It’s such a privilege to have an office space in your home. We all need a place of work with zero disturbance or noise for the days you have to take work home with you. For those of us who work from home full time, it’s important to create a space that you would want to work in. For me, that means functional and aesthetically pleasing, but unfortunately, aesthetics cost money- quite a lot of it, but there is a way to work around it. If you think that you need to spend thousands of dollars to have the perfect aesthetically pleasing home office. I’m here to tell you that you don’t. But first, let’s start with what everyone wants to know.
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What is considered a home office?
A home office is a dedicated space where you get work done, it doesn’t necessarily have to be an entire room. It can easily be a corner of a room where you have a desk and chair setup. However, nowadays, we take it a step further by dedicating an entire room for an office space. People who work from home typically want/need more space with little to no distractions. Because of that, there’s a lot more effort put into decorating the space since people have to spend so many hours in it every day.
Where do you start?
Picture your aesthetic home office
Picture your home office; what does it look like? I like to go on Pinterest to find inspo, especially when I’m starting from zero and I have no idea what I want to do with a space. Pinterest helps me put my ideas together. From there, you can ask yourself questions like:
- What color scheme is your office going to have?
- If you’re buying furniture, what exactly do you need for your space?
- Is this space strictly going to be for work, or do you want to make it more easygoing to do other things as well?
- How much space do you have for the vision you have in your mind?
Once you get all of the hard questions out of the way, you can use that to guide you on what you need to start with, but before we get to that, we’ll briefly discuss where you should purchase your items from for a reasonable price.
Less expensive options to look for home office essentials
If you’re decorating your office on a budget, there’s a way around it. You don’t have to run your pockets dry to have a beautiful home office. Some stores aren’t ridiculously priced, and they will charge you less than the bigger companies and boutiques. Keep in mind that you have to have an eye for items, and that comes from experience. You could find the ugliest chair for $1.50 and turn it into something completely beautiful, you just need to have a vision for it.
Less expensive options to look for home office essentials:
- Facebook Marketplace – Typically, you’ll find something worth purchasing on this app. People are always trying to get rid of something in their home, not all items are necessarily rusty or old. Always try to negotiate a change of price.
- Overstocked Warehouses – There’s always one nearby. Since they have inventory coming in on a weekly/monthly basis, they’re trying to push out what they currently have in the store, which means selling items up to 80% or 90% off.
- Antique stores – You’ll either love or hate antique stores, depending on your aesthetic. It’s no surprise that they have more expensive items. But they also sell items for dirt cheap. And the fun part about an antique store is that you walk in and have no idea that you will end up leaving with something so unique and beautiful.
Now that we’ve got the spending out of the way, the next big step is to have a plan of action.
Listing the important to-dos for your home office
A good way to stay on top of your plans for your home office is by quite literally creating a checklist. That way, you know what’s done and what still needs work. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you make the list:
- Are you changing the wall colors?
- The current state of your space, do you need to add or remove anything?
- Do you need more/less lighting?
- Are you getting a rug?
- Curtains that match the aesthetic you’re going for
- Smaller decor pieces that would piece everything together
Must-have items
There are certain items that I like, so I kind of just shut my eyes and swipe my card, responsibly, of course. My trick with this is to never buy everything at once. Browse your wishlist, start with the least expensive item, and work your way up.
If you’re into neutrals and browns right now, see if you would like any of the following for your home office:
- Farmhouse Office DeskÂ
- Large Brown Office Desk
- Loloi Neutral Area Rug
- Loloi Ivory/Grey Rug
- Echo Show 15 Bundle
Take a look at more affordable options:
- Fine Point Smooth Writing Pens
- Large Neutral Cork BoardÂ
- Sticky NotesÂ
- Desk Planner
- Wireless KeyboardÂ
- Throw Pillows
Ultimately, building the perfect home office takes time; don’t try to complete it by rushing. The beauty of creating is that it all comes together eventually.
