Are the walls gray? Millienial Gray??? Black, steel and glass go nicely with other colors too.

without the commitment of wood, you could paint the ceiling and the back of the shelf a darker color, if you love the feel, then install the reclaimed wood of choice.

a darker ceiling will make the ceiling feel much lower, not always a good thing.

Get a patterned area rug to fill the space, like a medallion and border print in some rich tones.

Option 1 and 2

Option 3

Thanks so much! The renderings really help. The paint is BM Greenwich Gate.

The barn wood is a good idea on the back wall of the recessed area. Adding accessories and greenery will help liven the space too. Lighting the acent wall is nice, if you use this space in the evenings.

A nice wall color like Ben Moore Healing Aloe. Your area rug is nice and light but larger area rug...square the rug not an angle.

I have no idea how old barnwood woulsd warm up a space . A different wall color could do iy for sure and some new art work.

Wood, lighting, rug:

Note that this wood is a warm brown. Barnwood often has weathered gray, which would not warm the space the way this does.

More and better lighting should go a long way toward enhancing your office.