10 Ways to Cozy up Your Home Office and Turn Your Workspace Into a Winter Haven

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As an online business owner, you’ve got the ultimate advantage in coziness over your coworking counterparts. You control everything about the environment in your workspace at home. Not to mention the fact that you don’t have to brave the cold in the mornings to commute to the office. So why not dig into all of the ways to cozy up your home office, and turn your workspace into your own, personal haven?

cozy candles with background lights
Photo by Lisa Fotios

Cozy Up Your Home Office and Make Your Computer Chair Your Butt’s Best Friend

Being comfy and cozy is something that can be appreciated all year long. But it’s especially important to feel warm and cozy during the winter when it’s snowing and freezing cold outside. Working from home means not having to worry about being way too cold until your car heats up halfway through your morning drive. But what’s even better is that you can design your home office in such a way that makes you feel warm, welcome and comfortable. Check out these 10 ways to cozy up your home office and turn your workspace into a haven!

1. Heat Things Up With Warm Hues

Artwork by Steve Johnson

Our brains associate warm colors like yellow and orange with flames and the sun, which makes us feel cozy. Build up a color scheme in your office that revolves around warm colors. If you’re not a big fan of yellow or orange, you can always opt for warm browns and even some reds. You don’t need to go out and buy paint to redo the walls or anything. All it takes to change the environment are little touches. All you need to warm things up a bit are some pieces of decorative storage or just decor.

2. Tune Out The BS With White Noise

Sound is something that may get overlooked when it comes to thinking about what makes us cozy until something happens that disrupts our peace and quiet, that is. A white noise machine will help you drown out all of the distracting external noises that may occur throughout the day. Say goodbye to the sound of construction on that building across the street, or the snoring from the room over. Adding one of these machines to your workspace is one of the best ways to cozy up your home office during any season.

3. Slip Those Feet Into Something More Comfortable

One of the best things about working from home as an online business owner is the ability to wear, or not wear, whatever you want to work. People working in an office daydream about the moment they get to burst through their front door at night and kick their work shoes off, in trade for the fluffy slippers waiting for them on the inside. But you can just wear those slippers to work all day in your office…so why the hell wouldn’t you?

4. Get a Plant to Liven Up the Room

working from home office
Photo by Kyle Glenn

Aside from the obvious reasons why plants are so amazing, they can also be beneficial in a home office. Not only can they help reduce stress, but they can also boost productivity, memory retention, and overall well-being. Adding a few plants to your workspace is one of the easiest ways to cozy up your home office and create an inviting area that you enjoy working out of. Check out this list of the best mood-boosting, low-maintenance indoor plants for some ideas.

5. Find Your Happy Scent

Coziness is about pleasing the combination of all of your senses and beyond. The smell in the air can change the environment in any room in just a second or two. Play around with different essential oils in an oil diffuser to find the one that makes you feel the warmest and the fuzziest. Things like cinnamon, french vanilla, and other things that fill the air with the smell of baking cookies are a good place to start. In fact, smelling cinnamon has been shown to boost focus and concentration in addition to its nostalgic glory.

6. Double Shot With Whip, Minus the Drive

If ever there were something to miss about an early morning commute to the office, it would be stopping at the coffee shop to get that toffee crunch latte and a slice of lemon pound cake. But you don’t need to go out to have that experience. With your own espresso machine, you can easily create your own cappuccinos and lattes without leaving the house. With the press of a couple of buttons, you’ll be sipping your frothy, delicious double-shot mocha at your desk in no time.

7. Let There Be Sunlight!

The lighting in a room can instantly change the mood in any room. But there really is no lighting that’s better for boosting our mood than sunlight. Studies have shown that there is a direct link between sunlight and our happiness. And now, thanks to SAD (seasonal affective disorder) lamps, it’s possible to bring a little ray of (sort of) sunshine into your home office. These Happy Lights were created to emulate sunlight and boost your mood during the winter months when you may not get outside as much as usual. Adding one of these to the room is an amazing way to care for yourself and make your home office a place where you truly feel cozy and at peace.

8. Keep Your Snacks Within Arm’s Reach With a Mini Desktop Fridge

It can be hard to get away from the computer for a snack when you’re focused on work and don’t want to walk all the way down to the kitchen for a boost of energy. The solution? A mini-fridge for your office where you can keep all of your most favorite snacks that keep you going through the day. This adorable 10-liter refrigerator from Cooluli is perfect for stashing all of your faves. Bonus: no one else will be raiding your home office fridge, so all the snacks in it are…*gasp* yours!

9. Adopt a Cat or Dog to Keep You Company

Photo by Andrei Caliman

Studies have shown that having animals around in the office can also help reduce stress. Cats and dogs are the cutest and cuddliest ways to cozy up your home office, but they’re not just a seasonal decoration or temporary plaything. However, If you’re in a stable situation where you know you can commit to caring for an animal long-term, there’s never a wrong season to adopt a new family member. Head to petfinder.com to find an adoptable new fur baby today!

10. Make Your Office Chair Your Butt’s Best Friend

Sitting in the wrong seat all day (or sitting all day at all, really) can not only be bad for your back, but it can get pretty boring, and it can feel far from cozy. Since most online business owners spend hours upon hours per day at their chairs in front of the computer, your workspace should have cozy and supportive seating. This can be done in several ways. Hopefully, you’re starting with a comfortable, breathable office chair like this one.

If you’re working with a chair that’s harder or has less support than you’d like, you can always try adding a lumbar cushion. Then, toss a small, folded throw blanket over the back of your chair for when you get chilly, or when you just need an extra dose of cozy.

Other Ways to Cozy Up Your Home Office

Working doesn’t always have to feel like…work. You can get stuff done and feel amazing at the same time, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Being an online business owner means you have the freedom to create the life you’ve always dreamed of, and that should include a workspace that’s cozy AF. Here’s to hoping you take these tips, run with them and create your ultimate workspace haven.

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Erika Sellmer is a digital content specialist with a passion for remote work and empathic design.