This Home Decor Item Is More Popular Than Plants for Home Offices, According to One Study

With the unexpected transition to remote work once COVID hit, many former office workers found themselves having to transform an existing space into their new work from home reality, which can certainly be quite challenging.

In a new survey conducted by Living Spaces, Americans weigh in on just how they prefer to work from home as they navigate the lockdown period. 

Back in October, pewresearch.org determined that 71 percent of employed adults surveyed were working from home. Nearly five months later, the Consumer Insights Team from Living Spaces conducted a survey of 217 people to get more answers on how people are managing to do so. While not as high as the stats in October, 66 percent of respondents said they are currently remote.

But with the unexpected transition to remote work, people across America were forced to create their own workspace at home, which can be particularly hard due to lack of space, as well as children and pets running wild as you attempt to focus. Despite these challenges, a whopping 92 percent of respondents said they have created a designated space to be their makeshift office in their home. Only 8 percent of respondents seem to move around, choosing a space that fits their needs for the day.

So where in the home are people buckling down to get some work done? According to the survey’s results, 58 percent of participants said they have a separate home office where they work. 12 percent said they either use a guest bedroom or the living room, while 9 percent use their own bedroom or the dining room.

When it comes to decorating, Living Spaces shares a breakdown of people’s preferences for desks (pedestal), chairs (adjustable office), bookcases (wood), and even file storage (electronic). And though it seems everyone has been letting their green thumbs go wild during the past year, the top office accessory was wall art, not plants.

66 percent of respondents preferred to decorate their WFH space with art, while 45 percent chose plants, 41 percent went with books, and 33 percent picked candles.

When it comes to the colors people prefer for their home office, the majority of respondents (66 percent) chose neutrals, most likely for their calming effects. (After all, who wouldn’t get a little heated after yelling “you’re muted!” on Zoom five times a day.) 25 percent of respondents went with cool tones, with the remaining 9 percent went with warm tones. It’s safe to say that most people feel like less is more when it comes to their workspace’s color palette.