9 Easy Ways to Make Your Office Feel Less Like an Office

1. Add some green

Your plants may call you the Grim Reaper at home, but why not give your green thumb another try at the office? Keep the low maintenance plants like succulents and cacti for yourself, and bribe other employees to adopt the “survival challenged” greenery.

2. Exploit your employees

Snap candid photos of your employees or dig through their social media for something embarrassing (sorry HR). If you’re feeling RA-crafty, arrange them in a specific theme, but tacking them onto a wall works equally as well.

3. Exploit employee pets

Designate any and all available wall space to pet photos – pets people already own, pets people would like to own, pets that look like a coworker. The more precious or ridiculous the photo, the less time employees will spend looking at Buzzfeed. If it works for LinkedIn, it’ll work for you.

4. Break up the monochrome

Pick an obnoxious color that makes you feel better about your life choices and pepper it throughout your workspace.

5. Go “vintage”

Thanks to hipsters, it’s now possible to organize your desk exclusively with mason jars. Buy a crate of cheap jars, or work your way through a lot of jam for a more authentic experience.

6. Reappropriate useless materials

Is there anyone who actually uses contact paper to line drawers? Be a rebel and use it on the outside of your filing cabinets.

7. Cover everything in Washi tape

Washi tape was designed solely to make cubicles more bearable. Go crazy – bedazzle your keyboard, make a border for your desk, or string it around your own face on days when you forget makeup.

8. Help your employees nap

Employees already sleep at their desks, so make them more comfortable with throw pillows and blankets. The homey look is just an added bonus.

9. Bring in some holiday spirit

Pretend you’re back in your college dorm and decorate the office with Christmas lights.