Work-From-Home Decor Trends & Makeover Guide

Image from Instagram - (@walkeredisonco)

Want to win a mini makeover for your home workspace? Scroll to the bottom of this post to find out more!

Love it or hate it, working from home has become the daily norm for employees across the UK in the past few months, with many planning on staying close to home for the foreseeable future. Instagram’s #HomeOffice tag now has a whopping 4.4 million posts, featuring light and minimalist workspaces decorated to perfection with unique art prints, soft textures, well curated shelves and striking greenery.

As a result, we’ve seen a variety of breakout trends when it comes to home office decor, spanning both classic office items and mood-boosting greenery. For example:

• Scandinavian interiors are a big hit with Google searches for ‘scandi decor’ rising by 126% since the beginning of lockdown. Featuring clear-cut lines, neutral tones and leafy plants, remote workers are eager to recreate this trend with specific searches for ‘scandi home office’ and ‘scandinavian desk’ increasing by 250% and 400% in the last few months


• While interest in standing desks has increased 91% in the last six months, and interest in laptop stands has risen 95%, office-friendly plants have been even more popular. Searches for swiss cheese plants have shot up 170%, with snake plants up 125% and Devil’s ivy up 163%. (Source: Exploding Topics)


• Remote workers are focused on style as well as comfort, with Google searches for ‘velvet desk chair’ rising 400%, and specific queries for ‘home desk chair’ and ‘ergonomic desk chairs’ increasing by 300% and 700%.

Exotic plants are proving to be a must-have for easy office makeovers with sales of our tropical artificial palm trees and bamboo variations going through the roof during lockdown. Bamboo sales between April and June were up almost 280% on the same period last year, with palm tree sales up almost 400%.

Keep reading if you’re keen to get the low-down on some of the biggest trends taking over work-from-home spaces right now, as well as finding out the simplest way to get the looks yourself, with the potential to benefit from increased productivity and decreased stress levels as a result.

Home office decor trends

Remote workers are taking to Instagram for office makeover tips, as well as to show off their own work-from-home spaces, with the #OfficeSpace, #OfficeDecor and #OfficeDesign tags now having a combined total of 3.3 million posts. Some of the biggest style trends in home office decor – based on Pinterest, Instagram and other social media platforms, as well as Google search data – include:

• Scandi-style furnishings with plenty of leafy greenery


• Luxurious features such as velvet chairs and gold accents


• Dark colour palettes for walls contrasted with lighter furniture and accessories

Instagram (@saskiatabea)

Breakout trending tags regarding home office design include #DeskSetup with nearly 550,000 posts and #DeskOrganisation with 60,000 posts, as well as #OfficePlants and #DeskPlant which have over 90,000 posts combined.

Getting your home office right is as much about comfort and practicality as it is about style, which might be why Google searches regarding a variety of office chairs and desks have risen dramatically:

• Practicability is key for those with small office spaces with ‘foldable office desk’ and ‘foldable office chair’ searches increasing by 450% and 250%.


• Queries for unique office furniture such as a ‘ladder desk’ and ‘ergonomic kneeling chair’ have risen by 250% and 130%.

The most popular office plants

In a previous survey we found that roughly 40% of UK adults have purchased more greenery than usual during lockdown, suggesting that remote workers are keen to revamp their spaces, especially as many of us continue to spend more time indoors than ever before.

With sales here at Blooming Artificial reaching dizzy new heights during lockdown, we delved deeper to see which of our office plants, both desktop and standing, have been the most popular among remote workers in the past few months. Here are our best-sellers.

Top 5 desktop office plants

• Boston fern
• Monstera
• Philodendron plant
• Zebra grass
• Aloe vera

Top 5 standing office plants

• Oriental bamboo
• Areca palm
• Ficus tree
• Paradise palm
• Natural bamboo

At the beginning of 2020, we conducted a survey asking plant lovers about their favourite types of plants, revealing cacti, succulents and orchids to be the most popular plant variations. However, during lockdown, our customers have been opting for striking, exotic details for their remote workspaces, investing in tropical trees and leafy desktop greenery.

How to makeover your own home workspace, effortlessly

While office plants are a great way to refresh your workspace on a budget, see below for some more simple changes you can make to help improve productivity whilst working from home.

Keep your surroundings clear


Pinterest (Feelingnifty)

Do you regularly find yourself surrounded by tangled wires, loose papers and rogue sticky notes? Decluttering your workspace is not only a great way to tackle productivity issues, but it can also help increase feelings of self-efficiency and confidence whilst also boosting energy levels. Simple hacks like cable ties, pen holders or storage baskets are easy ways to keep things tidy if you’re struggling to maintain a well ordered desk space.

If you have a larger space, invest in some storage units or shelving to help keep your immediate workspace as clear as possible. These can also help to make your space feel more comfortable and ‘put together’, especially if you are left with some extra space to add decorations.

Give your walls some TLC


Instagram (@allwork.space)

If you’re looking to completely refresh your space, painting the walls is a quick and easy way to make any room feel brand new and up to date. Choose a colour scheme that makes you feel energised and comfortable, or pick a shade that will trick the eye into thinking your space is bigger and lighter than it actually is. For example, lighter colours will open up a small room with lots of natural light whilst darker hues can add depth to rooms with little to no natural light.

With our recent survey revealing that 22% of 18-24 year olds are concerned about the way their background looks on Zoom calls, adding some trendy framed prints to walls can also give your home workspace a more ‘put together’ feel. Alternatively, a unique wallpaper on a feature wall is a great way to add personality to any room with removable options available for those looking for cheap, no fuss options.

Comfort is key


Instagram - (@homewithandra)

Research has shown that 81% of us spend between four and nine hours at our desk each day, meaning a comfortable chair should be a top priority when it comes to revamping your work from home space. Not only causing painful aches in the neck and back, an uncomfortable or poor quality chair can have serious long term consequences for your health such as nerve problems, scoliosis, fibromyalgia and arthritis.

No longer having to settle for a boring plain black mesh however, there are now an abundance of designs and variations available to suit all interiors, whether your taste is minimalist, retro or professional. There are also options for those who prefer to work at standing desks, or even kneel, if excessive slouching is an issue.

Add some personal touches


Instagram - (@pagesofemma)

Whilst some find minimalist decor to be the best option for their concentration levels, others find that surrounding themselves with personal items can help both motivate and inspire them to work hard. Whether it's a photograph of a loved one or a trinket from your travels, having a few meaningful items in your workspace can also help to encourage tidiness, keeping clutter to a minimum.

Why choose artificial office plants?

If you lack a green thumb, or simply don’t want the added responsibility of keeping a fussy houseplant alive, artificial plants are a great alternative that have just as many positive benefits as the real thing. In fact, in a recent survey, we found that 96% of respondents agreed that having plants in their home improved their mood, regardless of whether they were real or fake.

Whether you’re looking for a small desk plant that won’t get in your way, or a large standing plant to add an interesting focal point, artificial plants are a great option for those looking to update their workspace without the added worry. The trend for a green and leafy home office looks like it’s here to stay, and what better way to brighten up a dull corner without creating a distraction, than by investing in a plant that doesn’t require any upkeep?

Win a mini home workspace makeover

Want to win a £150 voucher to spend on Blooming Artificial’s on-trend office plants for your work-from-home space?

Is your home workspace in need of some colour, love and attention? With many people across the UK now working remotely, we are offering one lucky person the opportunity to give their workspace a mini makeover with the help of a £150 Blooming Artificial voucher!

To enter, all you have to do is provide us with your name and email address below, or comment on Blooming Artificial’s recent Instagram post (@Bloomingartificial) for a chance to win. There is one entry per person.

Our range of office and home office plants includes desktop favourites like the boston fern and mini monstera, as well as standing plants for larger spaces like the paradise palm and oriental bamboo. Whatever your favourites are, we hope that £150 worth of free Blooming Artificial products will go a long way to refreshing and rejuvenating your home workspace!

Terms and Conditions

1. The two entry routes to this competition are via the form below or by commenting on Blooming Artificial’s Instagram post (@Bloomingartificial). Entrants can only enter the competition via one of these routes.


2. One entry per person. Any submissions sent after the closing date 01/10/2020 will not be accepted.