Home office refresh with wallpaper

Are you looking to create a home office in a small space or update your existing home office? In this post, I’m sharing how I updated my home office in only a weekend with beautiful wallpaper, whimsical painted furniture, and nature-inspired accents. The colour scheme for this space is grey, white, sage green, and sunny yellow. I am loving yellow for fall! However, the yellow accents can easily be changed out for another colour at Christmas or for other seasons. This post walks you through the steps of the home office refresh with wallpaper and my fall styling. This office space is in our Master bedroom! Hence, I’m also sharing my top tips for creating a home office when you don’t have an entire room to spare for it.

Rocky Mountain Decals generously provided the wallpaper for this refresh. However, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Where to situate your office space?

If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated room for an office, then you are lucky. If this isn’t the case, don’t fret, there are many other spaces to squeeze one in! In my experience, a home office in the corner of the kitchen or family room doesn’t usually work as these areas tend to be very busy and noisy.

Guest room

If you have a guest room, you can utilize one wall as a home office. This set-up usually works really well, as most people don’t have guests that often, so it’s a great way to bring function to an under-utilized space.

Bonus room

Another great space for an office is a small awkward space that’s not large enough for a bedroom or living space. Some houses have a small bonus room that is either open or closed to the rest of the home. People often struggle with how to furnish these spaces as they’re not large enough for a sofa, coffee table and tv, and they’re often open to the rest of the home and therefore not suitable for a bedroom.

She-shed

A separate building like a she-shed is a wonderful place for an office if you live in a warm climate and year-round access and temperature control exist. This is not the case for us in Canada!

My home office

The master bedroom is where I have my home office because it’s really the only possible space in our home other than our unfinished basement. A master bedroom can work if you integrate the office decor with that of the bedroom and if you have a strategy to keep the office area neat and tidy. My goal in this refresh was that the office decor would actually enhance the beauty and serenity of the bedroom and I’m so happy to say that it does.

Characteristics of a good office space

• Good natural lighting
• Separation from the busiest spaces of the home (kitchen, entry locations, family room)
• It’s preferable, but not necessary for the room to have a door that can be closed and possibly even locked
• Away from things that may distract you, like a television or bed (if you can’t resist naps)
• Air-conditioned in the summer, and well-heated in the winter
• A window view is a bonus

Choose your wallpaper

Because this post is about completing a home office refresh with wallpaper, I recommend choosing the wallpaper first and using it as your inspiration. I think a home office is one of the best places to use wallpaper. It can add warmth and character to a space that is traditionally thought of as boring and uninspiring. I spent 15 years in an office building with industrial grey walls, grey carpet, and utilitarian office furniture. The lovely window view was its only saving grace! Wallpaper is special because it adds colour and pattern and instantly creates a mood.

Wallpaper as décor inspiration

The wallpaper I chose was the inspiration for my home office refresh and fall styling. It really sets the tone for the space and creates a decorating theme. I chose “Wild Woods” from Rocky Mountain Decals, which is a nature-inspired forest motif, and I decided to enhance that theme through other elements as you will see. I chose this wallpaper because I wanted a serene and neutral palette that I would enjoy throughout the year. Since the office space is in our master bedroom, this is the view we will wake up to every morning. You can easily complete your own home office refresh with wallpaper especially if it is the peel-and-stick variety.

Removable, reusable wallpaper

Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a great way to enjoy wallpaper without the long-term commitment. Many people say they will never use traditional wallpaper because they worry about the hassle of removing it later. All the beautiful wallpaper designs from Rocky Mountain Decals are removable and reusable.

I think I may do a separate post on installing peel-and-stick wallpaper, but let me say that it was very easy. I just followed the instructions included in the box of wallpaper. If you purchase your wallpaper from Rocky Mountain Decals, you will provide the dimensions of your walls and they cut the pieces to the correct sizes (allowing for excess of course) for your space, numbering each piece in the correct order for installation. I loved this because half the work of wallpaper installation is measuring, cutting and figuring out how to match the seams. I completed the wallpapering on my own in two hours from start to finish including moving the furniture. It could be done in less time if you have a handy helper.

Add your office necessities

Desk

My desk is a white LINNMON/ADILS desk (60 cm by 120 cm size) from Ikea.  I purchased it many years ago for about $35 (currently it’s $50 CAD). My little Ikea hack for this desk was to add cotton rope around each of the legs. I simply glued it in place with a hot glue gun. I love the custom look it gives the piece and it only cost about $15 to add the rope. The look is fresh and clean, but with that little bit of detail to keep it interesting.

Beautiful desks are easy to find second hand from local buy-and-sell sites and antique shops. Click here to see my post about budget decorating solutions, including tips for buying previously loved furniture. Or you may choose to paint an old desk you already own. When buying a desk, consider if you want a desk with drawers for extra storage.

Desk chair

In all honesty, I tend to rotate my desk chairs with others in our home quite often. For fall I wanted the warmth of wood in the space so I’m using a wood chair that echoes the yellow accent tones I used in the space. I ordered the chair from Wayfair earlier this year, but it seems it’s no longer in stock.

When choosing a desk chair, it’s important to think about comfort and also the height of the chair relative to your desk. Don’t discount dining chairs, as they are often less expensive than desk chairs and you will have more styles to choose from.

Storage

In a home office, you will want desk storage for pens, pencils and everyday office essentials. You will also likely need a file cabinet or shelf to store paperwork and supplies specific to the business you’re in. Ikea has some great office storage solutions from shelving to filing cabinets. You may also want to consider some open shelving or a pinboard or chalkboard.

Most of my work for blogging is digital, so I don’t have a lot of paper to store. However, I have camera equipment, books and magazines I use for inspiration, plus I use my desk for sewing and craft projects. Because the home office is in our bedroom, I used closed storage for these items. I use an Ikea Hemnes storage cabinet (not shown) with drawers and doors to store most of these items. My sewing machines and fabric are kept in our master bedroom walk-in closet. I’m consistent about cleaning up at the end of each work session.

Reading chair

If you plan to spend full days in your office it really helps for too long. If I’m going to be doing some reading, it is a more comfortable place to do so. It’s also the perfect spot to get inspired and dream up new ideas. An extra chair is also a good idea if you plan to be collaborating with another person and plan to invite them into your office space.

My comfy chair is one I purchased 20 years ago and the footrest was an unwanted item a neighbour was throwing away. I made new white slipcovers for both and I think the white complements just about any decor scheme.

Lighting

In addition to good natural lighting, task lighting is a must. I chose the grey-toned Hektar floor lamp from Ikea. We also have overhead lighting to keep the space bright. I don’t find I need a desk lamp since the floor lamp can be angled towards the desk. Since I often use my desk for sewing and cutting fabric I like to keep my desk as clear as possible.

Add character and warmth with décor elements

I really wanted this space to feel cozy and inviting and not like a typical sterile office space. This fall I’m using a lot of golden yellow in my decor and I think that yellow works beautifully with the grey and white colour scheme. I used yellow only in the accessories so that I can easily change them out.

Yellow accents

I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Prairie Sunset to add colour to a basic Ikea step stool, used here as a side table, and wood birdhouses from Michaels. I lightly sanded and wiped clean these pieces then painted directly on the raw wood. To find out more about why I love Fusion paint, and how to use it on furniture pieces, click here. I used small pushpins to affix the birdhouses to the wall. The birdhouses add a fun, whimsical touch to the space. I also added a vibrant yellow blanket on the corner chair and a softer yellow boucle blanket on the blanket ladder (both from Homesense).

Sage green accents

I used some faux plant stems in soft shades of green and a sage green pillow cover on the corner chair. I use a little green in all my spaces as it adds freshness and brings the outdoors in.

Cream/white accents

I used a white blanket ladder to add interest while still allowing the wallpaper to be the star attraction. To see how to make this blanket ladder in about an hour, click here. Even though I’ve used some colour in the space, I’ve included some cream accents to keep things looking bright and airy. I found the two-tone basket from Urban Barn, the zigzag pillow from Walmart, and the cream blanket from Homesense.

In addition to the golden yellow accents and the cozy blankets and pillows, I added a welcome fall sign from KT Inspired Home and an apple scented candle by Antique Candle Co.

This is now a space I really want to spend time in. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my home office refresh with wallpaper. I can’t wait to share more fall decor with you in the coming weeks.