Zen Home Office Design Tips

Dave Kushner • Mar 11, 2021

It’s no secret that work can be stressful, especially when you work out of a home office. The distractions that come with a work-from-home situation – kids, pets, even household chores like laundry – can easily disrupt the most dedicated employee. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you create a peaceful and relaxed workspace, but also one that promotes productivity.

Sound like a tall order? It doesn’t have to be if you follow these Zen home office design tips:

Create Calm
Pick Your Palette
Go Green
Inspirational Images
Scent-Sational Experience
Music to Your Ears

Keep reading to discover some clever design tips to create an enlightening workspace in your home.

Create Calm

Clutter leads to chaos. If you want to establish a Zen home office, then you need to create a calm and clutter-free environment.

Start by organizing your desk. The first step is to get rid of stuff you don’t need or don’t use. Think of this as the home office version of your annual closet purge. Your desk should contain only the things you need on a consistent basis to do your job. Everything else can find a new home or be thrown away.

You don’t need to take a trip to the office supply store to get organized. You can repurpose stuff you probably already have in your house. For example, if you’re crafty, consider decorating some old soup cans. All you need to do is take the label off, wash them thoroughly, then get creative. You can paint, apply washi (decorative) tape, or cover them in contact paper. Soup cans are the perfect place to hold pencils, pens, markers, and more. You can corral smaller items such as paper clips, thumbtacks, and staples into old spice jars or an ice cube tray, all of which can be neatly stowed inside your desk drawers.

Pick Your Palette

When it comes to work time, you will be more productive if you surround yourself with colors that inspire you. Whites and neutrals are popular tones because they are subdued and tend to reduce visual distractions. But there is nothing wrong with filling your home office with bright and bold colors.

Your home office is your personal space, and you should paint or decorate it in colors that please you. According to RealSimple, you should choose colors that convey how you want to feel while you work. For instance, if you want to create a calm and soothing space, consider incorporating pale blue hues. Green has been proven to inspire creativity, but it might be a bit much for a small office space. You can often achieve the same effect with some pops of color. Perhaps paint an accent wall a vibrant green or add a luscious green velvet chair in the corner where you can do your best brainstorming.

Go Green

Speaking of green, be sure to include plants in your decor if you are trying to create a Zen home office. In addition to improving indoor air quality, scientists at the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom, found that live plants can “increase productivity by 15%” and they boost concentration. As an added bonus, plants look pretty too!

From a small succulent sitting on your desk to a tall and slender snake plant or a trendy fiddle leaf fig tree, the choices are endless. Be sure to consider lighting quality when picking plants. If your home office is really more of a converted closet or a nook nestled in a hallway, make sure to get a plant that thrives in dim light.

There are plenty of faux plants on the market if you aren’t ready to become a plant parent. Although they won’t do anything to improve the air you breathe, faux plants are definitely nice to look at and they will help to create a sense of peace and tranquility in your home office.

You don’t need a green thumb to tend to a desk Zen garden. It’s just sand and small stones. CNN Underscored notes that these miniature versions of traditional Japanese Zen gardens have been shown to help alleviate stress. “Raking the sand” into perfectly straight stripes or intricate swirling patterns can be both relaxing and therapeutic.

Inspirational Images

To create a sense of Zen in your home office, surround yourself with images that inspire you. Sure, you can put up a poster of a cat hanging from a tree with the phrase “Hang In There”, but that probably doesn’t fit your design esthetic. Instead, why not place pictures around your home office of the places or people that motivate you the most?

Glancing up and seeing a photograph of your loved ones frolicking on the beach may be just the little pick-me-up you need to keep toiling away on a big project. Knowing the reward will be precious time spent together when you are all finished will help you power through your toughest tasks.

You can also create your own vision board to keep you motivated and focused. Fill it with pictures of people you admire, along with inspirational quotes and expressions of encouragement. You don’t need anything fancy, a simple corkboard will do just fine. However, one cute and clever way to incorporate a vision board into your décor is to frame a swatch of fabric. You could pick one that matches your window treatments or a throw pillow, or go for something completely different but equally loved.

Scent-Sational Experience

The nose knows. Aromatherapy can boost energy and install a sense of calm. Consider incorporating essential oils, either through candles or diffusers, to stimulate your senses and create a more Zen-like home office.

Fragrances such as lavender and bergamot are known for their calming properties, while peppermint and rosemary can improve awareness. In addition, cinnamon and ginger have been shown to positively impact emotional well-being and productivity.

You don’t need to seek out specific essential oils to stimulate your senses. There are plenty of pleasing scents available at bath and beauty stores. If you don’t want to light candles or use diffusers, you can purchase a room spray or even a bottle of scented hand lotion. You just want to find a way to introduce a scent of which a mere sniff eases your anxiety and promotes peacefulness.

Quiet Time

Finally, a Zen home office should be one that is void of disruptive noise. But that’s not always easy to achieve when working out of the house, especially if you have other people and/or pets around. One solution is to try to drown out outside noise by playing instrumental music or white noise. Soothing nature sounds are another option. Any of these choices will allow your mind to concentrate and focus on the work you need to do. After all, there is a reason why these sounds are what you typically hear when you’re in a spa or yoga studio.

Conclusion

There’s an expression that your home is your castle. If that’s the case, then your home office should be your Zen garden, a place that evokes inspiration and peacefulness. By following the Zen design tips outlined in this article, you can create a comfortable and convenient workspace, but also one that promotes productivity.