Just because most offices are cold, barren, lifeless places of work doesn’t mean your home office has to be one, too. In fact, if anything, you should do your best to make your home office as warm and welcoming as much as possible. Doing so will help you feel comfortable while working, and can even boost your spirits and inspire creativity for those days when it feels impossible to be productive. Besides, a cozy, comfy office will make you want to stay longer, and hopefully, get more work done.
So go ahead and personalize your home office. Get creative with your space. Make it as warm and inviting a place as you can. Creating a functional home office doesn’t mean you have to skimp on comfort and coziness. From pillows to blankets to lamps to wall art and décor, here are some of the best items you can add to your WFH space to make it a little warmer, a little comfier, and a little cozier. Note that all items are available on Amazon.
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1. Lumbar pillow
Let’s start with your office chair. It only makes sense, as it’s where you spend most of your time working. If your chair isn’t ergonomically designed, it doesn’t only mean discomfort and distraction for you now, it also spells bad news for your health in the long run. The good thing is that you don’t have to throw out your current chair immediately (unless it’s really that bad). Just by adding a couple of accessories can make it a whole lot more comfortable.
For instance, a lumbar pillow. This back support will provide all day long relief from muscle pain and fatigue and help you maintain ideal posture while sitting down. If you’re spending hours on end sitting on a chair, then a lumbar pillow is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity.
2. Footrest
A footrest is designed to provide relief to your feet and legs while you sit on your desk and carry out your work. It helps encourage a more natural sitting position while alleviating the strain on your hips and back, so you feel better all over. With a footrest, you’ll enjoy uninterrupted comfort during your entire workday, allowing you to get more done.
3. Foot hammock
If your feet need more than a rest, how about treating them to an entire vacation with an under-desk foot hammock? Not only will this relieve foot fatigue, but it will also make your home office a fun and enjoyable place and make your work a fun experience as well.
4. Blanket
For those days when it gets a little cold, having a blanket within reach to snuggle in is a gamechanger. And not only will a blanket keep you warm and fuzzy all day, just having it draped over a chair or couch or say folded in a basket makes your space feel even more cozy and homey. So consider creating a DIY blanket ladder near your desk, and hang on it a few wool blankets for winter, and thin, cotton ones for summer.
5. Rug
Adding a rug to your home office is an instant way to warm up your workplace and give it a cozy, homey feel. Not only that, but a rug is a piece of decoration as well; it can complement your office, accentuate your choice of style and over all décor, and breathe personality into the room, allowing you to feel at home while still being motivated.
6. Live greenery
Just because most offices are barren, lifeless places of work doesn’t mean your home office has to be one, too. Adding a plant is perhaps one of the easiest ways to give life to any space. So add a plant to your home office. Or two, or three! What’s more, bringing in greenery isn’t only an aesthetic upgrade – it can offer you mental benefits, too. Studies have shown that having plants in the office can reduce stress, increase productivity, and boost your overall mental health.
7. Mug and warmer
There’s just something so comforting in having a hot mug of coffee or tea nearby to take sips on while you work, especially when you know that whatever’s in your mug is not only going to keep you warm, but also keep you going for the next few hours. As long as your drink stays hot, of course. So go get yourself a mug and warmer set. It’ll keep your beverage hot so you don’t have to make a lot of trips to the kitchen. With a mug and warmer set, you can work uninterrupted – warmly and comfortably so.
8. Desk lamp
Your overhead light might just be too bright and harsh to your eyes, or it might be too dim. Either way, optimal lighting is essential in any home office. Poor lighting can dampen your mood, drain your energy, cause eyestrain and headaches, and ultimately impair your ability to work effectively. But with a few lighting changes, you can create an ideal working environment that is not only conducive for productivity but also looks and feels comfy and cozy.
One way to avoid bad lighting and that oh so harsh screen glare is to invest in a desk lamp. Ideally, you should opt for something with a soft, warm light that you can fully adjust. That way, you can find the lighting that suits your needs. The perfect desk lamp should give you directed light to help you see what you’re doing, and it should illuminate your entire space without creating undue glare and contrast while avoiding casting shadows. Not only that, but the perfect desk lamp should also lend your home office a warm, cozy, and inviting look and feel, making work a very pleasant experience.
9. String lights/Fairy lights
If lamps aren’t doing it for you, take your home office lighting to a whole new level by decorating with string or fairy lights. These aren’t just for Christmas or the holiday season. Used rightly, they can offer novel yet effective illumination that doesn’t feel overly festive or out-of-place. They give a beautiful and artistic look to your office, and create a warm, cozy, and even intimate ambiance that will make you want to spend more hours in your workspace, and hence spend more hours in building your dreams.
10. Scented candle
Comfy and cozy doesn’t just mean the look and feel of your home office. It’s also about the smell. Don’t you ever wonder why home sellers fill their house with the aroma of freshly baked cookies just before a visit from a prospective buyer? Because this particular scent triggers warm and happy thoughts and feelings, invoking memories of home. While the cookies alone won’t cut it, they do help in creating a warm, welcoming, and homey feel, thereby increasing the chances of a successful sale.
In that regard, your home office shouldn’t just be pleasing to your sense of sight and touch; it should be to your sense of smell, too. A pleasant smell can completely change how you perceive your workspace. In fact, did you know that smell is the strongest human sense and is best able to influence brain activity? So not only will a fragrant office space make you feel completely comfortable, it can also make you more productive in your workday.
To make your office more pleasing to your nostrils, you don’t have to bake fresh cookies every time, however. How about buying yourself a nice scented candle instead? There are plenty of scents to choose from, depending on your personality, mood, or temporal state of mind. Scented candles not only add your favorite flavor to the room but can also help you feel at ease, focus on the task at hand, and ultimately be more productive.
11. Essential oil diffuser
If scented candles aren’t your thing, then consider looking into an essential oil diffuser. As its name states, a diffuser is used to fill the air in a room with tiny, breathable particles of essential oil, giving the room a calmer, more pleasant-smelling ambiance. With this, you can transform your workspace into a tranquil nest where you can breathe easier and hence, work better.
12. Wall art or décor
If you haven’t already done so, you should definitely consider adding art and décor to your office walls. Not only will this bring your home office to life, creating an artistic and highly personalized space, it can also give off warm and inspiring vibes. Especially if your art or décor is something soothing, exciting, or just plain beautiful. Even if it’s just one wall print, or a framed inspirational quote, or perhaps a cork board with a few photos, postcards, or sayings, your wall art or décor can bring you joy and make you feel right at home. And when you feel more comfortable in your office, you’ll feel more productive working as well.
