Make the most of your office space

Decide on a theme

The most important factor in making the most of your office space is to decide on a design theme. This should be based on the culture and design of your own company’s unique branding. If you are a corporate legal or accounting firm, you’re going to want to go for upscale, sleek neutral designs involving chrome lamps, black leather seating and glass tables. If you are a trades company, you’re going to want to go for an artistic display of your previous work as your wall art to market completed projects. Corporate wall art choices will make your workplace really stand out and dazzle. If you are a tech start-up, you’re going to want your office design to reflect your web design and innovative culture. This could mean using your logo colours to stain the glass office doors and purchasing bean bag chairs to align with the start-up vibe. If you want the space to have a trendy feel, go for an exposed brick wall. If you are a counselling clinic, you’re going to want to go for calming colours, abstract artwork and decor to reduce your clients’ anxiety and make them feel comfortable. 

A fresh paint job

The idea is that you want your employees to come in and enjoy where they are. No employee wants to stare at a white wall 8 hours per day… Mix it up! If you are insistent on having a pearly white office, at least go for an accent wall involving a design that matches the decor of the space. Adding quotes about the business in a flattering design on the wall not only motivates employees to align with the brand, but also gives customers a glimpse into the values your business when they come in. For example, having a clean simple design quote stating, “We pride ourselves on innovation.” is a simple way to incorporate your culture’s values into your office design. The creative team at Morgan Lovell believe the biggest challenge for any employer these days is to create the mentality of ‘there’s no place like work’ and provide tips and advice on how to do so.

Sleek office sign

Having a sleek office sign adds professionalism to your office along with marketing your brand. When the public passes by your office, you want them to read your sign and become curious about the business. If strangers ask, “What do you guys do in this space?”, it’s time to invest in a sign! However, not all signs are created equal. In a professional office space, you cannot go wrong with chrome or glass panel signs. They add an architectural element, are easy to install and move, and come in a variety of styles including frosted acrylic, glass and brushed aluminium. If you want to really up your sign game, have it backlit creating professionalism, depth and ambiance. 

Minimalist plants 

 

It’s an office, not a jungle. A common mistake businesses can make is believing they need to invest in a vast assortment of plants to make an office space more appealing. Plants should subtly add to an office, but should not be used as a main decor strategy. Minimalist plants add sophistication to an office while requiring little maintenance. Plant species that fall under this category while simultaneously filtering the air include: spider plant, peace lily, mother-in-law’s tongue, golden pothos, and aloe vera. Succulents look ideal on desks or side tables. These plants look beautiful and just happen to be extremely hard to kill - An excellent addition to a busy office that wants to look its best! To boost your productivity and happiness, there are several ways you can Feng Shui your desk. 

Decor based on brand

 

Have you ever been into an office and you immediately get a sense of who they are? That’s why making the most of your office space is so important. Not only is it a great way to make employees want to be in the space but it’s also a great way to show potential employees and customers who you are as a business. Are you professional, sleek, organised, innovative, and empowering? Your office space should exude this not only with the energy of the office, but also with the design. Have you ever been to a gym with floor to ceiling mirrors with motivational quotes printed on the glass and music pumping? Did it make you want to join the gym? The same goes for your office. Decor is a great way to put your brand on display. 

The Sheffield-based team of Mott MacDonald designed their office to promote collaboration by designing it according to their culture. Designing an office based on brand and needs of the culture is the new way innovative companies are doing things.

Sleek technology, desks and chairs 

 

Invest in smart technology. Wireless technology creates an office that is technically savvy and streamlined. Go wireless! Wireless headsets, mouses and keyboards are easier to use, look sophisticated and completely eliminate the dreaded ‘cord clutter.’ Death to cord clutter! This will make your employees jump for joy along with creating a much more structured and systematic look to your office space. A new trend happening is going for desks that are crisp white or wood colour with minimalist legs. Office chairs should be first and foremost comfortable with a simple elegant looking design. This includes full back support and a cushion feel in a thin, simple design in a colour that goes with one of the main decor colours. Feel free to have the chairs of your office stand out colour wise - You can even have them match your accent wall or a colour in your logo design!

The wonders of glass

 

Dividing office rooms by sound-proof glass as oppose to dividing rooms by walls gives the space an ‘open’ feel. It brings the idea of transparency into design. No need to knock on an office door with the hope there isn’t a meeting in session, you will be able to see the meeting taking place. Glass offices give a space an upscale, advanced and available feel. Adding dimension to the glass with a sleek streamlined design looks incredible in an office. This could be as simplistic as having a horizontal stripe of a colour of your choosing along the mid-section of the glass. Glass doors also eliminate loud opening and closing sounds of standard doors that can be distracting. Glass is an excellent choice for your office design and makes the space appear larger. Unsure of how much office space your business actually needs? The experts at Rombourne have insights and advice on how to maximize your office space based on your team size.

Lighting 

 

Don’t make light of the influence lighting has on the atmosphere of your office. If you have windows, make sure to have adequate coverings including blinds or curtains that give the option of adjusting the amount of sunlight coming through. An office should have an assortment of matching-style desktop and floor lamps. You can’t go wrong with warm lightbulbs, chrome desk lamps and matching floor curve lamps. If you have overhead lighting, make sure to request warm light bulbs to be installed by the building maintenance and ensure that there are adequate coverings on them. Little looks worse than an exposed ceiling lightbulb. When it comes to lighting, the warmer the better with enough brightness to help your fellow colleagues feel awake, comfortable and ready for the work day. 

Thinking of re-designing your office but don’t know where to start? Compare multiple quotes from local professionals today.