How to Make Your Home Office Inspiring & Romantic
Living Pretty Ep11 | Studio Apartment Tour: Home Office Decor Details
Want to know how to make a home office more inspiring? You may have seen my full studio apartment tour recently, but now I’m really focusing on my home office decor details to give you some work space ideas for your home office decor.
Your home office style doesn’t need to be stuffy and corporate! If you’re feeling a bit “blah” in your work space, try adding a little romance to it. You may find that it makes you feel more enthusiastic to sit down at your desk.
If you’re looking for decor ideas, studio apartment tips, and how to decorate a small apartment office area, watch this video for inspiration!
Watch the video now!
↓ Wanna read the episode? ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the episode. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
My work space is more romantic than my bedroom area.
I mean, is it so much to ask to feel a little romanced by your home office?
If you’re feeling like your work area is a bit “blah” and uninspiring, then try adding a little romance in your decor. You may find that it makes you feel a little more enthusiastic about sitting at your desk.
I’m gonna show you all the things in my work space that make it inspiring and productive for me, and also show you the things that I don’t think really work and I kind of want to improve.
When I started decorating my apartment, I made the conscious decision to create a romantic work space for myself, where work doesn’t necessarily feel like work - more like a courtship with creativity.
Now, if you want to see my full studio apartment tour, watch this video.
I talk about my home office in that video too, but in this video we’re just going to dive deeper into those little pretty details.
So let’s go ahead and get this home office tour started!
So here’s my home office area in all its somewhat over the top romantic glory. I can tell you right off the bat why this space is so inspiring to me overall, and that’s because it’s filled with little bits of drama and beauty that are not really typical to a home office setting.
For one thing, there’s an immediate dramatic statement with these ornate wall panels that go all the way to the ceiling. I think when you make the decision to go all the way with a certain dramatic style choice, that immediately makes a work space feel more conducive to creativity. Because the strong visual statement, at least for me, centers me. These wall panels are kind of an anchor for the space, a hero piece if you will.
And believe it or not - if you watched my full studio apartment tour video you already know this - but believe it or not, these wall panels are from the Container Store. Yep, the place where you buy plastic tubs and storage containers - that’s where I got these pretty things. $9.99 for a package of 4 panels.
A lot of you asked for the link to these things in the studio tour video, and unfortunately, the Container Store no longer sells them. I got these years ago and I’ve hung onto them from apartment to apartment. But if you’re really interested in doing something like this, I recommend just doing a google search for “hanging wall panels” and see what comes up. They’re a nice alternative to wallpaper for when you want to cover a full wall with a pattern.
Another way that I make my office area feel like an inspiring, creative space is in something as simple as my chair selection. I got this cream leather chair from Pier 1 after years of using simple, black desk chairs, and it makes such a huge difference.
It’s super comfy, for one thing, and it’s also just more visually appealing to me than a corporate looking desk chair.
Anything that reminds me of a fluorescently lit corporate office pretty much kills creativity for me. Why not make a home office feel, well, homey? And cozy? And pretty? That, to me, creates a better environment for productivity than anything you can find in a corporate office.
And as if I’m not shunning the corporate setting enough in my home office, I also have this sexy little lace thing on my chair, just for that added touch of romance. That’s another little tip I have if you want to add a pop of personality to a chair - try draping a pretty scarf, shawl, or kimono you might find in your closet on the back of it.
My chair still looks pretty if you take the lace away, but it kind of feels like a big lump of cream to me, so I find that the lace just adds some texture and a little bit of the witchy vibe that I always welcome into my apartment.
Another really nice feature in this nook area I use for my work space is the fact that I have these large mirrors on my closet doors. They make this area look way bigger than it actually is, which is really nice.
It’s funny because one of the the most common questions I’ve gotten from you guys in response to my full apartment tour is: why didn’t I put my bed in this nook area and use this as my bedroom?
There’s a closet there and everything, and it would mean my bed would have its own little private space.
Well, I actually considered that when I first moved in. But there are a couple reasons why I didn’t do it.
Mainly, I feel very passionate about keeping my work area separated from my cozy, relaxing areas in the apartment. And if my bed were in this nook area, that means my work space would be right next to my living room area.
When I’m chilling on my couch watching Netflix, I don’t want work creeping directly over my shoulder. That’s just not a good mindset choice in my book.
Also, when I walk into my apartment after work every day, the last thing I want to feel is that I’m walking into another office. I’m the office manager at a digital marketing and design company, and I spend all day in an office. When I come home, I want to feel like I’m entering a cozy, relaxing retreat. Not another office.
So that’s why my bed isn’t in here. Ok, onward and upward!
You’ll see I have a little mirror here and that’s because my desk is also my vanity. I do my hair and makeup here every morning to get ready for work.
I have my makeup drawer right here. Remember how I mentioned at the beginning of this video that there were some things I wanted to improve in here? Well, my drawer situation is really what needs some improvement. My makeup drawer is vaguely organized but I think it leaves something to be desired in terms of being aesthetically pleasing.
And then the drawer below it is my ultimate shame. My dirty little secret that for some reason I feel comfortable sharing with you, dear reader. I honestly have nothing to say to defend myself, other than… we all have our junk drawers right?
Anyway, over here I have my little journal and planner collection. If you watched my full apartment tour video, you know that I confess to having a pretty severe addiction to journals and planners and really any pretty paper products.
Right here I have my failed attempt at bullet journaling. It was a noble attempt, but failed nonetheless.
Is there anyone out there watching this who shares this journal habit? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to commiserate with you. Maybe we can form a support group or something.
Anyway, I have some things I keep on my desk that just bring me little bursts of happiness when I look at them. One of them is this crystal I got at a little local mom and pop’s store in my home town, Snoqualmie, WA.
I like having a little piece of home right here, and I also like having something sparkly and pretty in my line of vision while I’m writing or editing videos. It’s just a small inspiration source, which is another tip I have for you…
If your work space is feeling “blah”, have something visually appealing and meaningful right next to your computer.
It may not seem like much, but when I’m trying to channel some nice creativity energy, I’ll take whatever shred of inspiration I can get.
I also have these little post-it notes with a message from my boyfriend. He’s very sweet and thoughtful - he wrote these for me one morning when I was about to have a really busy, stressful day and left them for me to find when I got home after that day. I love having them here to ground me and remind me that my boyfriend is pretty effing awesome.
Aside from these little personal touches, I have my desk lamp from Target with its exposed Edison bulb - I have this thing with Edison bulbs, my whole apartment is littered with them.
I have some faux greenery here, it’s also from Target. All of my plants and flowers in this apartment are faux because I’m not emotionally equipped to handle death of any kind in my apartment.
I have a cute tissue box that goes over the regular tissue box because I’m a big believer in covering the normal tissue box packaging with a nice, stylish one. It’s one of those tiny details that makes a big difference visually.
My map of Manhattan is here - I lived in New York for 6 years so having this map is a nice reminder of that experience.
This is my keyboard, which has sadly been collecting dust because I never play anymore. I used to be obsessed with writing and recording music, but I just haven’t had it in me for a while. So my keyboard is being reduced to a piece of decor and nothing more, which I guess is fine for now.
The last song I learned is still sitting here - it’s a gorgeous song from the anime One Piece. Do I have any fellow One Piece fans? Make yourselves known in the comments - I’d love to geek out with you!
So this thing over here, as you can see, it’s missing its outlet cover, and that’s because this drama queen up here broke it. For those of you who saw my full apartment tour video, you know this is my great aunt Flo, who was a singer, dancer, and actress in the 1930’s.
But what I didn’t tell you is that I think her spirit straight up lives with me in here, and there was a time where she kept falling down. I’d hang her up again, and then she’d fall back down a day later. Typical dramatic actress. The last time she fell, she broke that outlet cover, so I guess that was her goal all along?
Anyway, I also have this mercury glass lamp from Target, and the rug in here is also from Target. All the rugs in my apartment are from Target actually.
My apartment really is a testament to the fact that you can make a space feel inviting and stylish by shopping at attainable stores like Target.
I feel like as long as you’re living in an apartment, a lot of the decor and furniture you buy can be on the cheaper side. I’m saving most of my investment purchases for when I’m living somewhere more permanent, you know?
So I think at this point I’ve shown you just about every detail in my little work space, so I’m going to close this baby out.
So there you have it. That’s my little romantic work space. The decor in here, for the most part, makes me feel inspired, productive, focused, and most importantly, kind of wooed by my work.
Just because it’s a place for work, doesn’t mean it has to feel cold and corporate. Every girl deserves a home office that makes her feel special.
For more interior styling inspiration, follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit, and be sure to subscribe and hit the bell if you want to be notified when a new episode of Living Pretty goes up every week.