Tips to personalise your home office

PROPERTY NEWS - The fun part about working from home is that you can decorate your office area any way you like. Hang some inspirational artwork on the walls, choose cool desk decor, and paint the walls a stimulating (or relaxing) colour.

Some top tips on how to decorate a home office:

Organise
One tip beats them all when it comes to decorating a home office - stay organised. Too often you will have piles of paperwork left on your desk and reminder sticky-notes attached to your pinboard that make the room (and your mind) feel cluttered and disorganised. You can organise the paper chaos by buying file organisers, installing extra shelving in the room and using storage bins to keep important documents in order, neat and tidy.

If there is not enough space for free-standing storage, invest in some floating wall shelves for the files and wall-mounted cabinets for the stationery. You can keep the room sleek and modern without the clutter by using creative storage and organisation options.

Inspiring space
A home office is not the same as a 'real' office. You have the freedom to be more creative and bold with your decor choices, but you need to be sure that whatever you choose will inspire you and make you want to work.

For example, you could create an accent wall and hang your favourite wall art or posters with inspirational sayings on it. You could create a project board and hang it on one side of the room. This will give you a visual representation of your past, current and future projects, which in turn will inspire you to work hard and reach the goals listed in the projects you see every day.

Think vertically
Small office spaces often lack storage room. This is why you should think vertically when it comes to shelving and storage, allowing you to free up floor space and store important documents with ease.

You can hang floating shelves and install cabinets on your walls, or hang wall art at just the right height to see it and be inspired when you look up.

Open cabinets are a great idea, as they allow you to place storage bins, a glass table lamp or two as well as files and documents in easy-to-reach places while still looking attractive. Be sure to paint the shelves in the same colour as the wall so they appear to be floating, as this can make your room look lighter and airier.

Paint the walls in a colour you love
Your home office is just that - yours, so you will need to ensure that the walls are painted in a colour that you love. This can be anything from dark purple to light teal, or you could stick with a neutral colour scheme and add pops of your favourite colour to the area or room. If you cannot decide on one colour, look for one that inspires you. Some people need bright, vibrant colours in their office to motivate them, such as oranges or reds, while others prefer more calming colours such as blues and greens.

Choose something that you can look at all day during your working hours as colours can have a significant effect on your mood.

Inspiring space.

Keep it simple
You might be working from home, but make sure that you do not clutter your office with decor, furnishings and documents. It is, after all, the space you will be working in, so it needs to be simple and not distracting. Start by looking for organisation tools and storage, then move on to painting the walls and hanging art that inspires you.

A glass table lamp, wood table lamps or cement table lamps can bring in visual interest and brightly coloured accessories, such as glass ornaments on the shelving, can make the room feel truly special.

Introducing too many decorative elements will clutter the space, make it feel smaller and could distract you from important tasks.

You do not have to go completely minimalist but you should choose the decor and accessories wisely, focusing on how they inspire you rather than how they look.

Freedom
Being able to work from home gives you a certain amount of freedom, and this filters down into how you decorate your home office. You do not have to stick to the rules of a 'real' office, but the space must be conducive to working.

Paint.