An empty wall on the other side of your desk is not only going to make you feel empty; it will also make you feel like sitting at your desk would be the last thing you want to do. However, adding the right artwork to your wall will change that.
6 Wall Art Ideas That Bring Wanderlust Into Your Workspace
Research from the University of Exeter found that employees who could decorate and control their own workspace were up to 32% more productive than those in bare, standardized offices — proof that the art on your wall isn’t just decoration; it’s doing real work.
- A Travel Map with Pins to Track Where You’ve Been. A travel map with pins turns a plain wall into a visual record of everywhere you’ve traveled, and gives you something to look at other than a blank monitor during a slow afternoon. Brands like WoodyWoodUA make these in wood-and-cork boards designed specifically for pinning, so the map keeps growing as your travel list does.
- Framed Travel Photography. A few of your own trip photos, printed large and framed simply, do more for a workspace than generic stock art ever will.
- A Vintage-Style City Map Print. A map of a city that means something to you — where you studied, honeymooned, or spent a formative year — adds character without looking like a tourist poster.
- A Gallery Wall of Postcards and Tickets. Boarding passes, museum tickets, and postcards framed together make an easy, low-cost gallery wall that’s unique to you.
- A Minimalist Line-Art World Outline. For a home office that leans modern, a simple line-drawing of the world’s continents adds a travel theme without clutter.
- A Rotating “Currently Dreaming Of” Destination Board. A small cork board or frame where you swap in a new destination each month keeps the wall feeling fresh and gives you something to plan toward.
How to Choose Wall Art That Works in a Small Office Space
Space is usually the limiting factor in a home office, so scale matters as much as style. A small travel map with pins fits neatly above a desk or in a narrow hallway, while a large travel map with pins works better as a single focal point on an open wall — you generally don’t want both in a tight room.
Surface matters too: a cork travel map with pins holds pins securely and lets you move them as your travel list changes, more practical for daily use than a printed poster. If you’re shopping for a gift rather than for yourself, a personalised travel map with pins — engraved with a name, a date, or a short phrase — tends to read as more thoughtful than a generic print, and is often considered the best travel map with pins option for exactly that reason.
Make Your Workspace Feel More Cozy
Beyond one particular piece, there is something more personal about a home office when the artwork on the wall tells a bit about the person, rather than just taking up space. A wall travel map with pins next to a couple of framed photos and a desk lamp makes an office feel cozier and less like a cubicle. And because a travel map with push pins updates itself every time you take a new trip, it’s one of the rare pieces of decor that never really goes stale — it just keeps telling a longer story.