Many people have flexible work arrangements these days where they work a few days a week from home, while others work full-time from their own home offices.

Fast internet, video conferencing tools and other tech advancements have made this a real possibility for more people over the last few years.

But working from home can have its distractions, including noisy kids, the constant temptation to turn on the TV, and no boss looking over your shoulder to keep checking your progress.

As a result, productivity can take a hit.

The solution is to create an environment that inspires productivity. There are many ways to do this, but the decor of your home office will have a big impact.

In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at some of the best decorating ideas for your home office space to boost productivity when working at home.

1. Choose Your Colour Scheme with Care

Colour has a big impact on mood in any room in the home, and this is especially important in rooms with a specific purpose. For example, in the bedroom, you want a mellow colour scheme to help you relax and sleep.

In the home office, you want to use colours that inspire productivity and creativity to motivate you to work your best.

Everyone is different, so you should aim to choose colours that inspire you and help you focus rather than distract you.

For most people, soothing, calming colours work best. This could mean light colours like shades of white and cream, or light greens and blues.

Warm, neutral colours can help to create a relaxing environment that will help you focus and reduce stress. Compare this to a loud red or orange, or drab colours like grey, which can have the opposite effect on your mood.

Bold colours might work best for accent pieces. Red ornaments or light shades, for example, can be effective in a white room. But you probably won’t want to decorate your whole office red and risk overloading the senses.

Take your time choosing a colour scheme for your office, and get inspiration by exploring images of other home offices online. Once you’ve decided on a scheme, keep it in mind whenever you buy new furniture or items for your office.

You could even choose an overall theme for your office. For example, you could go with a coastal theme, a minimalist theme or a traditional theme. If you choose a theme, this will impact the colours and items of furniture you choose.

Again, this must be something that works for you. It’s a personal choice, and your goal is to create the ideal environment so you will be happy to enter your office every morning and feel inspired and ready to work.

2. Get Plenty of Natural Light

When you’re working during the day, try to ensure you get plenty of natural light in your home office.

Adding new windows is not usually an option, so choose a place for your office that already receives lots of natural light. This could mean setting up your office in a garden room outdoors.

Where natural light is limited, you might want to use mirrors instead. By positioning mirrors strategically around the room, you can reflect the available light and make the room feel lighter and more spacious.

Be aware that too much sunshine can have the opposite effect. You won’t feel like working if the sun is directly on your face, so use blinds to prevent it from bothering you or causing glare on your screen.

3. Select Ergonomic Furniture

The furniture you use in your home office will have a big impact on productivity. Arriving at your office in the morning, you’ll feel more inspired if you see a comfortable chair and desk waiting for you.

And while this is more related to comfort, it is also an aesthetic issue. After all, the furniture will have a big impact on the overall look and feel of the room, whether you’re aiming for a more traditional look or you’re focused on contemporary and cool home office decor.

Take your time selecting furniture in the style you’re going for. A large, antique desk could be just the thing to inspire you each day, or perhaps a minimalist white desk is more your style.

Productivity can take a big hit when you find yourself working in discomfort, so whatever you choose, make sure it is comfortable for you to use for several hours a day.

An adjustable chair with lumbar support is ideal because it will allow you to find the perfect position to work in. It will also mean you can work at the perfect height in relation to your desk without being too high or low, which can cause strain on your wrists, shoulders and neck.

On the subject of furniture, if you have enough space, consider getting a sofa or comfy chair that you can sit on when not working directly on a project. You could use it for brainstorming, perhaps, or even meditating.

A quick 10-minute break on the sofa can help you recharge, and it can also help to create a more inviting environment.

4. Get Cosy with a Fireplace

Creating a cosy working area can help you feel more comfortable as you work, which can enhance your productivity levels

One good example of cosy home office decor is the addition of a fireplace. Not only will it keep you warm on cold winter mornings, but the flames are soothing and comforting, and it will be an attractive feature of the room in its own right.

But how should you get a fireplace in your office?

Installing a fireplace and chimney is not an option for most people. Instead, choose a different type of fireplace that hardly requires any installation.

A bioethanol fireplace is the perfect choice in this situation. With one of these, you can position your fireplace anywhere you want to, including standing on the floor or mounted on the wall.

They come in a wide variety of styles, so whether you’re looking for traditional or modern home office decoration ideas, you’ll find a bioethanol fireplace style to match. They also burn with a real flame rather than a fake flame like electric fires.

They don’t need any venting such as a chimney or flue, so they are very easy and quick to install. Stylish, warm and cosy, fireplaces also add a sense of sophistication to your office, and they are perfect for the winter and will help to make you more comfortable while you work. Just treat them as you would any real flame heating source with nothing flammable nearby.

5. Be Inspired By Artwork

If you’re an art lover, nothing is quite as inspirational as a carefully chosen piece of art hanging on the wall in your home office.

Paintings make wonderful decor, and a work of art can be inspirational, calming and relaxing, helping you to focus on your work and putting you in the right mood to be productive.

Choose a piece of art that you love. You may find that something abstract works best for you, or perhaps you would prefer a nature scene. That’s a personal decision, but just make sure it is something that inspires you.

6. Keep Your Office Organised

An organised office will help you stay productive. Tidying away papers and books, and keeping a clear space on your desk to work, will help you avoid feelings of being overwhelmed.

Organising your office becomes easier when you have suitable furniture that is functional as well as decorative.

For example, filing cabinets come in a wide range of different styles, from modern to traditional. Have at least one in your office to keep all your papers and files ordered and within easy reach while making the filing cabinet a feature of the room.

Shelving can also become a stylish feature of the room in its own right while keeping things organised. Put up some floating shelves to keep your books on, or even set up your own mini library with your reference books within reach.

Have a dedicated storage unit for office supplies and stationery, as well as somewhere you can put your phone out of sight so you can concentrate on work.

Smart storage solutions could include items like stools that double up as storage units, or you could use a screen to hide away your stored items to make the office seem less cluttered.

Consider integrating a whiteboard into your office design, perhaps by putting one up on the wall. You can then use this to quickly jot down ideas or tasks without adding to the clutter with pieces of paper.

7. Create the Right Effect with Lighting

We’ve already mentioned the importance of natural daylight, but interior lighting also plays a role in productivity. You don’t want it to be too dark and gloomy in your office, and you should be able to see clearly.

Task lighting, especially in the form of a good desk lamp, is essential. Consider a floor lamp too, which you could use to light up the corner of your room, perhaps next to the sofa where you can read in comfort. You might want to use dimmable lights so you can change the mood during the day.

Choose the style of your lights carefully to match the theme of your office or the overall look you are going for. There is an endless variety of lamps and lights, so find something that inspires you and welcomes you into the office each morning.

8. Add Some Greenery

One of the simplest but most effective home office decor tips to boost productivity is to add lots of greenery to your space.

Natural plants are perfect for offices. Not only do they look beautiful, but they are affordable and provide an easy way to create a completely different look to the room with very little effort.

You can add new plants regularly, even weekly if you want to, or simply move them around when you feel like a change. Perhaps you can add a flower display at the start of each week to start Monday feeling fresh.

Plants have a lovely natural scent, and they help to freshen the air and make you feel more comfortable and relaxed as you work. They are also an easy way to bring some life and colour to your office.

You could place plants in hanging baskets and hang them from your shelves, or get a plant pot for your desk.

9. Reposition Your Desk

Another simple idea is to make sure you work in a suitable position in your office. You may be into feng shui or not, but many people follow its principles to improve every room in their home, including the home office.

One principle of feng shui is to position your chair and desk in a commanding position with a wall behind you.

Another thing you might want to consider that can have a positive impact on your productivity is to take advantage of the view out of the window. If the window looks out upon your garden, use this to your advantage.

There is no better way to work than by enjoying a view. It allows you to take your eyes away from the screen or desk and enjoy a quick break looking out from the window without even having to get up.

10. Create a Peaceful Environment to Reduce Disturbances

Many people need a quiet atmosphere to work productively, and that means working somewhere with as few distractions as possible.

This may involve using double-glazed windows to keep outdoor sounds to a minimum. Or you could choose an office far away from potential disturbances, like out in the garden.

But it can also be affected by your choice of materials and items within the office itself. For example, thick curtains can help to minimise noise entering from outdoors.

Rugs are another good option. Not only do they help to absorb noise, but they are also warm and cosy, improving the atmosphere of the room. They can certainly make it a more pleasant experience when you first walk into your office on a cold morning.

You could even get an indoor water fountain so you can listen to the sound of flowing water as you work, helping you to focus.

11. Add Lots of Personal Touches

Finally, make sure you fill your office with personal touches when you are choosing the furniture and decor.

We’ve already touched on this point with artwork and the colour scheme. But with every addition you make to your office, it has to be something that works for you so the room becomes a productive environment for you.

Adding personal touches will make you feel more comfortable in your space and enhance your well-being – all of which will help to improve productivity.

This could mean putting up family photos or your children’s drawings. You could stick up some inspirational quotes on the wall where you can remind yourself of those wise words when you need them. Or you could position ornaments that you particularly admire on the shelves.

It’s all about the little details, and there are no rules – it’s whatever makes you feel better. Surround yourself with personal touches, and make every workday a pleasure.

Create Your Perfect Working Environment

Your home office is somewhere you probably spend a great deal of your time. In fact, it may be the room in your home where you spend more time than any other, so it makes sense to invest some time and effort into improving it.

Productivity can be a problem for many when working from home. It’s easy to get distracted, so follow these tips to make sure that doesn’t happen.

As you can see in this guide, there are many ways in which your aesthetic choices can have a positive impact on your productivity levels.

So check the suggestions above again, choose the best decorating ideas for your home office space, and then set about improving your home office to give your productivity a boost.