Virtual Meeting Background Design Made Simple : According to LiLu

Virtual Meeting Background Design Made Simple -According to LiLu

Virtual Meetings

We have all been suddenly propelled into a work life full of virtual meetings and virtual meeting background design.  I know I am enjoying seeing all my colleagues and clients, even if it’s over one of the many apps that are bringing us together today. And as an entrepreneur one of the questions that came to mind was, “what does my virtual meeting background say about me and my brand?” Of course, there are many other concerns we have today, so if I were to make a list of priorities this wouldn’t be right at the top but when I think about how can LiLu Interiors can help people right now through our blog, design concerns are kind of our thing.
We started by writing two blogs on setting up and designing a home office including mood boards with shoppable links for people who were suddenly setting up a home office
Home Office Design Top Tips
Easy Home Office Design Schemes
If you need resources on wellness at home, we have written quite a few posts including:
General advice on wellness at home and what to consider
Why Wellness at Home Matters
Rejuvenating Bath-Practicing Wellness at Home
And Sleep Your Way to Wellness at Home
Might be of particular interest right now.
Anyway, my own home office is a smallish corner of a larger built-in that had fallen into disuse and the art on the wall was my husbands and reflected who he was, not me. I’ve also seen many backgrounds on videos and virtual exercise classes that are blank beige walls or a window that throws the subject into shadow. One client mentioned being a bit concerned that their colleagues are seeing the guest bedroom as their virtual meeting background design.
So, if you want a better virtual meeting background here is a quick primer on how you can create something by either shopping your home or ordering a few simple things online and creating a better background.

Virtual-Virtual Meeting Background Designs

First, and most simple for the technology savvy is to use a virtual background. If you can find a “green screen” to put up behind, you this is most successful. That means a poster board or fabric that is green. I checked and we have a sleeping bag that would work. Get a little creative and shop your home.  You can use a virtual background without a green screen but if you are gesture of move your head parts of you will disappear into to the background like you are using your Harry Potter invisibility cloak and showing an object is impossible.
Once you have a green screen set up, you can use a variety of backgrounds, I had some fun the first week by using my project photos as my background. For designers, architects and home builders this is certainly a great way to remain on brand. You can also use a travel destination, or one designer made some virtual backgrounds you can download. This blog has some great instructions on using this with interesting wallpapers that are virtual.

A Gallery Wall

One of the ideas I think is easiest to implement by shopping your home is a gallery wall. This is what I did. I took some art from my studio and some from the living room and put them together to create a joyful, family-oriented look that felt authentic both to me and my brand and I threw in a drapery panel of Sylvie and Mira fabric for extra measure. I only spent about 20 minutes on it and will tinker with it a bit more.
Creating a gallery wall or collage of artwork of photos you love could be done in an hour or so and give you an interesting but not distracting background. A few years ago, we wrote a blog on how to put together a collage or gallery wall called Spring Break Designing a Collage Wall. It has great simple to follow instructions.
If you don’t have artwork you want to use now, consider printing out a few prints of a recent vacation and framing them in some simple frames. Or consider using all the artwork that your kids make for a gallery wall it would make a great virtual meeting background design.
For inspiration see our post Photo Collages for the Wall.

Style Shelves

If you have a built-in or shelves, simply take an hour to style them well. Be intentional about what you use to put on the shelves and use a mix of artwork, books, ceramics and photographs.
Vary the height of objects and if you are shopping your home, use books set on their side as “pedestals” to get height variation.
As a young designer, someone told me if you are in doubt about how to vary heights hold out your hand and look at the heights of your fingers. Use that as a guide for grouping three or five items of various heights. It is pleasing to the eye because it is so familiar to us.
Top Tips for Shelf Styling
Use a Variety of Objects
Vary Heights
Group Like Items or Collections
Leave Open Space
If you don’t have built-ins, consider using a couple of simple bookshelves like the ones below to create a virtual meeting background design that looks like a serious office. And styling them using these inspiration photos as your guide.

Accent Wall Background

For a singular background that adds a bit of texture or pattern to your virtual meeting background design, a temporary wallpaper or an accent paint color might be your best solution. It’s not quite as complicated to execute.
Ditch the beige or gray wall for an accent color that complements your skin tone and is calming. Blues or corals and blush are great choices. Here are our top picks for an accent wall color that will give you the perfect virtual meeting background design.
Or if you want a livelier image try a temporary wallpaper. There are a number of great choices online and we have this round up of these papers we feel aren’t too much for your background but will give a bit of interest to your room.
We are all in this thing together. If we can be a resource for you please give us a call. Stay well and stay safe.