18 Best Home office design ideas for 2020

Designing a home office that will help you stay productive and motivated to work should be the goal of this type of room transformation. These 18 versatile ideas will hopefully inspire you to find what works best for you. 

1. Go Old-School​

You can never go wrong with old-school when designing your home office. One of the best ways to go about this design is to incorporate brown tones and preferably old hand-me-down furniture. For example, the roll-top desk is something that would definitely give this space a very vintage look. Try to create a cozy atmosphere with warm colors, old carpets, pegboard walls that give off a 50's vibe and some vintage bookshelves near your desk area. You can also fill the walls with some Polaroid pictures or favorite book quotes. With this makeover, your office will have an extra cozy and vintage feel. This way you will feel comfortable and relaxed spending time there and being motivated to work.

2. Skip the Desk​

This one sounds a bit silly, but it's a great way to save a lot of space, especially if your home office room isn't that large. By skipping the desk you get to play with an open space concept and find alternative ways to store your files. For instance, you could opt for a large, streamlined work table that will give your office a very modern and minimalistic look. And as for your files, consider switching to keeping the files stored in a digital form to avoid having to use bulky office furniture. You will save a lot of space this way, plus live a more eco-friendly life. 

3. Hide the Clutter​

Another thing you can try to make your tiny office room appear bigger is to go for white walls and incorporate mirrors to create an illusion of a bigger space. Also, you can invest in a cute mid-century credenza that you can place anywhere in the room. It will look super nice if you match the colors of the credenza and the desk. Plus, it will keep the clutter away which will also create a more open-space look to the office room. Use it to store all of your files, paperwork, stationery, and other business-related objects. 

4. Bring the Outdoors In​ 

Some research has shown that green color has a very positive impact on the human brain. It stimulates productivity and creates a very pleasant and inspiring atmosphere in any room. That is why many companies try to incorporate this color in their offices and other working spaces. This is something you can do for your home office as well. And if you love to spend time in nature, this is a perfect opportunity to embrace the green color and bring the outdoors in. Try to be creative and play with different shades of greens. Use the leaf-printed window treatments, decorate your cabinetry, and bring some plants in. Create your own secret garden. This design will open up space and make you feel more relaxed while working. 

5. Drench it in Colour​ 

Speaking of colour, if you're someone who enjoys bright and dynamic designs, colour patterns and shades, design your home office to match those preferences. Play with colours and be creative. If bright colours are what bring the creativity and productivity out of you, then choose the raspberry shade for the walls. It is a very exciting shade, yet not too overwhelming. It will create a very creative and fun space to work in. Add in some smaller details in different colours and make sure you are getting enough natural light as well. 

6. Keep It Rolling​ 

If you want to have easy accessibility and a way to easily move things around in order to change the position of furniture at any given moment, there is a way to do it. For instance, you can create your own rolling desk that you can move around and transport easily. All you need to do is buy a wooden top that can be found in Ikea and combine it with a wheeled base. And there you have it, a rolling desk. This small change will allow you to change the scenery of your workspace by rearranging your furniture whenever you want. 

7. Mix in Vintage​ 

You can also pick a certain theme or incorporate some art pieces to create a very vintage design in your home office. You can even combine several different aesthetics and different period-style furniture to create a diverse look. Or you could aim to accomplish simplicity without any specific theme. In that case, try to play with neutral and nude colors. Mix different shades of brown and beige. For example, use a rustic old desk and pair it with a bulky dark brown leather chair. This will create a very vintage, yet a very office-like atmosphere. If you have enough space, you can add an old bookshelf and decorate in any way you want to. 

8. Sing the Blues​ 

If you're overloaded with work and responsibilities that stress you out on a daily basis, choosing the right colors and tones can help you stay relaxed in your working area. Green is not the only color that can make you feel calm and motivated. It has also been shown that blue has positive effects on the human psyche and productivity. And amongst everything else, this color also has calming effects. You can go all blue and paint the walls in this beautiful color or add small details in different shades of blue.

9. Try Industrial​ 

This one is a complete opposite of all of the previous designs we mentioned so far, but it might be able to boost your productivity as much as the rest of them do. Namely, if your home office is cool, you might be more motivated and inclined to actually use it. This industrial-like design is one of the best designs for the office you can go for if you want to stay focused and productive for hours. For example, consider incorporating a vintage aluminum desk and then pairing it with a matching stool to create a perfect industrial vibe in your home office. 

10. Use Open Shelving​ 

If your goal is to create a perfectly organized home office, then this system is the best one for you. By using an open shelving system you will be able to store all of your files neatly and have them easily accessible within your reach. Being able to see and find everything within a couple of seconds means you will never lose any paperwork, files or stationery. Go for larger and wider shelves that can be used for storing bulky binders and other bigger objects as well. For example, the kitchen pantry can be very useful in this case and can have a multipurpose. 

11. Take Inspiration from Everywhere

If you're someone who constantly needs to be inspired and motivated by their surroundings in order to stay productive and focused, try to play with the design of your office as much as possible. Take inspiration from anywhere you can. This will allow you to transport yourself to a place that is more exciting than your office. To create a completely new and out of the ordinary look try playing with different exotic patterns, color shades, or even add some new plants to the working space. Or for instance, if you want to add some texture, consider installing a rattan chandelier. 

12. Consider Scandinavian Style​ 

Or you can choose to approach this designing process in a much different way and opt for something simpler. For instance, you can go for a very specific Scandinavian style for your office room. The aesthetic of this style is very clean and calming. Use a simple Swedish desk and place it by a window. This will especially be very calming if you have a beautiful view of nature in front of you. This style is mostly known for being very neutral and using very soft colors. However, this style also uses pops of blue here and there to make the room feel fresh and invigorating. 

13. Conceal Clutter with Curtains​

If the clutter in the office keeps distracting you, you don't have to necessarily throw it out. There is a very subtle way to conceal it and make it less visible. For instance, using curtains will help you soften the look of your home office and it will hide your everyday paperwork and other books that are lying around stacked up on the shelves. This small, yet very effective detail will help your office get a very neat and clean look. Your working area will look much tidied up. 

14. Go All Black 

One of the simplest, yet very professional designs you can go for is an all-black office. Combine black furniture with brass accents to make the area look super sleek and fancy. You can also add small pops of gold and white. It will make the whole room appear luxurious and elegant. However, when it comes to the walls, go for shade between grey and black because if you choose to go all black it will make the room appear too dark and narrow. 

15. Be a Minimalist​

 Being a minimalist doesn't necessarily mean throwing everything out, sitting on the floor and not using any decorations. Minimalism comes in many different forms and allows you to be creative in your own way. Plus, minimalism is very popular right now. The whole point of creating a minimalistic home office is to keep the clutter of the desk, add simple, yet very beautiful furniture and keep a neutral colour scheme that will make you feel calm and focused on your work. This area is supposed to inspire you to do your work, and not distract you. However, if you find this design to be too bland for you, you can always choose to add a plant or macramé wall hanging to warm things up.

16. Get Creative with Space​ 

 If you happen to live in a small apartment and don't really have enough space to create an actual office, you need to find alternative ways and be creative. You can save a lot of space by using small furniture and by putting your desk up against a window in your bedroom. This way you will ensure that the des is out of sight from the living room and it will be separated from your sleeping area as well. By doing this you will create a small office-like area that you can use for working on any projects, writing, and other work-related responsibilities.

17. Make It Modern​ 

A great thing when it comes to making your home office modern is that it is totally up to you to decide what you find to be modernistic. Whether it is a look of a white lacquer desk, a geometric rug, sleek lighting, or marble top to your desk, it is totally up to you and your taste. If you want to make it appear more glam and feminine, consider adding a touch of bold colour or a brass accent. You can also try to make it into a multifunction space. For instance, you can try the coffee machine rental for a while and see whether it works for you. Having accessible coffee in the working area can be very useful. 

18. Go Bohemian​ 

 Lastly, you can choose to let your spirit out and decorate the office in such a fun and playful way that it has a story of its own to tell. You can create an office that has a sentimental value to you. You can decorate it with anything you picked up from your travels to make it more personal. Use bold statements and colors, patterned rugs, and a variety of plants. In this case, more is more, especially if you like being creative and adding multiple layers to your working area.

Conclusion​

All things considered, your office room has to be an area that makes you feel relaxed and inspired to actually do your work, and not run from it. And since we are all different, it is up to you to decide what kind of space makes you feel productive. Use these ideas, mix them up if you want to, and create a perfect home office suited specifically for your needs. 

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