How to Create a Home Office Background Wall for Video Meetings

Design Tips

Stylish Home Office Background Wall Ideas for Zoom Calls and Video Meetings

Floor-to-ceiling windows stun in this spacious and glamorous home office, providing the perfect video backdrop for conference calls. — Floor-to-ceiling windows with full height drapery stun in this spacious and glamorous home office, providing the perfect video backdrop for conference calls. / Source

Like so many across the world, most of us are adjusting to the new normal of working from home and joining completely virtual meetings to get our tasks done. Whether you have a temporary bedroom corner as your “office” or a separate dedicated room to work from, one thing’s certain: we all need a light-friendly space that feels stylish and put together with a visually-appealing background wall for those back-to-back Zoom calls. So, there comes dilemma of: “what should I put on my home office walls,” and “how can I make my home office stand out?”

Today, we’ve put together a collection of inspirational home office ideas to answer precisely those questions. With a few tweaks and personal touches, you’re bound to go from a blank and boring wall to a personality-infused office that’ll have you feeling all the confidence in the world (even if you’re still secretly wearing your house slippers underneath your desk).

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Bold Walls

If you’re a DIYer at heart and you love a good project, then going the bold route by giving your background wall a total revamp is the solution for you. Something as simple as a quick paint color change, a store-bought peel-and-stick wallpaper pattern, or a hand-painted mural (if you’re artistically inclined) can have a major impact on your office space. Creating a paneled or shiplap wall is a little more involved, but installing that can also give your space that instant upgrade you crave. Need help choosing the perfect color? Get our FREE guide, “How to Choose Paint Colors right the FIRST Time!”

A whimsical blue and white wallpaper brings this home office to life and provides an infusion of color that is simply delightful. / Source

Deep green-painted beadboard adds depth and interest to this home office, and layered with neutral decor pieces, it’s absolutely gorgeous. — Deep green-painted beadboard wainscoting adds depth and interest to this home office, and layered with neutral decor pieces, it’s absolutely gorgeous. / Source

Geometric shapes either painted directly onto the creamy white wall or used within a wallpaper design provide visual interest, and in this small and compact home office, they make the simple white and wood desk pop. / Source

A neutral color palette shines in this home office thanks to the plaid wallpaper background behind this perfectly-cozy and zoom-friendly corner chair. /Source

Shelves

Book lovers and fans of the “shelfie” will feel right at home with a background wall of shelves. You can, of course, make these more permanent fixtures by going the built-in or mounted route, or you can opt for moveable standing shelves that can be adjusted or switched to another room whenever needed. Regardless, shelves give you total flexibility to play with layering personal mementos, beloved novels, and unique tchotchkes that will showcase your personal style in a heartbeat.

With a large-scale painting anchoring the wall, the surrounding bookcases on either side help to add pops of color here and there, turning this grey-based office into a beautiful and homey space. / Source

A former built-in hutch becomes a space to display personal photos, mementos, and books in this stylish and sleek home office. / Source

Built-in shelves give this dark and moody home office an area to add visual contrast with white and cream books, art, and figurines layered together. / Source

Windows & Natural Light

What’s the simplest way to nail the video conferencing game? Windows. If your office happens to overlook a lakefront view, or even a green-filled glimpse of the treetops, then taking advantage of that natural light is guaranteed to be a winner in terms of a background wall. You may need to have a desk lamp in front of you to keep your face out of the shadows since you’ll be backlit, but the overall effect is nothing short of stunning.

With a view out to the deck, this window backdrop is not only perfect for video calls, but it also provides ample natural lighting throughout the workday. / Source

Oftentimes, the best spaces for video calls are in a beautifully-decorated (and comfortable) corner of the home; this window backdrop in the living room is no exception and it’s an ideal space to hold virtual meetings. / Source

Simple and stylish, this blue and white home office uses the light of the off-center window as it’s backdrop for everyday tasks. / Source

Plants

Straightforward and to the point, plants are a great solution to your background wall conundrum. Dark and leafy, tall and proud, long and trailing – the options are endless, and a quick trip to your local greenhouse will get you a texture-filled video studio that literally breathes life into the air.

A large potted tree adds height and texture to this simple and minimalist home office. / Source

Embracing maximalist style, this living room relies on a backdrop of layered leafy plants to provide visual interest and a touch of exotic excitement. / Source

A simple, but lush, fiddle leaf fig brings instant texture and color into this glam home office. / Source

In this home office, a trailing plant mounted on a shelf provides a beautiful textured point of interest in the background for video conference calls. / Source

Gallery Walls

If artwork is more up your alley, you’ll definitely want to create a gallery wall. The key to nailing this look, though, is to get enough pieces together to feel like a cohesive collection (versus one or two framed pieces stuck haphazardly next to each other). You can go the more eclectic route with a variety of frames, shapes, and sizes, or you can keep it more streamlined with identically-framed family photos, all black and white prints, or a themed collection (like paintings and photos of wildlife, say).

A variety of art styles and sizes feel cohesive in this gallery wall thanks to the overarching black and white theme. / Source

Family portraits get a stylish upgrade with matching white frames and a variety of shapes and sizes of their surrounding mattes. / Source

Colorful and eclectic, this gallery wall defies expectations by using the entirety of the wall’s vertical space. / Source

A bird-themed gallery wall helps to define this office background wall and provide a point of interest within the space. / Source

Personal Collections

Speaking of collections, another great background wall idea is to showcase a personal collection you love. Have boxes filled with vintage glassware, but have never found the perfect display spot? Pop them on shelves behind your desk! Have a total weakness for globes or maps? Create a wall and fill it with your treasures! Personal collections are great reflections of your style, and they’re sure to give your office a dose of needed zest.

A chic pair of gold shelves lined with a personal collection of handbags and shoes provide a glamorous backdrop for this home office. / Source

By mounting a collection of vintage and uniquely-patterned plates on the wall, it gives this space a completely personalized look, and the eclectic array makes for a beautiful video backdrop. / Source

Colorful glassware arranged in groups adds a vibrancy to this otherwise-neutral space. / Source

A collection of maps and globes creates an interesting and beautiful display in this office, doubling up as a video conference backdrop that awes. / Source

Organization Station

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with keeping things more work-oriented. Another great option for your background wall is to embrace that “office” aesthetic and use it as a chance to display – in an organized fashion – your work essentials. Peg boards, cork boards, hanging file folders – all of it can look ultra chic with the right accessories and color scheme.

A bold metallic wire board makes organization a snap in this home office, and with several hanging potted plants, it provides a stylish zoom backdrop. / Source

All of the office essentials are stylishly placed in their respective areas in this home office, and the organized approach makes it easier than ever to access things as needed. / Source

A sleek gold magazine rack is the perfect accessory to add to an organized and beautiful background wall. / Source

A full cork wall transforms this office into an ultra-functional and stylish haven. / Source

Ready to tackle your upcoming video chats in style? With these inspiring spaces, there’s no limit to the ways you can stand out from the crowd. And of course, if all of this sounds like something you’d rather not touch with a ten-foot pole, you can always give us a call – we’ve got office revamps down to a science!

OH! And don’t forget to UNLOCK YOUR PERSONAL DESIGN STYLE for your home office with our FREE QUIZ!

By Megan Johansson, Contributor to Carla Bast Design

7 Responses

Lisa Peck says:

July 11, 2020 at 4:33 pm

Great advice on how to look your most professional in a virtual meeting. Now our home offices are making a first impression too! Worth thinking about!

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shannon Ggem says:

July 11, 2020 at 5:36 pm

Gorgeous post that will really help people get their zoom studios going!

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Amy Wax says:

July 11, 2020 at 11:49 pm

Love your wide variety of options, I have a gallery wall behind my desk, but I may revisit that in the future!

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Christina Rodriguez says:

July 12, 2020 at 6:28 pm

I love every single one of these ideas! My backdrop is the bookshelves behind my desk. I get lots of compliments.

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Mary Ann Benoit says:

July 12, 2020 at 6:46 pm

Wonderful tips and inspiration photos. Looking good on Zoom is just as important as looking good in person!

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Claire says:

July 12, 2020 at 8:18 pm

As someone who does a lot of video, I love a good backdrop! The inspiration images you have shared are so inspiring. I especially love the one with the beautifully styled bookshelves.

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Janet R Lorusso says:

July 12, 2020 at 11:56 pm

So many great options for virtual meeting backdrops here, Carla! And inspiring office spaces too!

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