves Use Wall Art for Creative MotivationCheck Out These Dreamy Home Offices Stay Organized Without Compromising Desk Space With Wall Shelves Use Wall Art for Creative Motivation Invest in practical lamps Photo by E & A Interiors – Discover transitional home office design inspiration Photo by Making Spaces – Look for contemporary home office design inspiration A properly lit space is crucial to maintaining your mood, productivity and health. Bad lighting can strain your eyes, especially if youâre staring at a bright screen in the dark. General background illumination can help. But instead of a harsh spotlight, go for a decorative table lamp with a warm glow. To save space, you can also replace the desk lamp with a floor lamp or even a wall-mounted light like a swing-arm plug-in sconce. This frees up 10 to 16 inches of space and lets the light diffuse a little before reaching the desk, to light a wider area more evenly. Stock office supplies nearby Photo by Myrica Bergqvist Interior Stylist/Decorator – More Scandinavian home office photos For basic supplies like pens and pencils, think like an artist and use glass jars to keep everything in reach. The look is laid-back and stylish, and the fewer times you have to get up and search for supplies, the more productive youâll be. Get a desk pad Photo by GeorgieRose Interior Design – Look for contemporary home office design inspiration Besides being an attractive and comfortable place to set your computer and rest your arms while typing, a desk pad can also help to define a space that is forbidden from collecting clutter. A large pad will set aside enough room to move your arms and accomplish tasks without knocking over objects or beverages. Provide refreshments Photo by Artspace Interior Design Ltd – Look for contemporary home office pictures Speaking of the comforts of home, the more everyday essentials you keep on hand, the less temptation there will be to wander away from your desk. If you know youâll need frequent top-ups on your caffeine, try keeping a coffeemaker on or next to the desk. Or consider adding a beverage cart or a mini fridge, so sparkling water or sodas are always handy. Organize that paper Photo by Sweetwater Homes – Search transitional home office pictures If you arenât perfect at keeping your papers 100 percent organized on a daily basis, itâs wise to plan ahead and give yourself a temporary place to stash documents until they can be properly addressed. Otherwise they can easily pile up on the desk itself and become permanent clutter. Set aside a specific drawer or desktop organizer for loose papers, and make sure you sort them properly every Friday before you finish the workweek (or on Monday as a reset). Float the shelves Photo by Palmerston Design Consultants – Search contemporary kitchen pictures When your âofficeâ is really a small nook in the home, rather than a full room, adding floating shelves provides accessible storage that keeps clutter off your work surface. Make sure to include decorative elements on these shelves, like some inspiring books or art, so the overall look is still welcoming. Also, stick to light colors (such as white or pale wood) for the shelves. This keeps them from feeling too in-your-face. A great home office balances the rigors of work and the relaxation of life in your most familiar and comfortable surroundings. But so often these spaces can end up feeling a little too âofficeâ and not enough âhome,â or vice versa. And thatâs not good for business or pleasure. To strike the right balance, consider these 13 decorating tips for perfecting your home office designâ Incorporate pattern and color Photo by Andrew Howard Interior Design – Discover contemporary home office design inspiration Itâs been shown that color and pattern help keep you creative and stimulated at work, so donât be afraid that some lively hues will distract you. For a perfect balance, keep energetic colors in your periphery while sticking to a more subdued look for the desk. That way, you can concentrate while on a roll, and let your mind wander when you need to lean back for a minute. Pin it Photo by Katie Martinez Design – Browse transitional home office ideas If you use a bulletin board for sticking up reminders, samples and the like, go for a larger size than necessary and include a few positive photos or inspiration images. Donât let the board be all to-do lists and bills, or you wonât ever want to look at it. Dress up your desk with decor Photo by Tucker & Marks – Look for traditional bedroom design inspiration One of the best parts about working from home is not being in a stuffy office. So why re-create a stuffy office at home? Include decorative elements in your office space, such as a chunky vase full of flowers, so you can enjoy the comforts of home all through the working hours. Use a laptop Photo by Tim Barber Ltd Architecture – Discover transitional home office design ideas Some professions need a large desktopâor moreâto work efficiently. If you donât, consider skipping the massive monitor and work on just a laptop or tablet. This allows you to free up visual space and symbolically close the book on each workday, so youâre not always staring at a large black rectangle thatâs reminding you of the work you still need to complete. Hang artwork at the proper height Photo by hello mrs eve – Discover midcentury home office design ideas Photo by ĂÂĂÂĂ°ĂÂĂÂĂÂș ĂÂĄĂ”ĂÂĂ³ÔĂÂč – Search contemporary home office design ideas People often hang art at eye level, but your eye-level when sitting at a desk is very different from standing. Try hanging art 6 to 9 inches above your desk, and let a lamp, container or candles sit in front to play with heights and create visual layers. You can also skip hanging the art altogether and simply lean a piece on your desk for a more offbeat look. If the desk faces a window, you have a great view no matter what the weather. Consider all angles Photo by Paragon Group LLC – Discover transitional home office design inspiration When working in a formal office scenario, the desk often gets crammed up against a cubicle wall. But one of the freedoms of working from home is often being able to sit at an angle with no cubicle to confine you. Angling your desk into the room diagonally can make even a tight office space (such as a small den with few windows) feel larger, giving the maximum amount of space between you and the opposite walls. Try moving your desk around until you feel the most comfortableâsometimes the right angle isnât a ârightâ angle. Related Stories Beauty & Style Shopping Guides Sofia Grainge’s new Amazon Essentials collection is quiet luxury for littlesâand it’s all under $37 Children's Health I’ll be an ‘overprotective’ mama this RSV seasonâand I’m not sorry for it Beauty & Style Shopping Guides Lounge sets that slay from home to holiday travel Inside this article To strike the right balance, consider these 13 decorating tips for perfecting your home office designâ The latest Home Mom’s brilliant laundry organization tips will change the way you think about doing laundry Home Shopping Guides Bring the afterlife to life with these spooktacular Beetlejuice decorations Home Shopping Guides 16 Target best-sellers we’d never regret adding to our carts Home Shopping Guides Meet Chunk: Nugget’s clever new kids’ ottoman that’s about to be everywhere