Budget-Friendly Hacks to Creating a Home Office that Inspires Creativity

Office creativity

Some time ago, when working from home wasn't as popular as nowadays, most of the home workers needed nothing more than a laptop and their couch to finish their tasks. However, with more and more people telecommuting or managing their own businesses from their private address - that is no longer enough, particularly if your work includes receiving clients in your office.

A home office designed for the specific purpose will boost your productivity and your public image. Designing a home office is viewed as an expensive project, but with these budget-friendly hacks, you will succeed without breaking the bank.

First, make it private

Before you move on to the aesthetic parts of the project, you need to make sure your home office provides you with enough privacy to be able to focus on your work. The best option would be to get a separate room for that, but if that is not possible, try to create visual boundaries with bookshelves or a four-panel room divider.

Office paint

A coat of paint

Home offices usually don't have significant square footage, so painting their walls shouldn't be expensive. Besides, a fresh layer of paint will make the atmosphere more dynamic and vibrant. Simple white is always the most affordable option for covering the entire walls, but you can play with accents to inspire productivity. Some of the most prominent colors for workplaces are blue and green.

A ray of light

Poor lighting can have an adverse impact on your performance. For ideal work conditions, you will need maximum natural light to flood the room. An easy fix would be to get rid of the curtains and window treatments, while installing larger windows would make for a more complicated project. The overhead fixture should use a LED bulb in the color of natural light. Task fixtures like table and floor lamps are a cost-efficient way to create better and more efficient workplace illumination.

Maximum space

Use the space to the max

Functionality should be your main concern when designing your home office. If you are struggling with the lack of square inches, you need to compromise on some things, but not on style. For example, when designing for privacy, you can marry style and function with a sliding barn door. A large solid wood office desk will probably not find its place in a cramped home office, but you can replace it with a charming space-saving folding-down desk. Also, you should aim to use as much of vertical space as you can for storage.

Revamp, do not waste!

When was the last time you visited your attic or your basement? Maybe they store something you can use to design a stylish and productivity-inducing office. An old dresser can be repurposed into a neat office desk, drawers can serve as bookcases, etc.

Box it up

If you are a regular visitor of any design magazines or Pinterest, you have probably noticed that storage boxes and baskets are a huge thing right now, and they cost next to nothing. Use them to store your documents, office supplies, and trinkets you don't want in your way.

Inject life

Inject some life

The secret to productivity often comes from the most unexpected places. It doesn't have to be an expensive remodeling project. It can be an affordable houseplant. In fact, several studies have indicated that greenery in the office boosts workplace performance. Some of the most useful plants to introduce are golden pothos, bamboo palm, English ivy, and peace lily.

Home office

Put 'home' in home office

Finally, you need to be aware of the main difference between an office on the company premises and a workplace inside your home. The latter should be more comfortable and more home-like to provide you with joy and extra productivity. You can enhance the feeling of "hominess" by including artwork, family photos, motivational posters, soft rugs, and similar into your work area.

Designing a home office doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Use the tips we gave you to create a comfortable and functional workplace, where you won't have the trouble to put in some extra hours.


Guest Author

Tracey Clayton

Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She's passionate about fashion, home decor and healthy living. Her motto is: "Live the life you love, love the life you live."