With working from home now a more permanent fixture in many of our lives, the space we spend so much time in deserves a spruce up. Home office wall decor ideas will provide you with a more inspiring view when working and help keep you creatively inspired and motivated throughout the day.
Staring at a blank wall every day makes for a long and tough day's work, so mixing up the look with wall hangings, fun paint ideas, art and wallpaper will make a home office feel like an extension of your home. Luckily, these home office ideas will help you easily switch your mindset to 'out of office' by the end of the day.
‘If you work from home most or all the time, it’s important to choose a home office scheme that makes you happy and stimulates creativity’, says Kerry McKenzie, co-founder of Brand McKenzie. ‘Consider incorporating your favourite colours or a wallpaper that features something you love’.
Home office wall decor ideas
Getting creative with your working space is proven to boost positivity and productivity, making you much happier day to day. Whether you opt for positive paint shades, styled-up shelving, decorative artwork, or all of them, your home office wall decor ideas are sure to make the work days fly by.
1. Be playful with paint
(Image credit: Future PLC)
If you're looking for an easy weekend project that will make your WFH space feel brand new come Monday, then paint ideas are the way forward. But not like you'd imagine.
Instead of simply painting the wall in a block colour, play around with different shapes such as arches for an interesting wall decor idea that will make your desk area feel more creatively inspiring. Plus, creating an arch zones the area around a workspace so that it feels separate from the rest of the room and dedicated to a specific use case.
'We don’t all have separate spaces in our houses for work - home offices are often areas within existing rooms, which is not ideal - but you can still zone the area using paint and accessories,' adds Sophie Smith, founder of Zhoosh Paints. Either mask out the space around the desk with tape and paint in a contrasting colour or create a ‘desk board’ - like a headboard for a desk.'
2. Work in wood
(Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee )
While working from home requires a certain level of professionality, you also want to feel cosy and relaxed. Adding wood tones into a home office is a great way of achieving this aura as it creates a warm and inviting look, as opposed to other materials.
By taking wood onto the walls through open shelving or even wooden frames, you're able to extend this feeling so that it's right in your eye-line throughout the day. You can even match it to a home office desk idea for a put-together approach.
3. Add plenty of art
(Image credit: Future PLC)
A home office should reflect your personality, and what better way to achieve this than with art and family photographs? Gallery wall ideas will help to inspire a workspace that is packed full of character so that even the longest of days leave you feeling connected to your personal life.
Varying frame sizes will help to make the walls of your home office feel naturally styled and put-together, as well as selecting different frame colours to mix up the look.
4. Build a beautiful backdrop
(Image credit: Future PLC)
While it’s important to consider the view from your desk, consider the backdrop from your computer camera, too. ‘You’ll need to think carefully about the wall behind you and the impression it will create on video calls, as it is likely to now be one of the most seen parts of your home,' says Kerry from Brand McKenzie.
Work in tandem with your home office lighting ideas to ensure both your face and backdrop are perfectly lit, while avoiding irritating screen glare.
5. Stay serene with green
(Image credit: Future PLC)
Bringing greenery into an office environment helps evoke a sense of calm and stimulates creativity, making it just as perfect for craft room ideas.
Try painting walls a soothing shade of green, or for a quick fix, fill a shelf with plants.
‘If you’re short on desk or floor space, or you’re not very green fingered, hanging botanical wall art can help destress and set you in the right mood for a productive day’, say the design experts at Green Lili.
6. Pick a positive colour scheme
(Image credit: Annie Sloan)
One of the main benefits of a home office is the opportunity to create a colourful environment that works for you – not your colleagues. Think about how you react to colours and tones and pick accordingly: some people feel stressed by bright shades while others find them stimulating.
If you’re wary about home office design mistakes and unsure on colours, there are some that might be worth considering, given the proven effects they have on mood and productivity.
'Pinks and blues are calming and help you focus, while greens can relieve stress and bring in a natural feel of the outdoors,' advise the colour experts at Green Lili. 'In contrast, oranges and yellows will help with energy and enthusiasm.'
7. Stay organised
(Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore)
If it’s small home office ideas you’re after, think about making your walls work a little harder. With a few practical accessories, they can easily accommodate all your organisational needs – the key is to make it look stylish.
Whether it’s a blackboard, corkboard or DIY pinboard, position it in the middle then work out with a couple of wall-mounted pockets and small shelves to keep all your bits and bobs close to hand.
8. Use patterned paper to zone a space
(Image credit: Future PLC)
Nooks and alcoves are natural places to pop a desk, and because it’s small, you can afford to be a bit more daring with your colours and patterns. Whether it’s in a designated home office or not, separate it from the rest of the room with an out-there paint or wallpaper ideas.
Stick to calm shades so the effect is softer and easier on the eye when looking away from your laptop.
9. Create an inspiration board
(Image credit: Future PLC)
A pinboard is more than just useful – it can be beautiful, too. Create a personalised inspiration board by pinning up pieces that bring you joy; there’s nothing like family photos, postcards, kids’ artwork or a happy quote to help put the ‘home’ into a home office.
If you’re hanging artwork directly onto the wall instead, use a range of different shapes and sizes to create maximum impact and play around with layouts by positioning them on the floor first.
10. Hang a mirror
(Image credit: Pooky)
‘Mirrors create the illusion of a bigger room, adding a sense of space and airiness to a home office – positioned correctly, it’s a great light enhancer, too’, says Sanel Konyar, founder of Interior Kollection.
Hang a single large one as a statement piece or combine several different shaped designs together for added interest.
This trick has double the benefits for garden office ideas. The mirror will reflect the surrounding nature, promoting a sense of calm and creativity. Always a win.
11. Put the writing on the (chalk) wall
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
Turn your to-do list into a fun thing to look at by creating a playful feature chalkboard wall. If you’re working with a smaller space, or fancy something a little less bold, consider using a spirit level and masking tape to fashion a memo-board expanse of wall instead.
You could even get a little creative and use your chalk paint to create an oversized calendar or wall planner. Use black and white chalkboard paint to mix different tones of grey to differentiate between days.
12. Build a work wall
(Image credit: Future PLC/Matthew Fox)
If you're integrating for home office storage ideas, then make them work twice as hard by acting as a beautiful feature, too. Built-in storage makes the most of vertical wall space and can be tailored to suit your storage needs. As well as looking spectacular, floor-to-ceiling shelves and cubbies can easily accommodate books and boxes of paperwork.
Combine practicality and good looks by painting the whole wall, shelves and all, in a bold shade of your choice.
13. Style open shelves beautifully
(Image credit: Future PLC)
Open shelving offers a great base for creating striking wall displays in a home office. Plus this gives you the freedom to change your arrangement as the mood takes you.
Whether it’s family photos, heirlooms or vases and decorative objects you've found for a bargain using home decor discount codes (nice one), anything that brings you creative inspiration when you look at it deserves a designated space.
Group items of odd numbers and keep space around them to avoid it looking too over styled.
What can I put on the wall behind my computer?
The wall behind your computer is probably one of the most viewed areas of your home, so making it visually pleasing is super important. When it comes to choosing a paint shade or wallpaper pattern, think about what works for you. Some people find bold colours and prints stimulating, while others prefer neutral hues to rest their eyes between screen sessions.
While positioning reminders and to-do-lists on a pinboard in your line of sight makes sense. Balance these out with personal touches. Artwork, postcards, photos, fabric samples and inspirational quotes are great for sparking creativity.
If you’re working with a smaller space, you might want to factor in a bit of storage, particularly if the wall behind your computer is within grabbing distance. Keep it stylish with hanging rails, caddies, wall-mounted pockets and small shelves. And be sure to corral smaller items and paperwork – a tidy view makes for a tidy mind.
What should I put on office walls?
The best thing home office wall decor ideas is that you can go in whatever direction you want. From paint colours to inspirational artwork, consider what’s going to inspire, motivate and make you feel happy.
Wall art and visually pleasing décor are the obvious choices; however, you’ll likely need to assign some wall space to storage, too – particularly if you’re working with a small or open-plan space.
What kind of art is best for an office?
‘Artwork which is simple in design works best for home offices’, say the experts at Green Lili. ‘Prints or canvases with a clean look will add interest without creating a distraction. Think modern flower line art, abstract and geometric prints to keep your mind clear and focused’.
Surrounding yourself with plants and greenery is a well-known way of reducing stress and increasing productivity. But if you haven’t got the space – or you’re not particularly green-fingered – hanging botanical artwork can have a similar effect.
As well as the design, it’s important to take colour into account when choosing artwork. As well as lifting a neutral scheme, it can have a huge effect on the overall atmosphere.
‘Abstract floral prints in soft pinks and deep shades of blue will create a soothing atmosphere. Or try bright mustard yellow to give you creative energy and a natural boost’.
