Written by Julia Kiryanova, Artist
Julia Kiryanova is an artist working in tapestry, painting, and works on paper from her atelier in the centre of Amsterdam. A two-time Royal Award nominee.
You probably spend more time on video calls than you ever expected. And whether you like it or not, your background has become part of how people see you professionally. A blank wall says nothing. A cluttered bookshelf says too much. But a well-chosen piece of textile art? That says something worth noticing.
This post is about using tapestries and textile wall art to build a home office backdrop that looks good, sounds better, and actually reflects who you are. No virtual backgrounds, no ring lights required.
Why your backdrop matters more than you think
Video calls flatten everything. Your voice, your gestures, your expressions, they all lose a bit of dimension on screen. What stays vivid is the background. It sits right behind you for the entire call, and your colleagues, clients, or collaborators will notice it, even if they never say so.
Research from Stanford University found that plain, unstimulating environments contribute to video call fatigue. Visual texture and warmth in the background actually help keep people engaged. Something to think about next time you are staring at a white wall for hour three of your workday.
The goal is not to decorate for other people. The goal is to create a space that works for you and communicates something real when the camera is on.
What makes textile art so well suited for this
There are a few things that set textile art apart from a painting or print when it comes to home office use.
Texture reads beautifully on camera
Flat prints can look fine in person but disappear on screen. Woven textiles have physical depth. The way fibres catch light, the slight variation in a hand-woven surface, all of that translates surprisingly well through a camera lens. It adds dimension to the frame without being distracting.
Tapestries actually improve acoustics
This is the part most people do not consider. Hard walls cause sound to bounce. The echo on your calls, that slight reverb that makes you sound like you are in a bathroom, that comes from a lack of soft surfaces in the room. A large textile on the wall behind you acts as a sound absorber. It soaks up some of that reflected sound and makes your voice come through cleaner and warmer.
Wool in particular is one of the most effective natural acoustic materials. If you want to read more about the science behind this, the Acoustical Society of America has accessible resources on how soft furnishings affect room acoustics.
It carries artistic credibility
There is a reason galleries and design-led offices hang original textile works. They signal taste, intention, and an eye for quality. A handwoven tapestry tells a story about the person who chose it. That is not nothing when you are building a professional presence.
You can read more about the history and craft behind these works in my post on the 3,000-year story of tapestry art, which gives a fuller picture of why this medium carries so much weight.
How to choose the right piece for your backdrop
Not every tapestry works as a video call background. Some are too busy, some too dark, some just the wrong scale. Here is what to keep in mind.
Scale: bigger than you think
A small piece will float awkwardly in the background and look like an afterthought. For a video call backdrop, you want something that fills a meaningful portion of the wall. Think at least 80 to 100 cm wide, ideally more. The piece should be visible and grounding, not lost behind your head.
Colour: neutral but not boring
Cameras tend to flatten and oversaturate. Very bright or high-contrast pieces can end up pulling focus entirely. Soft, earthy tones work best. Terracotta, off-white, warm grey, deep sage. These colours feel calm on screen and create a backdrop that supports you rather than competing with you.
That said, this is not about disappearing. A single carefully chosen colour can add real character. One of my own pieces in warm ochre has ended up in more client video call backgrounds than I ever expected. People keep asking about it.
Composition: calm over complex
For video call use, abstract or loosely geometric works tend to read better than figurative or highly detailed ones. You want something that adds texture and presence without drawing the eye so strongly that people stop listening to what you are saying. Think rhythm over narrative.
Placement: height matters
Hang the work so that it fills the frame behind you at eye level or slightly above. If it sits too low, the camera cuts it off. If it is too high, it reads like wallpaper. Test by checking your camera preview before your first call with the new backdrop in place. Small adjustments make a big difference.
What to avoid
A few things that consistently work against you on video:
Very shiny or reflective surfaces. They catch light in unpredictable ways and can create glare that is genuinely distracting. Textiles, by nature, do not have this problem.
Heavily patterned pieces with fine detail. On a compressed video signal, these can create a moire effect, that strange visual shimmer that looks like a technical glitch. Keep patterns generous and well-spaced.
A single small work on a large empty wall. It can look unintentional. Either commit to a piece with real presence, or build a small arrangement of works at a consistent scale.
Pieces in very dark tones against dark walls. They vanish. You lose all the benefit of having them there.
Caring for your backdrop piece
A tapestry in a home office will pick up dust and occasionally the odd bit of whatever life throws at a workspace. The good news is that handwoven wool and cotton textiles are relatively forgiving. Gentle vacuuming on a low setting, held a few centimetres from the surface, is enough for regular maintenance.
Avoid direct sunlight for extended periods. Over time, UV light fades fibres, especially natural dyes. If your office gets strong afternoon sun, position the work on a wall that avoids direct exposure.
For a fuller guide on looking after woven textile art, I wrote a practical care guide that covers everything from hanging to cleaning to long-term storage: Practical Care Guide for Tapestries and Textile Art.
Where to start
If you are new to collecting textile art, the home office is actually a great starting point. You have a clear brief: something that looks good on camera, improves acoustics, and works with your existing colours. That kind of constraint helps.
Start by photographing your workspace as your camera sees it, not as you see it standing in the room. Notice what is behind you. Look at the colours, the light direction, how much wall is visible. Then you know what you are working with.
The current collection at Studio Juuls includes works at various scales, all made by hand in my Amsterdam atelier. Each piece is one of a kind. If you are looking for something specific, reach out. I often have works in progress that suit different spaces and budgets.
And if you are curious about what goes into making these works, the Studio Juuls journal is where I write about the process, the material, and the thinking behind the work.
One last thing
The video call backdrop is a small thing. But it is also, in a strange way, the most viewed corner of your home. More people have seen the wall behind my desk than have ever visited my studio in person. That felt worth thinking about.
A piece of handmade textile art is not just decoration. It is the result of weeks of slow, careful work. Having that behind you on a call is a quiet statement about how you choose to spend your time and what you value. In an era of virtual backgrounds and AI-generated office scenes, that feels like it counts for something.
