If your job doesn’t require you to work full-time from an office, you may be looking for home office ideas to upgrade your space. From choosing the right desk, chair, lighting, and storage to personalizing the decor so that it feels as modern and stylish as your interior, creating a dedicated space to work will help you to get inspired and stay focused.
Decorating a home office doesn't have to be all business. Tailor your home office space to your needs, tastes, whims, and personality. Use all of your self-knowledge to design a workspace that works best for only you, from color and furniture choices to wall decor and extras like seating areas and reading corners.
Check out these modern home office ideas in a range of sizes and layouts to inspire you.
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Choose a Colorful Rug
Add a jolt of color to your home office space that won't be distracting while you work with a bright and colorful area rug. Louis Duncan-He Designs chose a bright turquoise rug in this light-flooded midcentury modern-style space.
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Install Modern Barn Doors
Add a modicum of privacy and noise control by installing modern barn-style doors to close off your home office.
Jessica Nelson Design chose industrial glass-and-metal doors that allow natural light to flow through to the adjoining room.
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Paint a Half Wall Border
Energize your home office with a painted half wall on the lower half of the room. Siham Mazouz, author of How the French Live, paired a warm terracotta paint accent with a midcentury modern desk, a vintage red Bukhara rug, and a painting by her daughter Inès for a personal touch in her eclectic modern San Francisco home office.
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Float the Desk
While your first instinct might be to push your home Office Desk against the wall, you can give your workspace a light and airy feel by floating the desk away from the walls.
In this modern home office from Yael Weiss Interiors, a glass desk has a barely there quality that keeps the focus on the light, while wire chairs and a warm brown cowhide rug add a natural grounding element.
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Layer Art and Wallpaper
Layer art and wallpaper to create a striking accent wall behind your desk. Louis Duncan-He Designs layered floral wallpaper and a retro magazine cover to add contrast with the clean lines and dark woods of this space.
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Mix White Walls and Wood
White walls and wood furniture are a simple recipe for a modern home office that works every time. Cathie Hong Interiors added minimal decor such as a graphic wall calendar and a few hanging plants to keep it from feeling too sparse.
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Add Extra Seating
Some of those who work from home need space to accommodate company or client meetings.
This polished home office from O'Hara Interiors has an extra pair of chairs and a soft palette of pinks and white, with black and gold accents to keep it sharp.
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Set Up Side-by-Side Desks
Set up side-by-side desks if you both work from home that can double as homework stations when the kids get home from school.
Choose identical desks, chairs, lighting, and art to make a shared home office feel harmonious and cohesive, like this space from Desiree Burns Interiors.
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Transform an Alcove
The best place for a home office is wherever you can find the space. This small, stylish home office from Candace Mary Interiors is tucked into an alcove in front of a window and off of a powder room that makes bathroom breaks quick and easy.
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Personalize With Paint
While office buildings are designed to please everyone, your home office need only please you. This home office from JL Design is painted in a bold and assertive green that is a celebration of personal taste.
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Install Black-Out Shades
One of the best things about designing your own home office is that it allows you to mitigate some of the common annoyances of a workplace environment.
Interior designer Rosanna Bassford of Eggshell Home installed black-out shades that can be closed when the natural light turns to a glare, or when you need to block out the world to make a deadline.
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Use Vertical Space
Maximize vertical space in a narrow galley-style office by running built-ins all the way to the ceiling. Marie Flanigan Interiors added twin desks along one wall to allow for seating on the other side of this modern traditional home office space.
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Divide Space Into Zones
Create a home office in a studio apartment by dividing the space into zones. This modern space from Fantastic Frank has a pale, neutral palette that unites the nearby sleeping, relaxation, and work areas.
Tip
Modern open shelving allows easy access to books and supplies. But if keeping your shelves tidy and styled isn't your forte, opt for closed storage instead.
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Embrace High Glam
If you're a polished professional with a glamorous job, decorate your home office to match. Candace Mary Interiors outfitted this space with organic shapes, high attention to details, and mixed materials that create a sophisticated workspace.
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Paint It Dark
Paint the walls and ceiling of a smaller home office space to create an enveloping feel that will help you focus. Marie Flanigan Interiors defined the desk area in this midnight blue office with a colorful patterned area rug.
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Err on the Side of Sleek
For sleek modern home office ideas, look to this stylish space from Heather Hilliard Design. It ties together neutral tones, modern furnishings, black accents, abundant natural light, and a calming view.
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Paint Walls Chocolate Brown
Paint your home office in an enveloping earth tone for a modern look. Blogger Niki Brantmark from My Scandinavian Home grounded her desk area with a cocoa brown accent wall that complements a light oak desk with midcentury lines, an ergonomic white desk chair, and a classic black Mantis BS3 Table Lamp.
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Arrange a Gallery Wall
Create a modern home office lounge space with sculptural modern furniture, a modern pendant light, and a gallery wall.
Urbanology Designs painted this space in an all-over shade of grayish-greenish black that creates a grounding and calming feel that invites deep work and concentration.
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Hang Some Wallpaper
Make your home office more personal by hanging wallpaper. This home office from Emily Henderson Design has gray-and-white plaid check wallpaper that is muted enough not to be a distraction.
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Create a Guest Room Office
Dabito from Old Brand New says that he channeled his Asian roots as inspiration for this vibrant office guest room makeover.
The room mixes an antique Chinese rug, a hand-carved elephant souvenir from a trip to Bangkok, vintage framed photos of Thai King royalty, a custom desk, and traditional palm wallpaper from Milton & King.
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Add Comfortable Seating
If placing your desk directly in front of the window causes eye strain or too much distraction, try floating it in the center of the room like this home office from Living With Lolo.
A seating area with a comfortable sofa provides a place to read or relax, and a large area rug unites the space.
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Pick a Live Edge Desk
Dark blue wall paint, framed photos, a fiddle leaf fig tree, a patterned rug, a comfy upholstered leather desk chair, and a live edge desk give this home office from Emily Henderson Design a sense of warm modern style.
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Hang Large-Scale Art
Create a focal point by hanging large-scale art. This home office from interior designer Breeze Giannasio has dark gray walls, a symmetrical desk and open shelving set-up, and a large-scale piece of art that helps the office area blend into the living room.
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Build a Corner Desk
Maximize space with a built-in corner desk. This home office from Jenn Pablo Studio has an L-shaped workspace and a picture window with a view.
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Add Some Coastal Flair
Choose a coastal decor scheme for a breezy feel. Tyler Karu Design and Interiors decorated this Maine home office with shades of blue and white and a mix of pale and weathered wood tones.
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Try Nature-Inspired Colors
Nature-inspired colors like forest green will give your home office a soothing feel that is conducive to getting things done.
Christina Kim Interior Design contrasted green paint on the walls and built-ins with pale wood floors and a desk with natural caning details in this modern space.
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Separate With a Screen
A decorative screen can play many roles in a home office, from blocking a view of something unsightly to hiding your desk set up at the end of the day if you live in a studio or small space.
Emilie Fournet Interiors helped define space in this London home office with a three-tiered arched screen.
A lightweight, portable decorative screen can be used as a Zoom backdrop if you don't want to show your private space to the world.
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Install Window Treatments
While having a view to the back patio from your spacious home office might seem like a luxury, there are times when the view is a distraction, or the light from the windows can produce an unwanted glare.
Jenn Pablo Studio installed floor-to-ceiling drapes that can be adjusted depending on the time of day, the weather, or your mood.
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Incorporate Natural Greenery
You don't need a ton of plants to give your home office a natural boost. In this sleek black-and-white home office from Fantastic Frank, a single olive tree does the trick.
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Include a Window Seat
Give yourself a space to read or take calls with a built-in window seat. Christina Kim Interior Design chose a standing reading lamp perched over the desk in place of a desk lamp.
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Try Accent Wallpaper
Blend varying styles together to decorate a small home office. Neva Interior Design chose a built-in desk with an Art Deco wallpaper accent to define the space, adding open shelving for storage and display.
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Focus on the Details
Personalize your home office with functional accessories. This home office from Fantastic Frank has a simple black-and-white palette and an attention to design details that makes it feel polished and effortless.
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Build Custom Bookshelves
If working from home is a permanent condition rather than a temporary necessity, and you've got both the space and the budget, consider going all out.
Maestri Studio created a sense of grandeur with tall arched windows, a large pendant light, and floor-to-ceiling wrap-around custom bookcases in this suburban home office.
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Camouflage the Desk
Hide your desk in plain sight by placing it behind a sofa to create a sense of separation in a living room.
Marie Flanigan Interiors chose a navy desk chair that blends in with the sofa and built-in paint color to help the home office space recede when not in use.
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Create a Shared Space
Turn your off-duty guest room into a shared workspace. Leanne Ford Interiors hid the bed behind a curtain, painted the walls matte black, and added a large communal farm table that functions as a shared desk.
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Consider a Front Office
If your home office is located steps from the front door, be sure that it blends in with the rest of your decor.
Christina Kim Interior Design painted this space in a deep eye-catching blue that contrasts with the all-white entryway, with a large framed photograph on the wall giving passersby something to focus on that doesn't scream "home office."
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Add a Wall of Shelving
Set up open storage along the whole length of a side wall to maximize storage and display space. Lindye Galloway Studio decorated this roomy modern home office with shades of white and beige and wood finishes on the desk, floors, and shelving.
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Incorporate a Living Wall
You don't need to work at a tech start-up to have a monumental living wall in your office. This DIY faux plant wall from A Beautiful Mess brings the outdoors in and creates an energizing feel-good feel that will spark your creativity.
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Move Your Desk
While many people enjoy placing their desks facing the window, doing so can be distracting as well as create glare for those working on screens.
Take advantage of the natural light and airy feel of a large window by placing your desk perpendicular to it, instead, like this home office from Marie Flanigan Interiors.
Home Office Layout Tips
Choose a desk and other furniture that is the right scale for your room. Determine the position of your desk for maximum focus. Add storage for equipment and supplies that are easy to access and tailored to your needs while ensuring flow. Include extras like an armchair or small sofa if you have the space.
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Hide Clutter With Built-Ins
The easiest way to keep your home office clutter-free is to maximize closed storage.
A wall of built-in drawers and cabinets painted in an unassuming taupe makes this home office from Leanne Ford Interiors easy to keep tidy and organized, with supplies at the ready and a place to stash excess paperwork and non-essential items.
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Turn Your Chair Around
Position your desk in a corner with your chair facing out into the room rather than facing the wall. This will allow your home office layout to breathe and make it easy to give your eyes a break, like this polished modern space from Marie Flanigan Interiors.
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Optimize a Galley Layout
Try a galley-style layout in a long rectangular space. OreStudios oriented this modern home office around a large picture window, with a wall of shelving for books and papers that keeps clutter at bay on one side and a large desk on the other.
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Mix Patterns
Decorative details like a bold patterned window shade and a contrasting wallpaper accent behind the desks will add a sense of modern style to a home office.
Britt Design Studio built shared workspaces along one wall of the room, with cabinets running up to the ceiling to maximize storage.
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Add a Library Ladder
The whole back wall of this home office from Maestri Studio is a dark wood built-in home library, complete with a sliding library ladder for reaching the high shelves. A large pendant light with an amber glow adds warm lighting and an unexpected focal point.
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Steal Unused Space
If you don't have or need a dedicated room for a home office space, set up a desk and a comfortable chair in a quiet unused corner that allows you to work from home when the need arises.
This top floor oasis from Marie Flanigan Interiors is furnished with a comfy upholstered chair and a French country desk to soften the white walls.
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Choose a Curvy Desk
A desk with rounded lines will increase flow in a small space and make your home office feel personal.
Studio Peake topped a warm wood desk with a tall table lamp, painted the bookshelves in an energizing red, and added patterned curtains in this London home office.
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Use Vintage Furniture
Save space and add midcentury modern style to your living room home office with a vintage modular wall unit that includes storage and an integrated workspace. Emilie Fournet Interiors painted the walls lavender wall for a personal look in this London home.
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Add a Zoom Background
Create a built-in Zoom background by hanging a large work of art on the wall behind your desk. This moody home office designed by Malcolm Simmons for Emily Henderson Design has a wall of built-ins and a bold piece of framed art that is camera-ready for all of those work Zooms.
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Mix Warm Tones
Choose rich wood finishes, soft furnishings, and copper accents to create a warm feel. Marie Flanigan Interiors complemented the warm palette with navy curtains and a patterned area rug.
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Renovate the Attic
Limit distractions with an attic home office. Leanne Ford Interiors tucked this top floor space under the eaves of an old farmhouse, giving it a fresh, updated feel by using soft white paint on floors, walls, and ceilings, a pale wood waterfall edge desk, and minimal accessories.
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Design a Personal C-Suite
Elevate your home office decor to reflect your boss status at work. Forbes + Masters chose a vibrant color palette, textural walls and floors, and bold sculptural furnishings and accessories that mean business in this CEO home base.
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Accent With Pink
Create an upbeat feel with modern furniture, playful wallpaper, and bold color accents. Michelle Boudreau Design brightened this Palm Springs home office with a bright pink desk chair.
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Throw in an Accent Pattern
A graphic window shade in a lively pattern will provide light control while making your space feel more home than office.
The desk in this home office from Tribe Design Group is positioned with its back to a large window outfitted with a diamond-patterned shade.
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Mix Modern and Traditional
Mix modern and traditional furniture and decor to give your home office a collected feel.
This dedicated home office from Marie Flanigan Interiors has traditional details such as glass wood-framed pocket doors, a wingback style chair, and coffered ceilings, with modern touches including a clean-lined wood desk, layered area rugs, and a central pendant light.
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Select a Neutral Palette
The key to keeping an open office space looking neat as a pin is a stylish desk with plenty of built-in storage.
This home office from Leclair Decor blends in with the neutral space while adding interest with a black top and cane-front storage drawers.
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Install Window Shutters
Install adjustable window shutters to control light in your home office, particularly if your desk faces the window.
Cathie Hong Interiors paired minimalist white shutters with pale gray walls, a few framed prints, a simple desk, chair, and matching bookshelf that provides open storage.
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Create an At-Home Hot Desk
If your desk is located in an open-plan space, make it pretty to look at as well as functional. This home workspace from interior designer Alvin Wayne is dressed up and ready when you need it, but fades into the background when you don't.
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Style Home Office Shelves
Create a focal point in your home office with a large wall styled with art and objects behind the desk. This modern home office from Michelle Berwick Design has French doors that provide a modicum of privacy while allowing natural light to penetrate the space.
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Try Board and Batten
A DIY accent wall will give your home office an elevated feel. This home office from House of One has a modern green, white, and black color palette, with a bold accent wall accentuated with board and batten.
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Build a Coworking Space
Matching desks will create a harmonious atmosphere in a shared basement home office.
This space designed by William Hunter Collective and styled by Emily Henderson Design has dark paint on the ceiling to create a graphic look that obscures wiring and other structural elements without sacrificing ceiling height by installing a dropped ceiling.
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Choose Leather Seating
Upgrade your desk chair to give your home office a luxe feel. This classic home office from interior designer Rosanna Bassford of Eggshell Home has a classically formal look, with rich gray walls, dark furniture, and comfortable seating upholstered in cognac leather that adds warmth.
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Use Midcentury Furniture
Midcentury modern furniture will give your home office a polished feel. This home office from Space Factory has midcentury furniture and lighting, and an accent wall of abstract floral wallpaper that steals the show.
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Add a Touch of Elegance
Don't be afraid to add some bling to make your home office more enjoyable to use. This spacious home office from Charbonneau Interiors has soft colors, modern glam furnishings, and a large built-in display case that's lit for a close-up.
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Build Out Your Mezzanine
Make remote work feel like a dream by choosing prime real estate for your home office.
This airy space from Emily Henderson Design is located on the mezzanine level of a spacious mountain home, with dramatic windows, wood-paneled A-frame ceilings, and furniture with simple lines and neutral tones.
The design of your office reflects your business – it’s the first thing clients see when they come to visit and it impacts the productivity of your staff more than you might think. Impress both your clients and your employees by incorporating some unusual furniture or themed rooms into your office space. Let your staff have some time out in a Harry Potter themed room or get those creative juices flowing with a unique touchdown area.
So, if you’re keen for a complete office refurbishment, we have a few quirky ideas to get you started.
Key takeaways
- Bright, bold furniture
- Themed rooms
- Quirky seating
- Games room
- Incorporate nature
- Touchdown areas
- Unique flooring and murals
1. Bright and bold furniture
A pop of colour never goes amiss in the office. Add some bright cushions to your existing breakout room sofas, or start over with a complete office refurb of eye-catching furniture and feature walls. Finding bright, beautiful furniture to integrate into your office space will give it some well-deserved TLC.
2. Themed rooms
Possibly one of the quirkiest office furniture ideas is a themed room. We suggest picking a well-known franchise if you’re looking for a book or movie theme – nothing too obscure as this room should be appreciated by all staff members. A themed room is an amazing way to give your office an edge, and your staff will love it too. Ascentis wanted to do just this, so we helped them to create the quirky, Harry Potter inspired workplace of their dreams. What a hoot!
3. Quirky seating
Who says chairs have to be boring? Not us. Adding a few striking seating options to your workplace offers employees the choice to take a break or attend a meeting in style. What more could you want? If you’re looking for something similar, check out the custom arrangement we produced for Nandos’ office – we hope you love it just as much as they did.
Want to know how much your quirky office design might set you back? Use our office fit-out calculator for a quick estimate suited to your space and design choices. From themed rooms to unique seating, our calculator will help you budget smartly for your dream office transformation. Try it out for yourself now!
4. A games room
Adding a games table to one of your breakout areas is another idea. There’s nothing like a good game of ping pong or football to get staff bonding, whilst bringing out their competitive side. Playing a game can also help to destress employees, as well as creating the opportunity for them to reset, ready for a new task. Games tables could even double up as a regular desk if you’re short on space. Why not take a leaf out of Tote and the Sys Group’s book when collecting inspiration for your own office?
5. Incorporate nature
Most offices will have a plant or two – whether real or artificial, they bring an element of nature into the workplace. Incorporating plants into your office is not only great for elevating aesthetics, it has also been proven to increase productivity by 15%. However, you can go one step further. Create some quirky tree tables, just like we did for Rentalcars.com, or purchase some exotic plants to dot around the office.
6. Add touchdown areas
If you don’t already have one in your office, the addition of a touchdown area massively improves productivity and motivation, and they also look really cool. Get creative with your touchdown booths and experiment with shape, colours and textures, and you can align these to fit your brand. Make one-on-one meetings fun, and provide secluded spaces for staff to get some work done or to collaborate with others.
7. Unique flooring and murals
An office redesign doesn’t have to stop at furniture – flooring and wall art is another field to explore too. For example, we added a pop of colour to the Rentalcars.com office with a Marvel themed wall, and a wall made completely out of stereos. A mural, or graffiti feature wall, will thrust your office into the 21st century and is sure to wow your visitors.
