15 Simple Ways To Cheer Up Your Summer Office Space

One of my good friends, who is currently making her way through law school as a graduate student, is interning at a law office in Vermont over the summer. She had the good fortune of having received her very own office, which provides her privacy and quiet. While she loves the sense of ~authority~ that her space with a door provides, she can’t deny that the room feels cold and barren — a huge departure from her personality which is friendly and vibrant.

She suggested that I do a compilation of some inexpensive ways to make her temporary space feel more cozy for the length of the summer. I myself have worked at three internships and two 9-to-5 jobs where I took to decorating my space very seriously. As a designer, I freely admit that sometime my cubes were slightly over decorated. I would go a little nuts and tack up string lights (which is completely cringe worthy when I look back on it now), purchase different colored sticky notes, pens, and highlighters, and hang up illustrated quotes and typographic prints. But, no matter, I have to own the phase of my life where I was over eager to take decorative advantage of any space I inhabited without regard for how small the space was, or of the duration of the time I spent there.

Below is a list of 15 adorable and inexpensive items you can pick you to make your summer internship (or regular office job) space feel more ~you~.

All the products above are inexpensive and don’t cost a lot at any. For under $50, you can select a couple of the items above and transform your space into something you look forward to working at day-to-day. Whether you have just a desk, or your own small office (even a home office!) the space should be warm, welcoming, and conducive to a productive and creative atmosphere. (Click on the number below that correspond to the images above if you’re looking to purchase products.)

Images via here 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ,13, 14, 15.

Some more fun articles/resources about decorating on a budget here, here, here, and here.