Video Conference Home Background Staging Tips: As most of us work from home, video conferencing with colleagues and clients has become the norm. With people creating impromptu workspaces, sometimes the background is messy and could be sending out the wrong signals to the person you are communicating with. Staging the room set behind you is essential, particularly for those taking part in a video job interview. With this in mind, I have put together some Video Conference Home Background Staging Tips.
1. Designate one room for your video conference calls
2. Reposition your desk so the best wall is behind you
3. Be aware of what can be seen from windows and patio doors
4. Clean or paint background walls
5. Hang wallpaper or mural to create an interesting backdrop
6. Consider which books are on your shelf and what they say about you
7. Replace dead plants and flowers with new or faux foliage
8. Remove personal photographs of you on shelves
9. Curate a bookcase of interesting objects
10. Review personal notes and information on your pinboard
Style bookshelves and display cabinets with interesting objects
Gold Topped Shelf Unit from Cox and Cox
Ten Video Conference Home Background Staging Tips
Some video conferencing systems allow you to select a faux background. It’s better to send out positive signals about yourself by creating your own backdrop. Here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Decide which room you will use to conduct your video conference calls and make this the dedicated place. You may want to put a post-it note on the door saying, please be quiet and do not enter!
2. Survey the wall, room and objects behind the desk and ask yourself what impression it will give the person you are speaking to. You may decide to reposition your desk so that the best wall is behind you. If you don’t have a home office, you may use the kitchen or bedroom. Be aware of drying laundry, piles of dirty plates and other embarrassing items people may see in your home. Clean the room and remove ceiling cobwebs.
Turn your desk around to show an exciting wall behind you
Roses Circle from Ministry of Happy Walls
3. If there is a window or glass patio door behind you, be mindful of activity going on outside in the garden or laundry on the washing line. Close the curtains if necessary but make sure these are clean and not hanging off the rail.
4. If the wall behind you is scuffed, clean it with a damp cloth or use a magic eraser sponge to remove stubborn marks. You may need to freshen up the wall with a lick of paint. A folding screen can be useful to disguise an unsightly wall.
5. Consider hanging bright, cheerful wallpaper or a mural to create a feature wall behind you. Alternatively, place an exciting piece of art on the wall instead.
Hanging a beautiful canvas on the wall makes a lovely backdrop
Blossom Canvas from Cox and Cox
6. Assess your bookshelf, filter out trashy novels and replace these with book titles which will send out the right signals about you. This is especially important if you have a video interview.
7. Remove dead plants or flowers and replace these with lush green plants in pots or pretty seasonal flowers from your garden. If you are not confident about keeping plants alive, try a faux Cactus or Aloe Vera instead.
Place faux plants on your bookshelves
Faux Potted Cactus from Cox and Cox
8. Check photographs on shelving; if they are too intimate or personal, perhaps relocate those to another part of the house.
9. Curate interesting objects from around your home and display these behind you on shelving or in a display cabinet. These could include vases, candles, ornaments, lamps, trophies or books.
10. Review what is on your pinboard or noticeboard. Passwords and shopping lists may give away too much personal information about you.
Video Conference Home Background Wall Ideas
Now that you have more time on your hands, you can spruce up your home office. Usually, you would place your desk facing a feature wall so you have something interesting to look at while you are hoping for inspiration to strike. When you are video conferencing, you can turn your desk around, so the feature wall becomes an exciting backdrop. The Ministry of Happy Walls has beautiful wallpaper that can fit your wall. I love their Wallpaper Circles which is an easy way to add a splash of colour. Wallpaper panel patterns include flowers, nature scenes, peacocks, chinois and antique imagery.
Floral Wall Panels from Ministry of Happy Walls
An easy way to transform a wall with by applying a Wallpaper Wall Mural. If this is an option, consider trying Wallsauce, the made-to-measure mural wallpaper specialist. The designs range from forest and nature scenes to tropical beaches and urban backdrops. They can also create a custom print for you. Either paste the wall or peel and stick.
‘Le Tropique Skin Tone’ Wallpaper Mural by Tashi Tsering from Wallsauce.com
If you’d prefer to wallpaper a wall, try Graham & Brown for quality yet reasonably priced products. You can search wallpapers by colour, design (damask, flock, floral, etc.), room or designer. Download the app, and you can visualise the wallpaper in your room thanks to augmented reality.
Balance White and Rose Gold Wallpaper from Graham & Brown
You may be interested in reading about more Home Ideas and looking at pictures on my Pinterest Boards.
Author: Homegirl London who is self-isolating at home with her laptop! Photographs: The featured image shows Mystic Garden Wallpaper Circle from Ministry of Happy Walls. Other pictures from Cox and Cox, Wallsauce and Graham & Brown.
