Having a home office has many advantages; you get to work from your comfort zone, avoid distractions from co-workers, and save on daily work commute costs. Another great perk is getting the opportunity to design and decorate your work space according to your own tastes and requirements. It makes sense to have your home office theme-centered around something that you love, admire, or cherish–such as a sci-fi theme. You will also be more motivated this way; sitting down to work won’t seem so boring or monotonous!
Working on a Sci-Fi Decor
Science fiction is an increasingly popular genre these days, with both young and old generations taking an interest in anything that has to do with aliens, the future, time travel, and so on. With shows and movies like ‘Star Trek’, ‘Star Wars’, and ‘Stranger Things’, the options for sci-fi decor and themes are many.
If you’re a sci-fi fan, chances are that you’d like to have a similar theme for your home office. Wondering where to get started? Let’s start by checking out the kinds of themes you can choose; we can then look at some more specific ideas for making a sci-fi-themed workspace.
Single Theme or Multiple Touches?
Some sci-fi geeks may follow a single fandom obsessively. If you’re one of them, you may want to look for items that are specially related to that sci-fi theme. For instance, you may check out some home office rugs and see if there’s a print to match your particular interest. This could be a print of the TARDIS, Dr. Who’s time travel machine, or the title of Star Wars. With the latter, you can also settle for a general print of planets, spaceships, etc.
Alternatively, one can also go for different touches of sci-fi according to their various interests. You may not subscribe to one fandom in particular, or perhaps just like sci-fi in general. In that case, some futuristic furniture, a space-themed wallpaper, and any decoration that counts as sci-fi is fair game.
Sci-Fri Decorating Ideas
Once you’ve decided how to go about decorating your home office, it’s time to ponder several categories of this project. Below are some of these categories; keep them in mind when you’re looking for items to enhance your home office environment:
1. Wallpaper
Wallpapering a wall in your home office is the first major step towards building a sci-fi theme. You don’t have to do all four walls; in fact, one accent wall will make the most impact. It will also leave the other walls free for your work setup, wall decor, and other items.
You can make a feature wall in your home office by hanging up a wallpaper featuring a large solar system. Consider painting the other walls black for a more space-like feel. Alternatively, you can get wallpaper that is related to your favorite sci-fi franchise and paint the rest of the walls a neutral shade.
2. LED Lighting
With LED lighting, you don’t have to worry much about the colors. Just filling the staircases and any other nook and cranny with them will be enough to create a sci-fi feel. Opt for the standard white lights, or choose a more adventurous band of colored lights. If you have a staircase leading up or down to your home office, having such lights there will make the walk feel like you’re boarding a spaceship.
Other than the stairs, you can also consider lining certain parts of the room with LED lights. This will give a futuristic look to the space without much effort. You can always choose the colors at random or go with whatever fits into your current favorite sci-fi franchise.
3. Dining Area
It might seem strange for a home office to have a dining area, but many homeowners have actually converted their dining rooms to home offices. If that’s true in your case, you might want to leave a little space for dining whenever there’s formal company over.
A dining area is also useful for having a quick bite during your workday. This will be a nice way to take a break from your computer screen. Plus, you won’t be getting crumbs all over your keyboard, crafting table, or whatever you’re working on at the moment.
You can make this dining area have a sci-fi theme as well. If your budget allows it, you may want to paint the whole place black with silver accents. This will give a futuristic look to the area and can tie in with a lot of sci-fi fandoms, especially the villain’s side.
There are also some dining tables that can fit into a futuristic or space theme. Depending on how formal or casual you want that area to be, you can get a matching or mismatched set of chairs with similar themes. The cushions and chair covers as well as the tablecloth can reflect your interest in specific franchises as well.
4. Futuristic Furniture
Finding furniture with a futuristic touch might be a far reach, especially if you’re on a limited budget. However, make sure to scour online selling pages and even your local curbsides for pieces that may fit your desired sci-fi theme.
If you’re going furniture shopping or thrifting for furniture, keep an eye out for any pieces with futuristic vibes. Odd shapes, sleek finishes, hidden lighting, and other features can all come under this category. Of course, it’s a plus if you can find something similar to the seats on a spaceship in your favorite sci-fi show.
5. Official Merchandise
There’s quite a lot of sci-fi themed official merchandise in the market today. You can look online for new and used pieces and ask around physical locations that may have such pieces. Whenever possible, it’s best to buy merchandise that also has some practical use, such as a structure of Mars that also doubles as a lamp.
Other practical ideas include:
- A coffee table shaped like a UFO or resembling the moon
- An office chair designed like an intergalactic throne
- A rocket scale model that doubles as storage space
6. Lighting Fixtures
Other than LED lights, you need some proper lighting in your workspace. If you love sci-fi, there are several options that can fit into your dream theme without compromising on the light levels. Check out some steel and chrome lamps in twisting or webbed designs, for example. Other options may include:
- Desk lamps shaped like lightsabers or lanterns
- Lighting with swirling beams
- Lava lamps
- Vintage-style lights with action figures on them
- Round bulbs shaped like planets with rings
For yet another sci-fi touch, you can look at different types of smart lighting options for your home office. If you can turn the lights on and off with a clapping sound or the tap of a screen, it will be a convenient setup and also fit into your desired sci-fi theme.
7. Customizing Existing Pieces
If you already have a home office set up, chances are that there are some flat surfaces just waiting for an upgrade. You can enhance your space and also fulfill your sci-fi interests by covering these areas with customized contact paper, decal stickers and so on. For instance, you may have invested in one of the best home office mini fridges. This might serve as a blank slate–cover it with space-themed wallpaper, convert the exterior so that it resembles a time machine, or hang some string lights with a sci-fi theme on it. You can also think of similar ideas for your home office space heater, air purifier, or safe.
8. Choose the Right Colors
While sci-fi franchises will have different color themes, there are certain shades that evoke a sci-fi atmosphere. If you don’t have any specific theme in mind, try painting the room in some combination of blue. These two shades are usually associated with futuristic or artificial themes. You can also add some neutral hues such as metallic silver or white to balance out the colors. Brown and orange are usually earthy tones, so you might want to veer away from those.
9. Decorating the Walls
If you want some detail on your plain walls, some decal stickers might also work. Look for symbols, logos, letters, and other designs that give the sci-fi theme you want to make. There are also glow-in-the-dark decals available that can give a celestial light in a dim home office. There are several sites and online businesses that allow you to get customized decals, so you can apply any decorating idea here.
For more wall decor, you can consider hanging posters depicting your favorite sci-fi movies and shows. This way, you can surround yourself with iconic figures and dystopian worlds while getting your work done.
Finally, you can fill up the empty spaces in your shelves and desk with action figures and other knick knacks from various sci-fi worlds. If your space is prone to dust, though, you might be better off storing these small items behind glass doors.
10. Accessories
There are several other accessories that can give a sci-fi touch to your home office. Once you have the larger decor out of the way, the following items might be useful in finishing off the overall look of your sci-fi home office:
- Paper clips in the shape of robots or droids
- Paperweights with futuristic prints
- Geometric-patterned clocks or vases
- Robot-shaped USB hubs
- Pens in the shape of rockets, robots, or other sci-fi themed objects
With all the themed options available in the market, it can be easy to get carried away. However, you don’t want to overcrowd your workspace. It’s still a home office, so limit your accessories and save space for maintaining a decent productivity level.
Conclusion
Sci-fi fandoms are popular all over the world, with many franchises also selling all kinds of merchandise. Many people already have sci-fi inspired decor for their whole home, so why not put some effort into the home office as well? After all, this is the place where you have to spend a lot of time almost every single day.
The ideas above can help to transform your workspace and inject some fun into the daily grind. There’s no need to recreate the set of your favorite sci-fi movie or series, but it’s possible to indulge in your interests even when following a budget. If you can’t do the decor all at once, why not get one sci-fi themed item and add it to your home office today?