5 Tips For Updating and Decorating Your Home Office On A Budget

As it seems likely that many of us will be working from home for the foreseeable future, it’s probably worthwhile investing some time and money into your home office.

Below we will take a look at five budget-friendly tips for updating your home office to stay focused and motivated.

Make it easy to keep tidy

One of the simplest ways to transform your home office is to get rid of the clutter. There’s bound to be some things you need to keep out on your desk, but use a couple of jars or pots to keep your stationery tidy. And use a desk tray to keep all the paperwork and stationery you need to hand organized.

Piles of paperwork and sticky notes can be distracting — put up a noticeboard to keep important bits insight without taking up room on the desk. By making it easy to put everything in place it’ll keep you focused and make it easier to keep clean.

Pick the right furniture

Whether you’ve got a temporary workspace on your kitchen table that has to be pushed aside every evening, or you’ve created a makeshift desk in your spare room, it’s time to figure out a more permanent set up.

It’s important to have the right furniture for your home office — a good-sized desk, a suitable chair, and storage solutions. You need to be able to work comfortably and keep the space tidy and organized.

Choose a desk that has enough surface space for your computer, screen, and any other equipment and has decent-sized drawers for tidying things away. And then invest in some shelves or drawers to file away any paperwork and remove clutter.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to update your home office furniture — look at places like FurnitureBox, for instance, for one or two affordable and stylish pieces that can set you up for working from home for the next few months.

If you’re prepared to spend a bit of time painting or refinishing old furniture look at Facebook Marketplace or in local charity shops for pieces that could be upcycled.

Add some greenery

Just a few indoor plants can completely transform your home office. Research shows that plants reduce stress levels in work environments, plus they can also improve the air quality of the room.

Choose a couple of easy to care for plants such as a parlor palm or spider plant and put them in decorative plant pots to add a bit of greenery to your office.

You can find well-priced plants at local garden centers, or even in grocery stores. Alternatively, online plant shops like The Sill offer a good range of affordable plants, and they also provide lots of information about how to look after them.

Improve your lighting

Another thing that’s going to make a big difference to your home office is the lighting. Spending every day in a dark and gloomy room can be completely unmotivating.

If there’s a big window in the room don’t completely block out the light — invest in some adjustable blinds that can stop any glare but still fill the room with natural light. You can find a huge range of blinds online at stores like SelectBlinds.

And during the fall and winter months, you don’t want to work under bright overhead lighting that makes you feel like you are under a spotlight. By just investing in a small desk lamp you can update your office and keep the room well lit in the evenings.

Decorate one wall

If your home office is a bit empty and bleak, try decorating one wall to give the room a new lease of life. Pick your favorite color, or one that you feel motivates you, and paint one of your walls (ideally the one your desk is facing).

You can then add some framed photos or prints. They don’t need to be expensive, choose some postcards of your favorite paintings or some motivational quotes and find old picture frames in a thrift store. You can also add a calendar to the wall to keep you focused and motivated.

The most important thing about your home office is that it is organized and helps motivate you through your day. These five tips for updating your home office will make it feel completely refreshed without breaking the bank.