OMGosh...I am mesmerized by the black light hanging in the background. I can not focus on anything else in this picture!

I like the third one with the "wallpaper" and matching lamp.
I would love to do something like this but with layoffs and mergers it would only mean more stuff to carry out in boxes.

I got a mauve colored bulletin board. Much of it is covered now, but half with two colorful calendars, one with NYC and one with Marc Chagall. I overbought on calendars this year, and I do like to see the current month and next month due to the work I do. I also brought in a few pictures of my cats but think I might someday take those down. All of them have now passed on and it feels strange to tell that to people when they ask about them. I have a large framed print of blue vases and red/pink flowers and the dim outline of a window behind them. The frame is a very distressed off white. I have a few things on the front of my desk (I cannot see them around my two monitors) from my alma mater--all are bright red. So I've added some color, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do much more. We keep talking about moving anyway. I would love a fabulous task light...so maybe....

I'm with you there. Having had to move cubes 4 times in 6 years, I'm loathe to fully accessorize my cube. I do however have some framed prints and some smaller knick-knacks just to brighten up the area.

I also have a lamp to combat the horrible fluorescent lights that are overhead and a lucky bamboo plant.

Sadly, many companies do not allow this. And I agree with the lay off comment.

I have let the number of things in my office that I own grow to a higher level than I'm comfortable with. Having been laid off in the past, I can say that it is not fun to pack your stuff up when you're already upset. Even when I've given a 2-4 week notice, hauling things home is not always easy. Still, some element of style or color (my thing) is good.

I'm recently retired from a rather conservative corporation. We were limited in what we could have in our spaces.

Yeah, it's funny how this fear of layoffs has led so many of us to keep things as neutral and corporate (keep your head down and don't stand out) as possible. I've been fortunate to have gotten leeway in the past, but I was just moved across our campus (and my old blue art department walls were painted a lovely beige for the billing department that moved in).

And now that I'm looking to move on from here, I'm thinning my personal stuff, without being obvious that I'm getting ready to jump ship. I need to stay here until I get the next job offer (in what, six months? A year?)

I also think adding a mirror and nice framed photos helps. i have all these things but like many am stuck with hideous 1990s office decor: dark green carpet, clunky "oak" furniture and chairs upholstered in sage-plum-dusty blue hideous abstract fabric

I would definitely pay close attention to company culture on this. If I saw the above cubicle (with chandelier!), I would question how serious the person is. If the norm is a family pic or two, I would never go past that.

Realistically, the chandelier isn't something a person just does to their own workspace. Most people would never do something like that. But if you worked in a business where this kind of thing was welcome or at least wouldn't seem like an odd request, it makes sense.

I used to work with a wonderfully warm, intelligent guy who kept only a small framed picture of his wife and daughter on his desk. The only other personal object in his workspace was a beautiful pen.

His work was impeccable, his manner flawless, his workspace was always clear and well-organized, and on the day we all got laid off, he stood up, slipped the picture into his jacket pocket, put his pen in his shirt pocket, and walked out LIKE A BOSS.

We all hope for the best, but you really don't want to be the sad girl trying to hail a cab in front of the building with a bunch of torn and mismatched shopping bags crammed full of junk and half-dead potted plants. Just sayin.

Really? I would assume that someone who paid that close attention to detail would carry that over into their work.

You know what they say: Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Well, I wonder if the same thing can be applied to desk space. Personally, I love whimsy and humor and quirk where I work. And I am inclined toward clutter (sigh).

But most spaces of executives are simple, streamlined and--my greatest challenge--neat. Maybe a plant or two. Photos of the family, perhaps, always nicely framed. Framed artwork. A non-fussy lamp. A bowl of sugary treats for when meetings run long. That sort of thing?

I would never be able to work with all that stuff in my cube. I'm a corporate graphic designer, but my cube always looks completely bare. Does anyone else find having a bunch of stuff on your desk claustrophobic rather than inspiring?

I could really use some of these ideas for my cube. It's small, but I have a huge wall behind me. So, maybe I'll dress the wall up a little!

Regarding Goldenrays comment:
I work for a very, very large banking corporation and I've seen folks with talent beyond the new hires let go simply for cost; they make too much money. Really???? So it has nothing to do with how you decorate your space...it's the old boys network and it's all about where they can save.

I agree that this has a lot to do with corporate atmosphere. I am lucky enough to work in a place that encourages personalizing our spaces (to a certain extent - we do have a grumpy officer manager to contend with). But having recently decorated my office with a mix of stuff that was overflowing from my home, some specifically purchased accessories, and the office furniture bestowed upon me, I can say that I definitely feel more "at home" and comfortable in my space now that I did when it was a sterile white box. And if I get laid off or decide to quit in the foreseeable future, then at least it wasn't because I was miserable in my space.

I worked two jobs for major corporations - one a Fortune 500 - where I was in charge of the facilities and the purchasing of furniture. I sell office furniture and have been in the business for well over 20 years. I know of NO ONE who would allow their employees to modify the furniture in any way because it would void the warranty. And panel walls/cubicles are not cheap.

Work does not need to look like home. It simply needs to be designed and built to provide the user with an efficient and productive workspace - which I strive to do every day. And I promise you it does not include plants, wallpapering cubicle walls and chandeliers above my desk.

Also - companies are getting better and better about providing cool PROFESSIONAL working environments that provide productivity and employee satisfaction.

Ugh. I just can't tell you how bad this article is. Seriously. Please do not encourage this. It's incredibly unprofessional.

I'm a teacher working in an inner city school with mismatched and ancient furniture, cabinet doors falling off, and no heat. I also spend at least 10 hours of my day in my room--sometimes up to 15! If my classroom didn't feel like my home, I wouldn't have lasted here. I agree with everything posted, and wish teachers here took it a little more seriously. Can apartment therapy work in a post or two for cool classrooms? Or DIY's for the classroom?

I have worked for more than one Fortune 500 company and not one would have complained about plants. I think everyone knows about the health benefits of plants and since most businesses have terrible air systems plants are more than just decoration. They improve the air. And while several of the places I worked at had rules about modifying cubes anything that improved ergonomics was allowed including the addition of keyboard trays, task lights etc. Simple things like cup holders, desk mats etc were also allowed. I also know several people who mounted a mirror on their cube wall so they could see people coming up behind them. No one ever complained. In all my years the thing most likely to bring censure was the mountain of soda cans that so many of my computer nerd peers seem to like. I never understood it. Seemed like a big bug trap to me.

These things are a great help for workspaces. I used to work in a "pod" environment - we couldn't do much, but having plants and a few beautiful accessories made such a difference in managing to find some peaceful feelings in amongst the chaos. I also took a couple of my mom's small, greeting card-sized paintings.

Being in the military we really don’t have much artistic flare in our cubicles. Walls are full of regulations and other work related papers thumb tacked to the cubicle wall. Still I do enjoy looking at other people area. Many have pictures of their kids or even pictures of their pervious deployments and maybe a few little plants to lighten things up.

My own area has a poster of Rosie the Worker on one of my walls and a bobble head of Bender from Futurama, but that is it. Honestly that is kind of enough for me, even though I spend more hours working than at home I like keeping my space simple so I can focus on my work, rather than worrying if a orange lamp matches my design.

**would love to work in a creative world where I could go crazy with design. XD

I have a plant in my cubicle. No one minds because it's small and out of the way. It doesn't smell or shed leaves and is always watered and kept neat. A cubicle can look professional and personal at the same time without going overboard. I would not do most of the things in these photos not because it's too personal, but because it's too ostentatious and loud. Of all of them, the second one is the most realistic because the cubicle and desk looks like a cubicle and desk. It has personal touches but isn't overboard in theme (like the fourth one) nor does it resemble a personal space (like the third). Unless you're a shoe designer, you shouldn't have a pair of shoes on your desk.

I'm pretty lucky in that I have my own office so whenever I want to disappear into my own little oasis I just shut my door a bit. I work in a creative field (map making) so I have a lot of copies of my own work hanging on the walls, along with my diplomas/certificates and framed prints of cityscapes. My favorite thing on my wall though? A gigantic poster advertising a lecture I gave a few years ago. The graphic designer did a great job on it. In addition to those things, I utilize a lot of decorative gift boxes for holding stuff like extra notepads/boxes of staples/etc. I also like to pin up postcards from John Derian next to my desk. I have a little bit of space on my bookshelf that I use for displaying a huge hunk of amethyst. And, lastly, it's important to have a neato mug to carry around. Mine is from Jonathan Adler. I could never afford a whole set but having one dedicated for office use only allows me to go fancy.

(Please don't hate me for having a kickass office, my apartment is tiny and riddled with Ikea furniture from college so I need to overcompensate somehow.)

I try not to personalise as I am there to work and like to keep, work and home life separate. Most people at work (Local Government) only seem to have a photo. Perhaps it is different in the UK.

You haven't seen my CFO's office. :) Binders everywhere. (During a particularly crazy project, I had more binders in my tiny cubicle than she did in her corner office, and she commented on it to me.) I adore my CFO, though, and always feel comfortable in her office.

I work for a very busy, under-staffed non-profit. I have some original art work I made about a year ago hanging on one wall and some family photos on top of my bookshelf. While my office is open on the first floor, everyone who enters has to cut through it... it still feels like my distinctive space. I can also bring my dog to work so her bed and a single toy sit behind my desk. I also have a fancy glass pump-bottle of lotion and a candle. All of these things make it easier to do the job of 3 people.

I consider having a work environment that is comfortable a perk and necessity to doing good work, but I think this is also something that is very personal and depends on the worker's personality.

I also love that our office is located in a historic home from the 1800's original hard-wood and everything.

I spend more time in my cubicle than I do at home. (No, really - I lost 63 hours of PTO because of various projects and supervisors leaving last year, so I had to pick up the slack.) So I want it to feel like it has personality, but is still work-appropriate. I have a few photos, a couple of small pieces of art, and my iPhone speaker (which is now obsolete thanks to my iPhone 5). I have cleared getting a plant with my office manager, but have not yet found one I like. The most annoying thing is all the work-related binders sitting at my desk that I have not yet transferred to the file room. That and the fluorescent lights, but I can't do anything about those. Once those binders go away, it'll feel a little more like "my" space.

I love these ideas...but then, I'm an elementary school teacher so my "workspace" is supposed to be as colorful, bright and inviting as possible. My desk on the other hand...

At the holidays, my office had a cubicle decorating contest. I turned mine into an 'igloobicle'. It was pretty fun to sit in- but it was only for a week!

http://twicsy.com/i/yv4EZc

No personalizing at the Reference Desk -- five of us work here, different shifts etc., so no space is your own. You get used to it, and since I had a lot to do with our huge redecorating project, I, at least, find the overall room pretty attractive now!

Hmm. I'm not sure about the tiki-room office (#4). Does a sensor cue "Welcome to the Jungle" every time you walk into the cube?

As an architect, I've had bosses that were fairly open to the use of desk walls for personal expression. The older I get, though, the less need I feel to bring in a ton of objects to brighten my space. Some pictures. Some cool building material samples to fondle. (Hey, it's an occupational perk!) That's it. Because when you are dealing with 5 projects at once, your attention is firmly held to your computer and the documents you are reviewing.

When I see an office or cubical decorated with too much personal 'stuff' it leaves me with the impression that the person really does not like his/her job....

I love this description.

My cube is in a secure area with library and archival material, so no real plants and no snack drawers (I'm actually kind of fond of the no food bit as I can't eat at my desk and don't snack during the day because of it.)

Thankfully cubical decoration is otherwise completely open. I think I need some temporary wallpaper like in the post - the color is fun. I also like the idea of a pen cup (though for me it'd be a pencil cup). I'm always sort of torn between a completely open space and a space with lots of personality.

We used to have cubicles but in an attempt to cram more staff onto the floor, the cubes were replaced by dogbone workstations. I wish I could decorate my space but I have 3 computers on the floor under my desk and three monitors and three keyboards on the desk. Well, by desk I mean the dogbone. The partition is not particularly tall and a half of it is comprised by a whiteboard.
There rest of the partition is covered by various sticky notes with technical data and similar stuff that I need to reference frequently. My only luxury at work is my wall calendar (with greyhounds, of course).
Next months, we are moving to another building and we will have even less space / shorter partitions than in the dogbones. Basically, the amount of space I have is constantly shrinking and with it my privacy as well. The joy of working for a big corporation.

I think that it's so important that we make our space at work feel like us and reflect our individual style. I'm the creative type so I need and want my space at work to reflect that that's who I am and I can thrive and be happy there.

No matter what, please dont hang pictures of your sons,daughters, nieces, nephews, neighbor`s kids all together.

I guess there's the right to decorate one's workspace and the right of others not to have to look at someone else's idea of a "decorated" workspace too! For instance, what if one worker put up a Keep Calm & Carry On poster and all the other workers just rolled their eyes and gnashed their teeth at having to look at it each and every day? Too much personality in a public space can be unfriendly. In an open plan environment I say err on the side of less is more and have one or two personal items max. If you don't share an office, go for your life!

I've worked for two Fortune 500 companies and they absolutely do not allow this amount of personalization. Some is for fire code, others are to maintain a clean desk environment.

At my last job, for instance, the only object you could have protruding above your cube wall was an American flag, and it had to be 2" or less in diameter. Management has rudely called out people that were unaware of the rules.

I love the idea of Apartment Therapy doing some DIY's for classrooms. After all, so many other design shows and blogs do something with these types of spaces, with citations of how important inspiring, thoughtful, functional designs are for students as well as their teachers.

I am in love with that bulb light in the background on the first pic!!
Is there a tutorial for this?

I'm seeing bulb lights everywhere... love, love, love!

I spend a lot of my time at a reception desk in the hotel that I manage. It could do with brightening up, but we hardly have space on this desk for what we need, let alone finding ways of cheering it up a bit :(

Unfortunately I work white office with no decor and no personality. Looks more as a doctor office BUT (believe me or not) it's a creative ad business. It's so depressing and without inspiration.... very sad, ideed.

I love this post because I believe making your workspace more personable and fun is so important. It's true that we spend most of our days and hours at work so it is crucial to make it appealing to us. I have quotes and photos up at my job. I love that idea of getting a little lamp...I wish I could light candles where I work! (pretty sure my boss would not be cool with that)

ugh ... after we moved into our new office space, I spent a couple of days "undoing" the "professional design" of the facility folks. They didn't give me a bookcase, so I had to go find one and got rid of the huge filing cabinet that they shoved in everyone's cubicle (I have no need for a filing cabinet). The "standard" chairs are pathetic so I rolled mine into a conference room and bought my own. I have a few photos, a globe and a couple of other personal things on my desk. The cubicle walls are covered in a tan "burlap" style fabric which I don't mind, but I have them partly covered with photos and a white board. If the people who "design" office spaces would actually take the needs of the individual employee into account, I might have more respect for them. Until then, I have no problem undoing whatever they've done to make the space workable and comfortable for me. After all, I'm the one who's sitting here for 8 hours a day. If I'm not comfortable, I'm not productive. I also would not work at a company that had draconian rules about personal items on a desk.

I share a high wall cube with my coworker, no windows. Very, very high walls with windows way up there that let in lots of dark during the winter, rainy months. I got one of those tall Ikea paper lamps and put in two Reveal light bulbs so it looks like we have daylight in the corner. Very nice.

Can AT block Salarzain's comments (two above?). This is truly annoying scam-spam and it will destroy the ambiance of the posting here.

oops! 3 above, sorry Caitlin!

WOW!!! @catiaelizabeth - just, WOW!!!!

There's a *flag* link right next to *reply* for this purpose so so we don't further disrupt the ambiance of the thread ;)

Nearly everyone in our organization was recently moved into a new building, and into cubes. I used to have a very small but completely personalized office - my own comfy chair and ottoman, pictures, lamps, you name it, on the theory that if you were going to be there for that long, you might as well be comfortable and at home. But I cannot get myself to decorate a cubicle, much less fight with the design police over the decorations I might choose. My solution so far is to telecommute every possible moment.

Love some of these ideas for my own home office space! Left the corporate world a loooonnng time ago. I wonder what Dilbert's pointy haired boss would make of some of these spaces?!