London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

7 Unexpected Ways to Upgrade Your Home Office

7 Unexpected Ways to Upgrade Your Home Office

Refresh your decor and boost productivity with these impressive home office improvements.

An efficient home office relies on smart planning and storage. Purposeful design changes can help signal you're in a dedicated working space and not just another room in your home. Take your office to the next level with savvy upgrades that maximize style and function, while also centering you in your work. These simple additions easily transition to home decor, too, if you need to repurpose your office for guests or your work-from-home status is temporary.



Reduce Stress with Plants


Just one small plant at your desk can help alleviate stress and even encourage you to keep your surface clutter-free. If that's not reason enough to make room for a botanical buddy or three, studies also suggest plants improve productivity in an office setting. Decorate your home office with houseplants for fresh texture and color. Even if you don't have a green thumb, today's faux plants provide the convincing look of your favorite varieties without the upkeep.



Opt for Supportive Flooring


You might have considered converter kits that transition your desk from sitting to standing. Or maybe you even have a fully adjustable sit-stand desk. But what about the surface below you? Anti-fatigue floor mats can reduce discomfort and provide support while standing at a desk. A variety of sizes and materials are available so you can find the best choice for your home office. An area rug with a plush rug pad can also provide cushion underfoot. For a more significant upgrade, consider installing cork flooring, an antibacterial surface with cushioned support that's perfect for a standing desk.



Divide a Room to Encourage Focus


Room dividers are an easy way to separate a workspace from a larger room, hide clutter, and present a less distracting background for virtual meetings, all without making permanent or structural changes. Thanks in part to today's work-from-home boom, room dividers are more popular than ever, and there are many options for getting the right look, size, or added features. Consider a folding style that you can easily pack up and store if your home office converts to a living space when the work day ends. For a more permanent solution, freestanding bookshelves or cube storage can divide a room while providing plenty of space for office supplies.



Hang Eye-Catching Art for Inspiration


Adding art to your home office has both personal and professional benefits. A few thoughtfully chosen pieces can result in a quick office update that helps you feel more motivated and productive. Adding visually interesting imagery or decorative objects near your computer and around your desk you work can also provide a place for tired eyes to land, combatting the strain and fatigue that comes from staring at a screen for extended periods.



Improve Lighting with Color-Changing Bulbs


If your workspace wasn't originally designated as an office, you might lack adequate lighting. Ideally, your home office should have natural light as well as task lighting, which provides focused lighting to a particular area, and ambient lighting. When choosing office lighting, consider an adjustable desk lamp with multiple color temperatures. Studies show that warmer light (skewing more yellow) enhances creativity, while cooler light (shades of blue) increases concentration. There's even evidence that lighting can play a role in decision-making. And if your home office isn't permanent, don't worry! Many of these light fixtures are cordless and chargeable so you can take them wherever you like to work.



Utilize Wall Space for Planning


Although a lot is accomplished on computers, it's not the only place we make plans, store files, and find inspiration. Sometimes only a hands-on approach will do. Combine sheet metal and a picture frame to create an inexpensive hanging magnetic board perfect for updating to-do lists, keeping project details at hand, and displaying inspiring imagery.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×