8 coastal aesthetic desk decor ideas to inspire you

Have you ever procrastinated for hours instead of just doing your work at the desk and then enjoying your time off?

I know I did.

Let’s just say I can easily miss the seaside when I spend too much time at my desk. The seaside – and to a lesser degree the swimming pool – is where I get my best ideas, but realistically speaking, working at the beach or during a cruise is not my cup of tea. I’m not efficient at all and while being at sea, I prefer to let my mind free anyway. I don’t want briefs or deadlines.

And while literally being by the sea is not how I would like to work on my laptop, I indirectly brought the sea to my desk by creating coastal art in the form of visual poems.

This is how I ended up gathering these 8 coastal aesthetic ideas to decorate your desk and make it so beautiful, calming and inspiring, that you actually want to sit there and do your work!

All these desk decor ideas can be customized once you click on the images or the links which will take you to the Zazzle platform. You don’t have to be logged in to customize the products and if you like a design, but not the product itself or the material on which it will be printed, you may also easily transfer it to a different product.

Desk decor ideas 1&2: try a coastal art photo block on your desk as an inspiring mood board.

As you may have guessed it from the name of this website, I’m very much into minimalism and clutter is not what I want at my desk, so I limit desk decor to just one item at a time, unless that decorative object also has some kind of function, e.g. if it’s a mug or a desk organizer for office supplies I use all the time. You can easily do the same by rotating desk decor accessories.

The photo block below features a visual poem called “Swimming in 2”. I gave it this name because this is how it felt to swim during pregnancy once I started feeling the fetus in my womb, especially if she was active during my swimming sessions. If you are female and you are experiencing this stage of life or you reminisce about it, this poem will inspire you to do your best for your (future) child and to not skip your swimming, if you happen to practice this sport.

This next photo block for your desk features a concrete poem called “In the reign of parasites”. If you’ve viscerally known perfectionism or if you are constantly criticized by a nitpicky person, you are going to like keeping this poem on your desk to remind you to take it easy.

Decorating ideas 3&4: bring beachy vibes to your workplace with just one glass paperweight revealing an aesthetic design which inspires you.

If you are an artist secretly working on your creative masterpiece, this shape poem about ephemeral art is going to inspire you to not take everything so personally when things don’t go your way. Many creative people before you have toiled to create awesome art which would outlast them. Unfortunately, that art either doesn’t physically exist anymore or it is hidden or forgotten.

If you needed a reminder on the importance of being healthy or not getting sicker, the poem below is just what you need to read.

Desk decor ideas 5&6: if you don’t feel like working because your desk is a mess, gather all your small office supplies in a beautiful box reminding you of the seaside.

If you procrastinate and you can’t work because you doubt this is taking you anywhere, the poem below, besides being available as a desk organizer box to keep your desk free of clutter, is going to give you an efficient solution to find meaning and purpose in life. The main idea is to avoid the extremes: not outsourcing anything or outsourcing everything.

Sometimes what you need at your desk is a calm reminder of how everything flows. Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed. Things just change shape, just like water which you may notice as frost on your window to the outside world.

Decorating ideas 7&8: if you always have a mug by your desk, why not have a beautiful one to inspire you with a bit of poetry?

Sometimes what we are working on is not (properly) credited to us, but just like in the poem below about anonymous worker bees, the final result may be valuable. Or just sweet:)

Given the content of its lyrics, the poem mug below is a great option for a new mother who is overwhelmed with all the new unpaid and unsung roles she will take or for an older mother who forgot the many unpaid and unsung roles she became good at.

As a side note, all the concrete poems mentioned above were originally published in Volume I of the Diamond Dust (Poems From the Black Sea) photo book series, available as hardcover or paperback.

Which coastal desk decor idea did you like the most? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below!