now that zoom, teams, skype … video calling of all types is the not-so-new normal for many of us, i’ve found it interesting to peek into the homes of some of my coworkers and chat through with my friends the struggle of finding places to work that don’t *literally* air your dirty laundry. now, i want to say i’m ALL for transparency and acceptance, so if that’s your jam, you do you – no judgies. but i for one have used the last few years as an excuse to decorate and redecorate my home office until i got it juuuuust right. i’m pretty close to having it in a spot where i can share it with the interwebs (spoiler alert: it involved me building a PAX wardrobe BY MYSELF), but i wanted to share today some ideas for how to create fun zoom backgrounds along with other offices i’ve been pinning on pinterest and saving on instagram for inspo. first off, here’s my newest background:
i chose to wallpaper the top half of the wall (there’s a natural ledge where it made sense to stop it) last summer. it was incredibly easy and i was able to do it in under three hours, all by myself. (sharing a few of my fave wallpaper prints below)
i had done a couple different versions of a gallery wall back there, but never could get it quite right. when i saw these acrylic shelves at ikea, i KNEW i had to have them for this space. i also nabbed some ribba frames i had intended to use for the kids’ artwork wall in our basement, but ended up using them in here to frame kids art, some of my patches that are currently best sellers, and my most recent aura reading painting that i absolutely fell in love with. (the acrylic shelves are hard to come by at ikea, so sharing some other alternatives that seem to be in stock and shippable)
that right there tells you a lot about me, but i sprinkled in some other details that are fun talking points, should anyone ever ask. i styled the DQ cup that i got as part of my “will you be my bridesmaid?” gift from my new SIL, some target fun, and probably most meaningfully, two of the leather purses my grandpa made himself. he’s been gone for 6 years now, but they are a great reminder of him on the daily.
a few other tips for functional video call backgrounds (coming from someone who has spent a LOT of her life on zoom in the last two years:
- try to have natural light in front of you, or at least to the side. if you are sitting in front of a window with the window behind you, you are going to look very dark (like someone in witness protection getting interviewed for a true crime show). you want light hitting your face without you looking like you’re in an interrogation room.
- be mindful of camera height. i ended up buying a laptop stand and have recently set it up on two books to help me not slouch when looking down at the camera. my posture is already TERRIBLE, so anything to try and help. it’s also super weird when you have your camera looking straight up at you; not quite as bad as the front-facing camera being on your phone when you least expect it, but close.
- this one i’m less of a stickler on, but be mindful of where your door is. i’ve seen people be surprised by family members walking in to the room behind them and, as funny as it is for the rest of us, it may not be so fun for you. i sit facing my door so i can see my kids sneaking in at 4pm every day to try to come surprise me on my zoom calls. it’s adorable, especially when i can see it coming a mile away.
there you have it! my current setup, links to similar or same products, and my top tips. i’ll be sharing the full cloffice soon (TRUST, it’ll be good. i spent two years dreaming and sourcing this thing so that it’s functional and affordable). in the meantime, send me any good wfh tips, inspo, and products and i’ll share with the rest of the crew. thanks, as always, for reading!