Spring is the perfect time to start decorating (re-decorating) your home office space. Whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or just need an area for personal projects, having the right space is key to staying productive and feeling welcome in your own home.
It wasn’t until I got my first home that I finally had a second room to dedicate to a home office but for some reason I hardly wanted to work there, it just didn’t feel comfortable or warm. If your second room or space is cold, too dark, small, unwelcoming, or just a clutter dumping ground it may be hard to motivate yourself to be focused on work while in that space.
This post talks about ideas for creating and decorating a small cozy home office that optimizes the space.
Before you get started on picking out decor for your small cozy home office, you’ll want to keep the follow tips in mind to make sure you aren’t all over the place when organizing and figuring everything out.
Tips for decorating your small home office
- Maximize the space: trying to make the most of a small space can be a challenge but without some organization it can end up just being a room full of clutter. Maximize the area by understanding the size, what can appropriately fit, and only filling it with items you need.
- Make the room welcoming and warm: to make this space an area you’ll want to sit in, using warm colors that boost your mood can make it feel more welcoming. Don’t be afraid to add some color and warm decor items to make it feel more cozy. If you prefer a darker space, that’s okay too! Jus be consistent with the decorating theme so that the room doesn’t begin to feel unorganized.
- Ensure the room is useful: finally, remember this is a home (office), while you want a cozy space you also want to set this area up for productivity and usefulness. Keep that in mind when picking out decor and various misc. items. What will help you actually get to work?
Now that you have some tips in mind it’s time to decorate! Try to first establish a theme or color scheme that you can keep in mind when shopping. Creating a mood board using Canva is also a great way to keep everything organized and mirror how items may look in the space. Remember to measure the room and any furniture to ensure everything fits once built and fully organized.
15 decor ideas for a small cozy home office:
1. Knitted blanket
With spring coming soon, you’ll probably be turning on the AC or opening windows bringing some breezy air into your home office. If you get chilly easily bring in a nice blanket which is great for both usefulness and decor. You can throw this on the back of a desk chair or in a small basket under your desk space for easy access.
2. Plants
Real and/or fake plants can make a great decor item and come in a variety of sizes and affordable pots to add some color and coziness to your home office space. Local plant shops can have incredible deals on in season flowers and plants and give you advice for how to best care and place these in a room. If you’re less of a plant mom and more of a “i just want the look of plants” IKEA and online retailers have great fake plant options that you can place on a desk, window seal, or floor. Buy a nicely decorated pot or even create your own to bring some color to your space.
3. Multipurpose furniture
A small office space can quickly become cluttered with wrong or misplaced furniture, especially if the room has multiple uses such as a guest room and an office. A great way to combat this is to purchase furniture that serves multiple purposes to take up less space. Examples of this may be a storage ottoman for storing items and sitting, or a day bed that turns into a guest bed and can also be used for a sitting area, or even a dresser that can also be used as a desk.
4. Cozy desk chair
If you work at home back to back meetings can quickly turn into hours of sitting without even realizing it. Have a comfortable and ergonomic chair can help with back pain and make the room feel cozy and relaxing.
5. Desk footrest
Combat log hours of sitting at your desk and working with a foot rest to stretch your legs and relax your feet.
6. Cable management
Ditch the clutter under your desk but adding in cable management. This will clear up your floor and desk space leaving more room for the things you actually need. Colorful baskets or bin to hold your cables can also work as a cute decor peice.
7. Mirror
Mirrors are a great way to make the room feel more spacious and add in a decorative touch. Add a small mirror to one of your walls or a thin floor mirror to create an illusion of more space.
8. Mounted shelves
Mounted shelves are the perfect way to make the most of a small office space. Create a cozy element by mounting pictures, small pieces or store some of your key items up above your desk and out of the way.
9. Warm color scheme
To create a feeling of cozy in your home office so that its a space where you want to spend more time, incorporate a warm color scheme. Paint the walls, purchase warm color wall prints, and buy blankets or pillows that make it a room you want to spend time in.
10. Baskets/bins
Store your items in a decorative way to reduce clutter and maximize space in your home office. Try various colored baskets or bins that match your room design.
11. Mood lighting
The types of lighting your incorporate in your office can create warmth, coziness, and boost your mood. Try out different variations like strip lighting on your ceilings or small lamps with smart bulbs that you can change based your mood.
12. Candles
Jump into spring with floral and fresh scent candles. This can make the room feel more open and nice to be in, and even boost your mood during your more productive hours. You can even add candle warmers or scent plug ins so that the room always smells inviting.
13. Desk rug
A desk ug is perfect for keeping your feet warm and adding a cozy element to your home office. Add one under your desk space or around the entry way to the room.
14. Personal decor
No one wants to spend time in a room that doesn’t feel like theirs. Add in personal touches like pictures with friends and family, some of your favorite items, and overall be sure design the space in a way that doesn’t feel like a foreign hotel.
15. Lamp lighting
To minimize the amount of floor space taken up, incorporate lamp lighting. From small ones that can fit on mounted shelves or ones that fit right on your desk. this can bring more light to your home office without taking up a ton of room.
How to start decorating
- Figure out the room design: first, decide on how everything will be organized in the office. Maybe there’s one really long wall in the area, which may be great for your desk. Get out your measuring tape before making online purchases or heading to the store.
- Decide color or decor scheme: do you want a super colorful space, a warmer room, something dark and cozy? Pick out 1-2 main colors to start and bring in decor that aligns with your choices.
- List out places to shop aligned with budget: there are plenty of places to pick out decor depending on budget and style. Amazon is a great place to start for ideas due to the wide variety of shops to choose from, but Etsy can be a great place to find specific designs for your liking. Don’t be afraid to go out and window shop and write down the places where you see specific items you’re interested in. Don’t feel like you have to buy everything all at once but rather in stages.
- Decide on cozy elements from the list above: once you have your furniture design, color shceme, and list of items and stores, it’s time to shop and decorate. Put everything together and see how it all works.
You now have a cozy home office space for productivity, working, and even relaxing!
