27 Fun Home Offices That’ll Boost Your Productivity

Corinne Mathern Studio

Some days, it can be hard to find the motivation to get to work—especially when your office also happens to be your bedroom, kitchen, dining room, or living room, too (or all if you live in a studio!). But we promise it’ll be a lot easier to roll up your sleeves and get to work if your home office looks stylish, feels energizing, and promotes productivity with organizational solutions. The best of them inspire focus in addition to looking good. Think: ample sunlight, uncluttered surfaces, rejuvenating colors, and actually-comfortable furniture to work on. Whether you’ve got an entire room or just a tiny corner, we’ve got inspiration for you with these incredible home offices.

Joshua McHugh

1

Use Lacquered Furniture

If you have a small makeshift home office in the corner of a larger room or you’re converting a walk-in closet, opt for glossy white lacquered cabinets and furniture. Similar to the maximizing effect of a mirror, the reflective surfaces will give the illusion of a larger, more open space. Designer Raji Radhakrishnan gave this home office some pops of fun and vibrancy with primary colored stools and a graphic rug.

KARYN R. MILLET

2

Bring the Outdoors In

Between the leaf-print window treatments and treillage-fronted cabinetry, this office feels like a secret garden—in fact, it was a porch before designer Joe Lucas enclosed the space.

William Abranowicz

3

Go Old-School

There’s n0 shortage of vintage eye candy in the Jackson, Wyoming, study of Christian Burch and John Frechette, the duo behind local decor and menswear shop Mountain Dandy. The roll-top desk was a hand-me-down from Burch’s parents, while the pegboard walls were original to the ’50s house.

David Land

4

Skip the Desk

For our 2019 Whole Home in Nashville, Dani Arps—a go-to office designer for New York startups—created an airy, clutter-free space that lacked one notable feature: a desk. “Most files are stored digitally, so bulky office furniture with tons of storage isn’t necessary,” said Arps, who instead opted for a large, streamlined work table from Industry West.

BJORN WALLANDER

5

Use Energizing Colors

How about a vibrant fuchsia wall instead of that extra cup of coffee? Designer Krsnaa Mehta gave his lackluster home office a surge of energy with jewel tone statement walls, plenty of artwork, and prints throughout.

Tessa Neustadt

6

Hide the Clutter

Tasked with turning a tiny, white-walled bedroom in Bobby Berk’s Los Angeles home into a proper home office, creative director Brady Tolbert headed to Craigslist to find the perfect mid-century credenza. It’s not just all looks—the cabinet keeps messy papers out of sight.

Eric Piasecki

7

Drench it in Color

One way to ensure your office isn’t a total snooze? Paint on a few coats of high-gloss paint in a bright shade. “The raspberry shade is exciting but not overwhelming—it’s the perfect hue for a creative space,” says Katie Ridder of this study she designed for a Manhattan client.

Victoria Pearson

8

Keep It Rolling

Photographer Victoria Pearson combined a wooden top from Ikea and a wheeled CB2 base to create her own rolling desk, which allows for an easy change of scenery or workspace rearranging at a moment’s notice.

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Beatriz da Costa

9

Sing the Blues

Feeling stressed about work? Try painting your office blue—research shows that the color has a calming effect. In this Connecticut study, designer Brooke Crew used Farrow & Ball’s Parma Gray (which, despite its name, is in fact blue).

RYAN GARVIN

10

Focus on the Fireplace

Warm up an open and airy home office with a fireplace that features an earth-toned facade, like this one in a large space designed by Breegan Jane. The marble introduces sophisticated, formal style to the more casual elements but it also helps to bring the scale of the ceilings down to a more intimate, human scale.

Shapeless Studio

11

Install a Floating Desk

While there may not be room for a whole lot of extras in this tiny NYC abode designed by Shapeless Studio, each nook and cranny is brought to its fullest potential. The architectural quirk becomes a desk, providing a work space or a little vanity station to get ready. The lesson? Convert any free corner or wall available into a home office by installing extra task lighting (preferably attached to the ceiling or wall to keep surface clutter to a minimum) and a low profile floating desk.

Eric Piasecki

12

Try Industrial

If your work space is cool, you may be more inclined to actually use it. A vintage aluminum desk and stool create an industrial vibe in this Colorado cabin’s study. Chicken-wire bookcases add a rustic touch to the room.

Tamsin Johnson Interiors

13

Use Your Walls

To really get the most out of every square inch, turn the actual wall into a bulletin board with tackable panels. Tamsin Johnson customized them to fit in the awkward space under the stairs. And speaking of those stairs, how incredible is that whimsical staircase? We love this mix of contemporary design with antiques.

Paul Raeside

14

Use Open Shelving

If you can stay organized, this organizational system is for you. Seeing everything means you’ll never lose a file or supply. In this Boston brownstone, the kitchen pantry also houses the office, so the shelves serve double-duty.

BJORN WALLANDER

15

Dedicate a Nook

An architectural alcove is the perfect place to dedicate to your home office. In photographer Bjorn Wallander’s New York City apartment, he painted this nook in a soothing deep espresso color but then brightened things up with plenty of artwork and books for inspiration. And don’t forget to add speakers (with your housemates’s permission, of course).

Corey Damen Jenkins

16

Ditch Bulky Furniture

If you have enough storage in your home office thanks to built-ins or a spacious media cabinet, then choose a desk with less drawers and a sleeker, leaner profile instead of a bulkier alternative. Designer Corey Damen Jenkins mixes colorful abstract art and modern photography with more classic elements, like the antique desk and accessories while the lucite chair provides some contemporary flair.

Björn Wallander

17

Take Inspiration from Everywhere

To totally transport yourself somewhere way more exciting than your work, try an bold pattern, like the black-and-white zebra motif in this Charleston home office. A rattan chandelier adds texture.

Luke White

18

Consider Scandinavian Style

Pare way down and keep your aesthetic clean and calming. A simple Swedish desk was placed by a window with a view of the Baltic Sea in a Scandinavian home. It’s mostly neutral, but the pops of blue keep the room feeling fresh and invigorating.

Jonny Valiant

19

Conceal Clutter With Curtains

If your clutter feeds your creativity, you don’t have to get rid of it, you just need to conceal it smartly. In a Birmingham, Alabama office, curtains soften the room and hide everyday office papers and books that are stacked up on the shelves.

EMILY MINTON REDFIELD

20

Keep Caffeine Nearby

Have an extra closet or storage area? Set up a nearby caffeine bar. In the case of this space designed by Marie Flanigan, the desk-side cabinet is stocked with tea supplies. This way, the occupant can actually get some use out of their collected china and reduce their trips back and forth to the kitchen while working.

Corinne Mathern Studio

21

Keep It Understated

Your formula to an understated modern office: a simple glass top table, neutral tones, and nature-inspired materials. This home office designed by Corinne Mathern Studio is also in the bedroom, so a balance between visual flow and separate zones for separate tasks is key. A brightly lit and minimalist approach like this one is perfect for both a bedroom and a home office.

Courtesy of Nicole Franzen

22

Go All Black

Is this not the sexiest office you’ve ever seen? Black furniture combined with brass accents looks super sleek. Opt for a gray-black for the walls, so it doesn’t feel too dark.

JOE SCHMELZER

23

Mix in Vintage

Mark J. Williams filled the office of a client’s Craftsman house in Los Angeles with period-style furnishings, like a Paul McCobb chair and rustic Alton House desk, for a look that’s vintage without being theme-y.

Nicole Franzen

24

Get Scrappy

Calling all New Yorkers and anyone else who lives in a teeny, tiny apartment—you probably don’t have room for a formal office, so you need to get resourceful. Opt for small furniture, even just a thrifted side table, and simply side up a chair. Small and modest but it provides a space that’s not your bed to crank out some work.

Alison Gootee

25

Choose a Matching Pin-Board

In this fabulously over-the-top home office designed by Miles Redd, the tented ceiling provides some privacy and warmth while the corresponding wallpaper helps ease the transition between the windows and the walls for a stylish flow. He added a matching blue pin-board on the wall to keep papers from piling up on the desk.

Courtesy of Nicole Franzen

26

Be a Minimalist

Minimalism is so hot right now. Keep your desk clutter-free, add in simple furniture (like these reclaimed wood chairs and desk), keep a neutral color palette, and watch how inspired you’ll be to actually do your work. If you need to warm things up—so it doesn’t look bland and sterile—add a plant or macramé wall hanging.

Courtesy of Old Brand New

27

Go Bohemian

Embrace your inner free spirit and decorate your office with anything that tells a story, has sentimental value to you, or that you picked up on your travels. Add in a bold, patterned rug, color on color, and some plants. Consider yourself creative? More is more in that case. See more at Old Brand New.