The Best Home Office Background Decor Ideas for Zoom - Caitlin Marie Design (2024)

This post is all about how todecorate a home office backgroundfor video calls! Say goodbye to the green screen and create a professional Zoom background.

Home office design is an important consideration for anyone who does remote work. However, it can be a challenge to style the wall behind your desk, especially in a small space. Today we will go over the best ideas to help tackle this design dilemma! Let’s get started.

Related:DIY Cloffice Ideas and Bedroom Office Combo Ideas

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Home Office Backdrop Ideas for Video Calls

If you want to create a pretty and professional home office backdrop for Zoom calls, you’ve come to the right place. Browse my favorite ideas in this section! After that, scroll down for free office background design plans that you can use in your home.

1. Natural Light and Light Sources

Before we get into decorating, the first thing to consider when designing a work space for virtual meetings islighting.

If possible, orient your desk so that the natural light from a window will provide the light source. In addition, use light filtering curtains or shades to soften harsh sunlight and shadows. This will help create the best lighting for video calls!

However, if your home office space does not have a window, or you cannot change the layout of the furniture, another good option is to use a ring light or lamp with a shade. It is important to position any light that you use at eye level so that it does not create harsh shadows on your face.

This post is primarily about decorating an office backdrop, but I had to include a short section about lighting because it issoimportant! If you have any specific questions, you can leave me a comment below.

2. Pop of Color for a Home Office Background

Now that you have considered the lighting in your work area, it is time to design a professional Zoom background!

If you are beginning with a blank wall, you may choose to start withwall paint. Avoid very vibrant colors that may be a distraction during video calls, and instead focus on natural tones and subtle paint colors.

For example, I chose a muted green for my office (Woodland Sage by Behr). It adds character to the space while still feeling relatively neutral.

Here are some more paint colors that I love!

1. Cameo White by Behr
2. Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore
3. Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore
4. Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore
5. Park Avenue by Behr
6. Postmodern Mauve by Behr
7. Sulking Room Pink by Farrow and Ball
8. Intrigue by Benjamin Moore
9. Pigeon by Farrow and Ball
10. Woodland Sage by Behr
11. Boothbay Gray by Benjamin Moore
12. Down Pipe by Farrow and Ball

Important:Keep in mind that paint colors can look very different depending on your space. I always recommend purchasing a sample and testing the paint out on various walls. Then, see how the color looks throughout the day in different lighting situations to make sure it is the right fit for your office.

3. Peel and Stick Wallpaper Zoom Background

Secondly, if you would like to add visual interest and texture to your Zoom backdrop,wallpaperis a great option. I have used peel and stick wallpaper in both my entryway and my daughter’s room, and I love that it is easy to install and remove!

(Of course, you would not want to use a mirror for a Zoom background! This is just an example from our entryway.)

If appropriate for your workplace culture, you can infuse personal style into your office background with wallpaper. There are many different patterns and styles to choose from: try classic florals, a modern abstract, or a brick wall.

Choose a design that makes sense for the type of work that you do. If you are a small business owner, consider your brand’s color scheme and personality.

4. Oversized Art Prints for a Home Office Backdrop

Next, a great way to decorate the wall behind your desk is withoversized art prints. This may be the best Zoom background on a budget!

Important:Make sure that artwork is large enough to fill out the wall space, or it will look small on camera. Scale is one of the most important factors in interior design! Generally, go larger with artwork than what you think you need.

I recommend choosing one very large piece such as a canvas painting that is at least 36 inches wide. On the other hand, you can use two medium pieces that complement one another, similar to these framed prints in our dining room.

5. Curated Gallery Wall Zoom Background

Another good idea for a Zoom background is agallery wall of art or photos. This option is a little bit more advanced in terms of design, since it can be a challenge to arrange the frames. You can choose a predesigned gallery wall if you have never tried one before!

Here is an example of a gallery wall on the back wall of my closet office. It provides a great backdrop for video meetings without feeling busy or distracting. I chose artwork that fits my personal style and brand, such as this vintage landscape, fall leaves, and line drawings.

If you prefer a more uniform gallery wall, you can also hang frames in a grid orientation. Here is an example with family photos from our living room. However, I would recommend using something less personal for an office, such as botanical prints or cityscape photography.

6. Shelves with Home Office Decor

Next up, one of the most popular home office backgrounds:a bookshelf or floating wall shelves. From a design perspective, this is a great option because the shelves fill the wall space and help create a balanced backdrop!

Here are some ideas for items to style on shelves:

1. Books that are relevant to your work.
2. Natural elements such as seagrass baskets or plants.
3. Artwork including small framed art or sculptures.
4. Personal touches such as a family photo.

It is generally best to avoid displaying a personal collection, knick knacks, or anything that will look too busy in the background. But as with all of these suggestions, please take them with a grain of salt and apply them to your specific work culture!

Related: 30+ Best Arched Cabinet and Bookcase Finds for 2024

7. Wall Molding or Wood Panels Zoom Backdrop

Wall design elements such aswall molding or wood panelsare another way to add interest to your video conferencing backdrop. If you do not want to panel an entire room, you can install an accent wall right behind your desk!

My personal favorite is picture frame molding because it is an affordable and easy DIY project. Also, this type of molding can be trimmed with shears instead of an electric saw. See my tutorial here!

Other wall molding options include board and batten, wainscoting, and wood panels. If you want to purchase your own materials from a home improvement store, you will probably need an electric saw to cut everything to size. However, you can also purchase wall molding or panel kits that simplify the process!

8. Peel and Stick Wall Tiles for a Home Office Background

If you receive a lot of video conference calls and are concerned about sound quality,peel and stick foam tilesare a useful solution. They often come in geometric shapes for an aesthetic look, so they provide a great Zoom backdrop for your home office too!

I just discovered theseacoustic panelsthat come in many different colors and shapes. Try a honeycomb grid, mosaic pattern, or felt arches. You can even create your own design using an online tool on the website.

9. Console Table or Sideboard Background

This idea is for rooms with a little bit of extra floor space behind the desk. To ground your home office design, you can style aconsole table or sideboardas part of your video background!

While I did not have space for this layout in my closet office, I do love to decorate accent tables. Here are some examples.

My favorite design formula is to use a console table or sideboard along with a large piece of artwork, wall sconces or lamps, and simple decor such as a decorative bowl and stack of coffee table books. This home office setup provides a beautiful focal point that feels clean and balanced.

Related: Check out Console Table Decor Ideas for Any Design Style for more inspiration.

10. Room Dividers for Video Calls Backdrop

Need to design a video conference backdrop, but don’t have a dedicated home office? Many remote workers do not have a whole room to arrange for video calls. The good news is that you can still create an aesthetic background in a living room or guest room.

My go-to design solution here would be to use a stylishroom divider. There are many options that easily fold to be stored when you are not using them. Try a modern screen, or a more traditional wooden room divider.

11. Built-In Cabinets or Bookcase Background

As I mentioned in this section, a bookshelf background is one of the most popular video conference background options. If you are going all in with your home office design and want to invest in custom shelving, abuilt-in cabinet or bookcaseis the way to go.

My favorite thing about using bookshelves as an office backdrop is that you can easily redecorate. Swap out items for the seasons, or completely change the look as needed!

Here are some beautiful examples of built-in cabinets and bookcases in a home office:

• Thrifty Decor Chic
• Chrissy Marie Blog
• Life on Still Water Lane

WhatNotto Put in a Home Office Background

Now that we have covered several ideas for a stylish and professional home office background, here are some items to avoid.

1. Clutter:Always remove papers and clutter from the backdrop of Zoom meetings.
2. Ceiling fans:If possible, keep fans and other distracting ceiling light fixtures out of view.
3. Window backdrop:As we discussed in the lighting section, try to have natural light in front of you for Zoom calls. So, avoid having bright windows in the background. (More on this below, if you cannot avoid it!)
4. Personal items:It’s best to put away anything that you wouldn’t have at your desk in a shared office environment.
5. A bed:While we may have seen the bedrooms of newscasters during 2020, it’s not a great look in 2024!
6. A bare wall:An empty wall is better than an a messy room. However, a well designed office backdrop looks more professional.
7. Wall decals:Vinyl wall stickers could be a good choice for some professions, such as a teacher or vacation planner, but not for the average remote worker.

What About Virtual Backgrounds?

When remote work became the norm during the pandemic, many people tried using avirtual background. This can be a great solution in a pinch, and it is definitely better than showing a cluttered space or bedroom.

However, for those who are still working from home for the foreseeable future, a professional home office background may be a good investment. Having a well designed space shows that you put in the time and effort.

As someone who is very affected by my surroundings, I also believe that having a beautiful home office affects my mood and work ethic. This isn’t the case for everyone, but if you read this far into the post, I’m guessing you may feel the same.

So, there’s nothing wrong with virtual backgrounds. But I wanted to share my thoughts about why creating a “real” home office backdrop may be worthwhile for you!

Zoom Background Design Plans

Finally, I designed these mood boards just for you! Feel free to use them for your own home office background. If you do, I would love to see the completed space. Leave a comment below, or send me a photo!

1. Wall Shelves with Decor

This home office backdrop includes affordable shelving and simple decor. You could also use these items on built-in cabinets and shelves if you have them!

When it comes to shelf styling, it is important to visually balance your decor. For example, here I balanced the cane boxes with similarly colored woven baskets. In addition, I used both round and rectangular shapes for variety.

2. Sideboard with Gallery Wall

Secondly, here is a home office design with a sideboard for extra storage. Above the cabinets, I would hang a grid style gallery wall as a focal point. Then, use minimal tabletop decor such as coffee table books, a vase with fresh greenery, and a decorative bowl.

3. Wallpaper with Oversized Art

Thirdly, here is how I would style home office wall decor with peel and stick wallpaper! Most importantly, you should balance the wallpaper with the other elements in the space.

If you choose a subtle wallpaper pattern, you could use colorful artwork. However, in this example I chose a wallpaper with vibrant colors, and balanced it with neutral canvas artwork and furniture.

4. Room Divider for a Small Space

Here is an idea if you need to create a work area within another room of your home, such as a bedroom or living room. For a Zoom background, I would use a stylish room divider that can be easily moved if needed. This one has a boho look, but earlier in this post I shared lots of screens for other design styles!

Related: 7 Best Faux Olive Trees for Any Budget in 2024

5. Window with Curtains Backdrop

Finally, if you absolutely cannot avoid having windows behind your work space, this is what I would do. Use heavy blackout drapes and hang them high and wide around the window to help ceilings appear taller.

Then, style a bench with pillows or a console table in front of the curtains for visual interest. If you do not have space, then a faux tree on one side would look nice too!

These curtains in our dining room show an example of a wall of curtains. This is the color “grey beige” with the 140 gsm liner, but I would recommend getting a heavier liner for a Zoom background.

With this setup, you would need to use a ring light or other light source for virtual meetings. However, it is better than having the natural light at your back, which leads to poor video quality.

Related: Viral Amazon Curtains Review: Affordable Pinch Pleat Drapes

More Home Office Design

Designing a home office from scratch? You may also like these posts forhome office inspiration:

I hope you found this post helpful if you want to decorate a pretty backdrop for video calls! Make your next Zoom meeting extra beautiful with these easy ideas, and please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions in the comments below.