Today I’m sharing some home office design ideas.

I never had a home office until 2020. I always moved from the sofa, to the kitchen counter, to the bed, and back to the sofa * in sweats holding a giant coffee*

When stay home orders set in… both Brian and I realized we needed space to focus. Even if it’s a corner in the kitchen, a space in your basement (like ours), or a bonus room, here are some tips to make your space creative, beautiful, and inspiring! After reading this, make sure to check out my post, Increase Your Productivity 10x at Home!

Here’s my expectation of what working from home would look like…

and the reality of working from home… especially with a toddler.

But seriously, I do feel like I’m more productive and create better work when I’m in an inspiring space and I pull myself together… at least a little bit.

After a few months of chaos, I converted our basement room into a home office and made it a goal to get ready for the day and my back-to-back zoom calls (or at least try my best to!).

*** Ironically, I’m literally sitting here at midnight in my PJs with a top knot, so some days we win, some days we’re scrappy ***

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Here are some home office ideas to work beautifully.

GET COMFY

I would say the most important part of your home office will be your chair. If you’re comfortable, you’ll feel better and more energized… plus you won’t feel like you fell 4 stories after a long day of sitting at your computer. This chair is from CB2 and it’s surprisingly comfy and spacious. I also love this ergonomic supportive chair from Pottery Barn. It’s an investment to get a comfy chair… but it definitely gives you the biggest ROI!

REALISTIC DESK

I recommend a desk with enough storage and shelves. I found this rattan one from Ballard Designs (it’s small enough for our space), but I also linked to a few at the end of this post. You can also get a desk with open shelves and order pretty paper and file organizers.

INSPO

Wall inspiration is a must… especially when you’re in need some serious motivation. I decided to frame some pictures of women who inspire me. I also created two moodboards with pictures of my mom and my mother-in-law… the OG Beach Babes Jane and Pam! I just printed pics and made these collages in frames from Target.

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LIGHTING

Lighting is so important… not just for mood, but to prevent eye fatigue and headaches. Fluorescent lighting has shown slower response time on cognitive work and tasks. Warm light is best for your eyes and your energy level because it mimics daylight. You can achieve this with LED light bulbs or making sure you have lots of natural light coming into your space. Also… don’t forget that ringlight for important zoom meetings!

CITRUS ENERGY

Aside from coffee… and lots of water (with lemon), it’s great to have citrus scented candles. Having a citrus scent (like the one linked below) has shown to boost alertness, elevate your energy levels, and increase productivity.

STAY ORGANIZED

I depend on my google calendar, but I also need to write things down. I love having physical planners and calendars so I can look at my week, month, or even my year * anyone else just sing the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. theme song while reading that? I totally did…

RHYTHM

Set up a speaker so you can play some background music throughout the day. Music has been shown to not only affect our creativity, mood, and emotions, it can also cause physical responses such as working faster to the rhythm.

Depending on your day and what you’re doing, play some background music and see what happens! You can also play your favorite inspriring business podcasts… Live Beautifully Podcast anyone? (shameless plug I know). I also love the podcasts; Goal Digger with Jenna Kutcher, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Life with Marianna Hewitt, and Earn Your Happy with Lori Harder.

STATEMENT WALL

I love a statement wallpaper! I recommend something that fits your personal brand aesthetic or something that inspires you. Energizing colors are in the citrus family, but I also like choosing something neutral. You won’t want anything too busy that will mess with your eyes after a while.

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I picked out these pretty palms from THIS STORE on Etsy. I also loved these smaller palms too. The owner is super nice and it came very fast! Make sure you order the ready-to-peel and stick option.

What tips and ideas do you have for a home office? Share below!

Here are all my favorite home office finds. I included some lower cost items too!

I can’t wait to see your beautiful home office! Tag me in your pics @katrinascott #livebeautifully

Let’s work beautifully!