How to Make a Home Office More Comfortable (20 Ways)

If you don’t feel comfortable in your home office, chances are you will easily get distracted from work. Being in a comfortable setting contributes to your ability to focus.

Moreover, feeling cozy at your desk will keep you working for longer periods of time, and may improve your attitude towards going to work in the morning.

In this article, I’ll explain 20 different ways to make your home office more comfortable.

1. Place Your Desk In The Ideal Location

Where you place your desk in the room matters a lot. There are many things to consider such as the location of windows and doors, whether you should face the wall or have your back to the wall, etc.

Depending on the size of the room and other furniture, you may have a few choices to choose from, or you may not have many options. Regardless, here are some pros and cons of possible locations.

Position	Pros	Cons
Facing Window	– Increased inspiration and creativity – Helps take breaks from work – Increased exposure to sunlight improves mood – Outlet to the outside dynamic world – Calming depending on view	– Potential sunlight in face and eyes – Can be distracting and interfere with productivity – More daydreaming – Wonder what is going on behind you – Desk and equipment block light from rest of room – Potentially bad for airflow
Facing Window With Monitor	– Better airflow to equipment when window is open	– Sunlight brighter than monitor makes it harder to see and can cause fatigue and headaches – Monitor gets hot from sunlight
Facing Away From Window (Your Back To Window)	– Light from behind is good for art, drawing, painting, etc. – View of open room	– Light reflects off monitor making it hard to see screen and can cause fatigue and headaches
Facing Door	– See anyone coming and going – Screen privacy – Option to close door	– Could be distracting if there is a lot of traffic
Facing Away From Door (Your Back To Door)	– Others can gauge how busy you are	– Feel like back is exposed – Lack of screen privacy
Facing Wall	– Limited distractions – Wall mounted accessories and decorum	– Closed off space – Feel claustrophobic if room is small – Other can see room in webcam
Facing Away From Wall (Your Back To Wall)	– Face room, feeling of openness – Encourage conversation and collaboration – Cozy – Back drop for video calls	– Harder cable management

I used to sit with facing the window, with my back to the door. I’d have to keep the window blinds shut all day as the sunlight would shine in my eyes.

Recently, rotated my desk so the window is to the side and my back is against the wall. This setting is so much more comfortable for me, the window is to my side so the light doesn’t effect my monitors while working. Moreover, I have a cozy corner of the room and can see the rest of the room over my monitors.

2. Invest In An Ergonomic Chair

Whether you sit for extended durations in your office chair, or switch between sitting and standing at the standing desk, having an uncomfortable chair is quite a deterrent from getting work done.

You’ll be wary of sitting in an uncomfortable way while you work and your body will fatigue quickly. Not to mention the health risks of sitting with bad postures for extended periods of times.

It’s best to invest in an ergonomic chair in order to make the home office feel more comfortable, but also for the long term health benefits. It’s worthwhile to spend extra time to research a few different chair options and read their reviews.

3. Remove Clutter And Organize Your Desk

It’s just not comfortable to work in a messy environment. Excess clutter on your desk limits the amount of work space that you have and feeling restricted in your work space can severely detract you from performing at work.

Having a tidy, clutter free desk that is organized will make your home office more comfortable. It’s also a great habit to put things back in their proper spot after you use them. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that your desk never gets messy anymore.

4. Improve The Airflow Of The Room

Working in a space that isn’t well ventilated can get drab and you just don’t feel great spending the day there. Improving the airflow of a room involves three steps.

First and most important is to remove the source of the pollution. You want to eliminate any source of airborne contaminants in the room that can effect the quality of air you breath. Making this change will make the greatest improvement to the air quality in the room.

Most people don’t really have any sources of pollutants in their house. The next step to improving the airflow in the house is to increase the ventilation.

This can be done by opening the air vents, opening windows and doors when the temperature allows, or turning on the bathroom and kitchen exhausts to remove the stuffy air from the house.

Essentially, you want to bring in fresher air from the outside and get rid of the stale air indoors. Lastly, you can use an air purifier to purify the air.

5. Invest In The Correct Sized Desk

Having a good amount of space to work with on your desk where you don’t feel congested makes for a more comfortable workspace. In order to achieve this, you need to size your desk properly for the equipment you plan on placing on it.

Generally, for a dual monitor setup, a comfortable desk size is 63 inches (160 cm) wide and 28 inches (71 cm) deep. This gives ample room for two monitors, your desktop or laptop computer placed to the side, and enough space for your keyboard and work in front of the monitors.

6. Make Sure The Room Is Well Lit

Good lighting is key to being awake, alert and energized while working. Natural light coming from a window is the best for comfort, not to mention you’ll get some Vitamin D.

Working in a dark space will make your eyes work harder, and is not great for their long term health. Moreover, you are gonna fatigue sooner and be tired early.

7. Ensure Proper Spacing Between Furniture

Just like your immediate workspace can be cluttered, so can your room with the placement of the furniture. When you barely have any room to maneuver in the office, it can feel claustrophobic and distracting.

A comfortable home office is one that has enough open space between furniture. Not only does it feel open and lively, but there is better airflow, all of which improves your mood and makes you feel more comfortable.

You also want to make sure that you have enough space between you desk and the wall for your chair.

8. Listen To Relaxing Background Music

Having relaxing music playing in the background while working is a great way to increase the comfort levels in the home office. If you do this often, your brain can associate working with the music, helping you get in the zone faster.

Background music also reduces random background noise that could distract you otherwise.

9. Keep The Room Clean

If your home office is dirty, your mind will be preoccupied and distracted by it as you work. Most people are not able to ignore bring in a dirty room easily and go about their business as normal.

Not to mention that we feel naturally uncomfortable in dirty places. So it’s ideal for the optimal work experience and comfort while working to keep the office area clean.

10. Have Good Cable Management For Your Desk

Wires tend to get tangled and messy if you leave them unmanaged. You don’t want to be working on your computer and you try to move your mouse, but you can’t move it to where you want because the wires are tangled. Not to mention, headphone wires are notorious for getting knots in them.

Good cable management entails routing the cables for different devices cleanly on your desk and using organization tools to keep them in the same place. Doing this will make your workspace feel more comfortable.

11. Keep An Office Plant Or Two

Plants near the desk contribute to the warmth and life of the office space making it more comfortable to work in. There are many office plants that require little sunlight and maintenance but naturally brighten the mood of the office.

Moreover, plants help to remove carbon dioxide and even some toxins in the air and will improve the overall air quality of the room.

12. Decorate The Room With Meaningful Décor

You want to decorate the room with things that you enjoy looking at. Wall art or decorations that will increase your creativity and uplift your mood will increase the comfort levels of the room.

The decorations in the room should feel homely and fitting of the room. It should give you a sense of belonging and comfort when you take a break from work to look at them. If you are constantly thinking about leaving the room and going outside while working, you are not gonna be very comfortable working there.

13. Keep A Pair Of Comfy Slippers Or Shoes

Comfy footwear while you work is a way to control the temperature of your feet and also protect them from the dirt and harshness of the floor. Moreover, wearing a proper attire including shoes can get you in the mood for work as if you were headed in to the office.

14. Sit At The Correct Distance And Height From The Computer

The ergonomics of where you sit with respect to the computer screen is very important for long term health and posture. You need to make sure that you sit the proper distance from the screen and your eyes should be in line with the top of the monitor.

A good rule of thumb to judge the correct distance from a screen is to sit at one full arm length away from the monitor.

15. Have A Personalized Coffee Mug

Having regular refreshments and coffee can be essential to get through the work day. Using your favorite mug for them will lighten up the mood and make you feel comfy in your own personal space.

16. Use A Lumbar Support Pillow And A Head Rest

A good support pillow will do wonders for your back when used correctly with proper posture. You may also find it cozy to rest your head against a soft head rest pillow if your chair allows for it.

These pillows assist you to achieve a good sitting posture and will keep you comfortable at your home office.

17. Wear Comfortable Clothes, Especially Below The Camera

When you are working from home, what you wear under the shirt will probably not be seen. It’s super cozy to wear sweat pants, lounge pants, or some other kind of comfort wear.

While wearing proper office attire can get you in the mood for work, wearing warm, soft clothing will keep you comfortable all day.

18. Control The Temperature And Humidity Of The Room

Similar to controlling the airflow of the office, you are only going to be comfortable all day if the temperature and humidity of the room suits you. There’s many ways to control the temperature of the room without effecting the rest of the house such as using a fan or a heater.

Moreover, a small portable humidifier or dehumidifier can actually make a significant difference over a few hours.

The bottom line is that if the temperature and humidity in the room is right, you’ll be comfortable all day and less distracted from your work.

19. Keep Non Office Tasks Outside The Office

Ideally, the home office should only be for work. You want to go to the office and focus on only work for the time you are there. This will benefit your productivity, work life balance, and your overall comfort level while working there.

Moreover, if you mix tools and equipment for other activities or hobbies in your office, you’re more likely to clutter the space and be distracted while working.

20. Invest In RGB Bulbs For Some Mood Lighting

Nothing makes a room cozy like soft orange lighting that emits warmth and comfort around the room. With an RGB bulb you can choose whatever color you want the light in your office to be and even control it with a mobile app.

The Bottom Line

In this article, you saw 20 different ways to make your home office more comfortable than it currently is. Boosting the coziness of the office will help you to increase productivity, creativity and improve your overall well being in the long run.

When your office is decked out to be as comfortable as possible, you’ll be excited to wake up in the morning and go to work from the comfort of your own personal office space.