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Help with Gray Office!

4 years ago

The light and the gray in the office is killing me!

How can I make it better? It's so gray, no windows, just lacking life!


Comments (9)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Get a floor lamp to "warm" up the fluorescent light. Something with a white shade so it diffuses the light.

    And, of course, large art. If your budget is tight, consider framed posters - preferably a brown wood frame (to also warm up the space). What is your style? Modern? Classic? Landscapes? .....?

    One type of poster I particularly love are vintage event posters, like for museum exhibits or festivals.



  • 4 years ago

    Paint it a color you love. Add plants and artwork. Add a lamp to the desk.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Would paint be allowed? This looks like a corporate office. I'm guessing it's not in a home.

    Plants are a good idea, you'll need one that can thrive under fluorescent light.

  • 4 years ago

    peel & stick wall papers are fun. For something quick, cheap, and moveable, I'd find a large stretched canvas icanvas.com

  • 4 years ago

    I had a gray office a few years with no windows - pretty sure it was a supply closet at some point lol - I searched for large-format inexpensive art and especially tapestries since they don't need a frame (both paper and fabric formats) - there are lots of fun options at Etsy, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie - there are some great things out there that could help fill that large wall


  • 4 years ago

    I used to always have a large landscape painting on the wall across from the desk so that's what I saw when I looked up. It was mine and when I changed jobs I took it with me. You could also bring in a lamp as one of the other posters mentioned.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I always added my own lighting to my offices; made them feel so much better. With today's LEDs offering more of a "daylight" ambiance, that's what I'd do (3500-4000K LEDs.) Turn off the ceiling fixture once you have alternative light. Or replace the florescent tubes with daylight LED ones. Pick up the blue from the carpet in a piece of art and some accessories for your desk. Float the desk away from the wall a bit so you don't feel so boxed in by it. If cords go to the wall from there, you can camouflage them with a faux palm plant in a pot that picks up your blue again. Plants bring life to any space.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Art, travel posters, removable wallpaper.

    Buy a $20 philodendron that will live in low lighting or a $15 orchid that you can take home after it finishes blooming in two or three months.

    A hanger for your door would be good for your jacket.

    If you have visitors to your office, requisition a decent chair that isn't gray. If you have 2-person conferences, requisition a pair of chairs and small table in between.

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks so much! I wish I could paint, definitely would make it easier!