Before I made the decision to jump into the freelance world, I worked in a place that allowed me to decorate my office however I chose. It was incredibly exciting when I finally worked my way up to a position where I had a space to call my own, and I was eager to choose paint colors and slap every concert poster and logo covered billboard I could onto the walls.

It wasn’t until my second office with the same company that I realized perhaps creating a more soothing, and welcoming environment could help spark creativity and make me feel excited to go to work everyday. With this in mind, I set out to create a space that I ended up truly loving, and one that I’d receive compliments on every single day.

To start, fix the lighting. The office I was in, like many people out there, was filled with fluorescent bulbs. Even with one or two of them turned off, the lighting was still harsh and gave me headaches. An easy solution to this was to bring in a floor lamp and a new desk lamp to create better lighting. Ikea has some great options, some as cheap as $30 but you can also hit up yard sales, or Craigslist if you aren’t an Ikea type person.

Next, bring in some plant life. Even if it’s fake. The symbol of life surrounding you while you fill out never ending paperwork is quite powerful. We purchased a very tall artificial bamboo tree to place near the floor lamp, as well as a very real lucky bamboo plant and a terrarium plant for our desk.

Another great thing is to bring in images that inspire you. Whether it’s literal inspirational quotes on a canvas, a print from your favorite artist, or just an image that evokes good feelings, having a daily reminder of what makes you happy is very important, especially in an office setting.

Finally, choose a paint color that conjures up feelings of creativity. Two colors we’ve read that will do just that are orange and yellow, which is exactly what we chose for our office. Well, technically we did orange, yellow and cream.

Creating a space that makes you happy when many office tasks can be mundane is a great way to have happier days during your 9-5.

-Sasha Huff