10 Ways to Make Your Office Feel More Like Yours

No matter if you work from a room in your house or clock in at a conventional office, putting your own stamp on your workspace goes beyond looks — it can genuinely help you get more done and lift your mood each day. Consider this: chances are you log more hours at your desk than you do relaxing on your couch, yet your couch area likely reflects some personality. If blank white walls or drab gray boards are all you see when you sit down to work, it's worth giving your professional surroundings the same design consideration. Below are ten projects — from simple decorations to modern upgrades — that can make your workspace better.

Don't Hold Out for Your Boss to Redo the Desks

Standing desks have become a trend that seems likely to stick around, yet they haven't become the norm everywhere. Rather than waiting for your company to jump on board, you can build your own standing desk in a clean, modern style. Beginners can handle it, and it works well in just about any office.

Add Something Alive to Your Workspace

Research indicates that having plants around your office can make you happier and more productive. You could simply pick up potted plants that need little attention, but growing and tending to plants on your own can feel especially rewarding. This straightforward indoor plant project helps you figure out which plants suit an office setting and what you need to do to keep them healthy.

Make a Bold Personal Statement With a Wooden Letter

Personalizing your office can be done quietly or with a strong statement. If you want to show off your own name or your company's, a DIY herringbone wooden letter does it in a striking way — it stands out nicely on a wall that already has plenty going on.

Create a Physical Nudge to Take That Vacation

It's a familiar pattern. We put in long hours and tell ourselves a vacation is coming ... once we've built up more time off. Or once work slows down. Or once we get a raise. Countless things (and reasons) let time pass without you taking the break you've earned, so planning ahead and putting motivating reminders where you can see them can help. A painted globe you make yourself is a great way to do exactly that.

Give Your Coffee Mug a Proper Spot to Sit

That mug of yours earns its keep. Think about how many mornings and afternoons have been rescued by whatever cup you happened to set down somewhere on your desk. You can give your coffee cup a more permanent place and shield the wooden standing desk you just built by decorating ceramic tile coasters.

Head Off the Clutter Before It Piles Up

You've just finished building your standing desk and arranged everything neatly on the fresh wood surface. How long — days? hours? — before the mess appears? Aim for zero and keep it that way. A modern desk organizer made from a single block of wood keeps your essential items together in one spot.

Add a Splash of Color

On your wall or on your desk, your office could use some bright accents to balance out all the natural wood pieces. A string art piece lets you make a statement by spelling out a favorite quote in a contemporary design, using as many colors as you like.

Choose Arrangements That Won't Wilt or Fall Apart

Fresh flowers add color to an office, but they can also be costly and create a mess. Save your plant-growing skills for the potted plants that keep coming back and go with artificial options for flowers. Plenty of attractive, budget-friendly artificial arrangements deliver the color and style you want without the cost and cleanup that real flowers bring.

Let Your Bookshelf Serve as an Organized Example

If your office has a bookshelf, you're probably aware that it collects clutter nearly as fast as your desk does. Give your office a better shot at staying orderly by beginning with a tidy bookshelf. After you've got that done, move past mere neatness and consider how to style your bookshelf — since there really is a skill to it.

Stop Using Your Chair as a Dumping Ground

Without paying attention, your office chair can quickly turn into the spot for your office sweaters, office blankets and every other fabric that keeps you warm when the office air conditioning runs cold. Build a simple, modern teepee-style hat and coat rack to take that weight off your chair. It's simple to put together, helps you de-clutter even more and gives your newly decorated office a polished touch.