Modern Minimalist Home Office on a Budget (Light, Airy, + Feminine)

When I first moved into a home with an extra room, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to use it for. An office! More specifically, a modern minimalist home office on a budget. (I’m not balling like Jay-Z over here, sadly.)

I work from home as a web designer and as a mom of three kids, it’s sometimes hard to get work done without a designated workspace. Before I had space for a home office, I used a corner of the master bedroom and sometimes even the closet to get stuff done. (Hey, it worked. ?‍♀️)

It’s been pretty exciting getting to deck out my home office with some modern, minimal, light + airy vibes because it just feels like such a relaxing room to retreat to compared to how chaotic the rest of the house gets. I really only work early in the AM, at naptime, and at night, but it’s definitely awesome to have a place that feels calm and helps me feel a little less mentally cluttered.

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Modern minimal feminine home office on a budget (Almost everything under $100)

First, you need a desk – obvs! I didn’t really want to buy one because I had a couple of other tables I could use, but I ended up resigning to the fact that I just needed more desk space.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a desk, though. I’m linking two options that are around $100 and sometimes less than that. I went for a 55″ white desk with no storage and added some knockoff IKEA drawers underneath it. It’s a pretty awesome setup for not a lot of money and it looks good with any decor or setup on top of it.

This is a link to the white desk I have on Amazon – there are other color and size options as well. And then I found another, similar desk here – check this one out to see if it’s less expensive because I noticed one day that it was a bit less.

Then, you’ll need a chair. If you’re looking for a cheap option that looks good, I’d recommend this inexpensive, white swivel task chair and if you’re looking for a more ergonomic option and you’re ready to drop a little bit more money (but not a crazy amount) this is the chair I have now. It’s got more support and it’s a more realistic option for me, as someone who works long hours at my desk pretty regularly.

 

Top of desk setup: Tech + Tools

 

This sleek, modern aluminum mousepad is really nice looking if you enjoy the minimal look.

 

If you use headphones, it’s a good idea to get a headphone stand to keep your headphones up and out of the way when you’re not using them or when they’re charging. It just looks good, too, and saves space on your desktop vs. just having your headphones laying on your desk. Here’s a link to a very minimal-looking aluminum headphone stand that is super inexpensive but will look great on your desk.

 

Another helpful thing to have on your home office desk is a lamp. I do a lot of late-night and early-morning work where I don’t necessarily want to have the whole room light on, so I love having the option of a desk lamp. If have an extra one around the house somewhere, just use that! But if you don’t here is a link to a cute, cheap LED desk lamp on Amazon – they also sell some nice-looking and inexpensive desk lamps at Target and Walmart if you’d rather just pick one up the next time you head there, instead.

If you’d rather have your lamp function as a decor piece but still want to keep the price low, check out Home Goods and Marshalls, because they always have interesting and fun desk lamps for under $50.

 

Minimal-looking mouse and keyboard

For your keyboard, I recommend the Apple Magic Keyboard and Apple Magic Mouse if you’re a Mac user or the Logitech  MK470 keyboard and mouse combo if you use a PC. All of these look sooo good in photos, so if you have a business or blog that you plan on taking pictures for, this will help uplevel the look of your desk space without spending a ton of money.

They’re also super reliable tools – I’ve used the Logitech since it was released with no issues and they are definitely the nicest-looking mouse and keyboard combo I’ve ever had (and as a web designer and a gamer, I’ve gone through a lot of them ?)

Picture of the Logitech MK470 mouse + keyboard: (Check price on Amazon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minimal home office decor: Plants, art prints, and macrame wall decorations oh my

First, we need plants. Because #1.) We’re basic bitches and #2.) We’re not trying to hide it anymore. ?‍♀️

But in all seriousness, adding a plant or two to your workspace really freshens things up and it’s scientifically proven to make you slightly happier. So that’s cool, right? (I think so, I have 2 plants in my office and I want more.)

I’d recommend getting plants that are super easy to take care of. Things that don’t require a ton of attention or maintenance. The good news is that there are quite a few options and even adding one plant can make a major positive difference to the ambiance of your office space.

I can’t tell you how to live your life, but I do recommend that you purchase real plants and not fake ones if you possibly can – just better for the environment.

Here’s what I’ve got in terms of office plant babies:

• 1 x fiddle leaf fig tree (Grab one inexpensive on Amazon here) then get a planter and a minimal planter stand to put it in and congrats – you have the most low-maintenance but high-vibe plant setup in the home decor world. Not kidding, pretty much everyone in the world has a fiddle leaf fig tree in their house right now and I totally see why. What a cute little type of tree.
• 1 x snake plant (I bought 3 snake plants (link here) – one lives in my office in a cute planter and the other two are in other spots in my home)

If you aren’t into my office plant vibe here are a few more common indoor home office plants that are adorable and relatively low-maintenance.

• Aloe vera plant
• Succulents (A classic Instagram-worthy desk plant for sure)
• Heart-Leaf Philodendron
• Majesty Palm Tree (3-4 ft. tall palm tree. Tropical vibes AF)
• Devil’s Ivy Plant (This is one you see hanging from the ceiling or on a shelf a lot of the time. Super adorable plant overall.)

 

Next, we need a cute rug (well, “need” is a loose term here, but I love rugs

If you want a rug for your home office too, you might like this rug I have in my living room. It’s off-white but don’t be scared by that. It’s surprisingly easy to get stains out of if you ever spill anything on it.

I have three very small children who end up on this rug a lot and I just use a generic carpet cleaner from the grocery store and a $2 scrub brush to get rid of it. Bam. Pretty much brand new.

I’m still afraid to buy white stuff for my house, but I’m glad I took a chance on this rug for sure. (Picture below)

 

And we’re done with our modern minimalist home office on a budget! (Well, almost)

I’m not including suggestions for a computer or much in terms of tech here, because I’m not sure what you’ll need in terms of specs to do your job. ASUS is my favorite computer brand in terms of power and price point, but I’d need to know more about what you need out of a computer in order to recommend something for you.

I highly recommend against getting a computer purely based on the aesthetics, but you can make your home office look super cute on a budget with just a few extra plants or decor pieces even if you have a beast of a computer.

Are you into the modern minimalist home office on a budget look or not really? I think my overall style is a bit more, well, goth – but I really do love my office looking more light and airy. I feel like it has a calming effect for some reason!

Related reading:

• A Strategic Roadmap for Making a Full Time Income From Home as a Mom
• Working from Home With Toddlers (7 Solid Ideas to Try)
• 5 Practical Habits to Actually Get Work Done as a Work At Home Mom
• Work at Home Mom Jobs that Don’t Suck (12 Legitimate Job Ideas)