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Decorating a house isn’t cheap, and much like my closet – I don’t believe you need to spend hundreds of thousands in furniture to get the “look” or aesthetic that you’re going for..which brings me to the title of this post: How to decorate a home office on a budget.
I’ve always dreamed about having a nice office, so this was a fun project for me. It’s a room that I can constantly change by moving furniture around or adding pieces here and there.
Tip #1: Decide what kind of office you want to design
Before COVID really hit New York hard, and places were starting to shut, I decided I wanted to buy an exercise bike. Guilty confession: I have never been HUGE into spin classes, BUT I was starting to take a weekly class at Equinox every Sunday which left me with a good burn. So I brought a bike off Amazon and streamed the Peloton app from my iPhone. Unintentionally my “office” became a workout studio which is now one of my favorite rooms in the house. Why? Because I can work and workout all in one room! I also recommend getting design ideas off Pinterest and saving them to one place. I have an entire board dedicated to interior design here
Tip #2: If you are going to splurge, figure out which items it makes sense on This may be a statement rug, a couch, or a bookshelf, etc. As I work from home, I was willing to splurge on a good desk because I would be using it daily – but it got to the point where I was tired of scrolling aimlessly for hours on end looking for a good desk! Keep in mind we were also in the height of a global pandemic when I was decorating this room, so most stores were shut. I ended up finding a beautiful rug on Amazon, a chair at target, and a simple desk at Walmart.
Tip #3: Personalize, personalize and personalize! Small additions can really make the biggest difference. Google desk decor to get some ideas. At the moment, my desk decor is far from perfect, in fact, let’s be honest-it’s a mess! BUT, I plan on replacing the little lamp with a tall, silver work lamp, and replacing the frames leaning on my desk with a hanging photo collage.
Tip #4: Customize a corner In the corner of my office, I have a closet with more clothes in, right next to that? A shoe and handbag display. I have always wanted one of these and it was super simple to assemble. I just purchased a bookshelf, assembled it, and placed some of my favorite bags/shoes! Second guilty confession: I rarely splurge on clothes but I do splurge on accessories (aka shoes, bags, jewelry, and coats!).
Tip #5: Patience with perfection
I am so impatient and such a perfectionist! I even hesitated to write this post because this room is far from finished BUT decorating a house takes time and I wanted to share that you really don’t need to spend thousands on furniture to create a cute workspace. Especially as Coronavirus has made “working from home ” the new normal.
