You’ve transitioned from your old full-time commute to a remote or hybrid work life, but does your home office feel and look complete? Modern workplace designs feature inspiring and eccentric decor in common areas yet leave much to desire when it comes to individual workspaces. The idea of sitting in a cubicle dressed up with a few framed photos is still just as dreary as it appears in all those 90s movies centered around characters wishing to escape the monotony of a soulless desk job.

Working from home, however, allows you to have total control of the ambiance. If you want a coffee machine and a mini fridge, get a coffee machine and a mini fridge. Maybe you love working with background music, so you want a record player somewhere. Nothing’s off-limits. It’s time to ditch outdated office decor rules for a more creative and motivating design. Here are five additions that will elevate any home workspace.

Home Office Additions

Every office needs a desk, a chair, and a storage and organizational system. Once that’s in order, let your personality (and professional needs) lead the way.

1. Bookshelves

Throughout your professional development, you’ve probably built a sizable book collection. There are several ways to display these works, and standing bookcases are the simplest. Nevertheless, simplicity sometimes equates to blandness, and that’s the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve with your home office design. Swap the traditional wooden bookcase for mounted metal floating wall shelves or a vintage-modern modular, curvy silhouette in a green, orange, or pink colorway.

2. Wall Art

Whether covered in wallpaper or lined with inspirational quotes, nature stills, or prints from emerging Black artists, it’s essential to decorate the walls in your office. Head to Pinterest and print out each image from the yearly mood board for a personalized collage or curate a gallery wall of photos. If choosing wallpaper, select an option that features the room’s colors but has a distinct pattern or texture.

3. Seating and Tables

Even if you don’t take meetings or appointments at your home office, it’s ideal to have seating and tables when you want to take a snack break or lounge on a Zoom call. Couches, sofas, and accent chairs are perfect options, especially in vibrant colors and unique styles. Consider how the rust bean bag armchair and ottoman transform this space from stiff to warm and cozy.

4. Accent Decor

Incorporate small touches of personality on shelves and other surfaces, like your desk. The purpose of accent decor is to enhance the visual interest of your home office, so these items don’t have to relate to work or be functional. An asymmetrical vase filled with a lush plant next to a luxury scented candle or diffuser and a lamp can take an empty corner from unnoticeable to a bold statement.

5. Ambient Lighting

Often working late? Realizing the sun has set and you have a long way to go before you can shut your laptop for the night is one of the worst work-from-home feelings. You’re already home but not free to enjoy the evening just yet. Ambient lighting can help take the edge off, making the room more relaxing and cozy, setting the mood for when you clock out. Unlike the harsh “big light,” as Gen Z and Millennials call it, these lights offer warmer temperatures to soften the atmosphere in the room. Contemporary furniture stores carry distinctive desk and floor lamps, like this corded bulb design, which double as decor. It’s a two-for-one that’s great for your pockets and overall aesthetic.