The Top 48 Study Room Ideas – Interior Home and Design

“Study what you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. It’ll be one great adventure.” – David Gerrold

Every student deserves a special study area all their own.

Whether your student is on the honor roll or struggling to keep up, having their own study room can help them do their best. If they’re studying at the dining room table or sprawled out on their bed, a change of scenery can only help.

You don’t have to devote an entire room to create a perfect study area — good news for those with limited space. You can just revamp a corner of your child’s bedroom or a quiet living room alcove into a great study space. Check out our extensive selection of study room design ideas and save your favorites.

1. Study Room Ideas for Children

An ideal space for a homework station will reflect elements personal to your child’s style. It’s a good idea to include his or her favorite color, artwork subject, and some furniture scaled to size.

Study room decoration is important, but functionality matters more. If you have enough space, include a study table or desk big enough to work on school projects. If your child is into arts and crafts, extra workspace is a must. Make sure your child’s chair and other furniture feel comfortable to them.

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2. Contemporary Study Room Ideas

The calm simplicity of contemporary style is ideal for a study area. The basic decor, soothing colors, and minimal accent pieces make it easier to focus without distraction. Scandinavian furniture and design elements are popular in contemporary study areas. Pale wood tones and muted earthy colors such as slate blue or sage green create the calming vibe you want in a contemporary study room.

Keep wall decor to a minimum. Instead of buying freestanding furniture, go for the airiness of floating pieces. Simple floating shelves above a floating desk turn a contemporary living room corner into an attractive study space.

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3. DIY Study Room Ideas

DIY study room ideas must include adequate storage space. Shelves, pegboards, corkboards, baskets, and cubbies will help your student stay organized. Learn how to make a fabric-covered DIY corkboard or how to build a simple cubby shelf organizer with a few basic tools and a web search for plans.

Don’t forget the power of repurposing furniture when DIYing a study room. If you allow snacking while studying, relocate a small table to the study room to hold snacks and drinks. Top it with a tray with high sides to keep spills and stains from ruining expensive electronics or important documents.

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4. Girls Study Room Ideas

Girls of every age enjoy having a space all their own. Study room ideas for girls can reflect this “She Shed” lifestyle, incorporating her favorite prints, fabrics, and feminine touches. The softer shades many women favor are ideal decor ideas in a study area, as pinks, blues, and grays are all soothing and thought-conducting.

A wallpapered accent wall can anchor a study area in a dorm room or bedroom. Girls often use photos of family and friends as room decoration, and this can add personality to a corkboard. Let her help design the space, choosing her favorite desk and chair style and color.

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5. Study Room Interior Ideas

Lighting is an important interior design element in a study room. You will need ambient lighting, such as that provided by a window or a lamp, and task lighting. As its name indicates, task lighting focuses on one work area, such as a desk lamp aimed at your workspace. Balanced lighting options reduce eye strain and create a welcoming environment at night.

Recreating a library-themed room is one of the better study room ideas, as it inspires learning and keeps textbooks an arm’s reach away. Study room interior design ideas should align with your home’s overall design style. However, if your student is a teenager or college-aged, they’re likely to think a perfect space is one that reflects the opposite of your home decoration choices.

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6. Luxury Study Room Ideas

Say the words “luxury study,” and a majestic, walnut-paneled estate study comes to mind. While expensive wood paneling is still a warm, sophisticated choice for study decor, there are many other luxurious study room design ideas you can pursue. Heavy wood furniture conveys luxury, especially beside marble tabletops, coffered ceilings, and Persian rugs.

Even if you only have a small space to claim for yourself, you can design a luxurious study. Choose a thickly padded leather desk chair and replace the room’s lighting fixture with an exquisite chandelier. Invest in a Tiffany desk lamp and make sure any built-in furniture has integrated lighting and soft-close drawer mechanisms.

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7. Modern Study Room Ideas

Modern design hails from the early to mid-20th century, reflecting the modern art movement’s impact on home interiors. Mid-century modern is a great decorating theme for a study space, as it’s still relatively easy to find original furniture pieces to refinish. Modern design themes embrace simplicity, which assists in creating a distraction-free study space.

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8. Office Study Room Ideas

In some homes, especially where extra space is at a premium, one room often serves as a study room for kids and a home office for adults. Simple decor choices create a space that both generations can use well. Adequate storage space for each family member is a must to keep such a busy room organized.

If possible, create two desk areas — one designated for adults and one for younger students. Arrange the furniture cubicle-style, using a bookshelf as a room divider. Encourage each person to wear headphones to keep distractions down when sharing the study area.

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9. Small Study Room Ideas

A small study area can be just as effective as a large room. In fact, defining a bedroom corner as a study zone creates a similar feeling of having a separate room to work in. Your design and decor choices are what visually separate the study area from the sleeping area. An underused closet is a small study room idea that you might woefully overlook.

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Watch the following video to learn how easy it can be to make a study nook out of a small closet. Hanging storage baskets on the walls and building shelves up to the ceiling maximizes a small study closet.

10. Traditional Study Room Ideas

Traditional study rooms in old houses conveyed a rich elegance, often featuring library walls, coffered ceilings, heavy furniture, and luxurious fabrics. Often seen as the homeowner’s domain, the traditional study room was a place to retreat and work undisturbed.

Replicate this feeling in your study room by choosing a darker color palette and incorporating burgundy, navy blue, or hunter green into your paint and textile choices. Brass lamps, heavy wooden-framed artwork, and a faux animal skin rug can complete the picture.

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11. White Study Room Ideas

A white study room is the antithesis of the dark, traditional study. Light and airy, perhaps with a farmhouse vibe, a white study’s brightness inspires learning. Using a lot of white is a time-honored interior design tool for expanding a small space and making a room feel crisp and clean.

Incorporate metal or natural wood accents to contrast against all-white walls and furniture while keeping a neutral color palette. You can also add pops of your favorite colors — primary colors for a modern white study room and pastels for a softer, shabby chic vibe.

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12. Study Room Chair Ideas

The definition of “perfect study chair” will vary from person to person. Some prefer a plush, ultra comfortable chair covered in faux fur or velour, while others prefer a firm wooden seat. An ergonomic desk chair is a great choice for many. However, those who are shorter, taller, or heavier than average might find the chair’s set contours uncomfortable.

A rolling desk chair is great if your student needs to shift between their computer and a table. Conversely, a desk chair on wheels can be a huge distraction for an active child who would rather roll down the hall than study.

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13. Study Room Ideas for Boys

A designated study space can be great for busy boys, who are statistically three times more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than girls. A calming place to work and focus can help eliminate distractions to learning. This doesn’t mean that boys’ study room ideas must be plain and boring, however.

Get your son’s input before choosing his study room decor. He’s more likely to enjoy spending time in a zone that he helped design. Pegboard is a good storage option that makes use of wall space and simplifies clean-up time.

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