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Ask HN: How to decorate my work office?

9 points by bjg ↗ HN
I just started a new job and with the job I just moved into my first personal office.

The office is pictured here: http://t.co/L5Zs6Pu and http://t.co/aWzVZ2l

I've alway's either worked in an open shared environment or remotely from home. I've searched around and haven't found many resources for office decorating. They exist but most of the thing's I have found seem one step higher than spam blog's, or top ten list's for driving traffic to office supply stores.

My only idea so far is maybe a decent record player and a little vinyl collection for office listening. I also have contemplated ordering some wall decals from http://www.whatisblik.com/

Ideally I would like it to be a comfortable, cosy place where I can concentrate and be productive. It would also be nice if I could personalize it some way, so it feels more like my place to work. I don't want it to be just a random square where I will probably spend a good portion of my life over (atleast) the next few years.

So HN, if you have any idea's for how I could spruce up my space and make it feel more homey that would be amazing. I would also enjoy and encourage you to share pictures of your offices ( or work spaces ) if you have them, for inspiration of course.

Lighting, Art, Chairs, Foot Rests, Toys, Plants, what suggestions do you have?

Thanks!

9 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 41.5 ms ] thread
Peroni
Invest in a bookcase. It doesn't need to be flash or expensive, just functional. Compartmentalise it. Have sections for reference books, tutorial books, general interest books, fiction, etc. Buy yourself a comfortable chair or beanbag and treat yourself to a bit of cerebral excercise/pleasure now and again away from the glare of your screen.
apowell
Do you have a particular chair you recommend? I've been looking for a lounge chair for exactly this purpose. Something comfortable, attractive, well-built, and under $1200.
blazzar
Some ideas :

- Herman Miller Aeron chair - pick up a used one from ebay, still pricey but very comfortable

- chalk wall or large whiteboard, I prefer chalk but it is messy

- comfy little couch if you can, just to have a break from the main chair, ikea do a cheap little one

- skateboard decks make a nice wall decoration

I have an office design blog with loads of other ideas, wont post the link here but it is in my profile.

allwein
>skateboard decks make a nice wall decoration

A buddy of mine just hung a bunch of wall shelves made of skate decks.

nickh
I like minimalism. If there's a lot of stuff in the room, it can become quite distracting.

@blazzar's suggestion of a small couch is spot on. You'll probably feel like moving around. When I'm working at home, I stand at my desk, sit at my desk, move to the couch, or sit on my balcony. It feels good to change location.

nickh
Plants are fantastic, by the way. They make the room feel much more natural and alive, and less institutional and synthetic.

My favourite plant is Pachira Aquatica. It's more commonly known as the Money Tree. They're hearty, improve oxygen levels, inexpensive, look great, and are low-maintenance.

I have three small ones like this:

http://www.freshtopiary.com/mas_assets/full/DT-1024MT.jpg

and one huge one that's about 5 feet tall:

http://twitpic.com/3tbacn

I found the huge one at Ikea for $40.

pasbesoin
Get a floor torchiere lamp along with a full spectrum bulb, and use it to have indirect lighting off of the ceiling. In addition to your viewing comfort, the whole place will instantly look better, a lot more cozy.

I've found the dedicated fluorescent torchiere lamps (even the "expensive" ones from GE), have a crappy lifespan.[1] I'd recommend getting a much cheaper one that accepts a standard bulb socket, and then using a compact fluorescent bulb rather than an incandescent.

Also, make sure your building maintenance won't have a hissy fit about it. They have reasons, e.g. ensuring there are no code violations nor fire risks. In my experience, if you have a standard/boxed product and ask nicely first, it's no problem. Or, depending on the place and attitudes, just put it up and never ask at all.

[1] It's not primarily a matter of the bulb, but rather the ballast that's built into the lamp. I have an old lamp that's still going strong, but all the newer ones I've purchased have had the ballast fail within some months.

pasbesoin
As I recall now, I once had concern from maintenance that I'd brought in one of the fire-prone halogen torchiere lamps (tip it and "watch the fun"). Once I showed them that it was a 15 watt compact fluorescent, it was no problem.

(Hmm, though I suppose that, these days, someone might worry about the mercury. Proper clean up of a broken bulb is supposedly quite expensive.)

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