Everyone who’s ever been involved in the business world will already know how important it can be to make sure your office looks the part.
Although this should be considered a mainly functional space, failing to utilise basic interior design tips could actually hinder your teams productivity. You see; spending forty hours each week in an uninspiring room can have a negative effect on motivation, which is precisely why you need to pay attention for the next couple of minutes while I attempt to give you a hand.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’ve never studied interior design on a professional level and I don’t intend to anytime soon. However, I have owned and run a number of successful businesses since the early 1980’s, so I’ve learned a thing or two about which elements work, and which should be forgotten about. So, take a quick read through the five suggestions I’ve made below, and hopefully you stand the best chance of avoiding common mistakes and getting your office design right first time.
1 – Keep It Simple
While you do want to make the space look inviting and interesting, it’s important that you keep the areas around desks as simple as possible. This is because humans have short attention spans, and placing too many distracting items in your teams line of sight could impact negatively on the amount of work they complete during their shift.
2 – Think About Space
This is particularly important if the office you’re renting is a little smaller than you may have liked. Still, by using glass partitions and walls like those provided by Barretts Glass, you should have no trouble keeping the open plan aesthetics whilst also ensuring privacy is available. Also, this will ensure your room looks modern and appealing to potential clients and customers.
3 – Consider Lighting
Depending on the size and shape of your office, you’ll need to tailor your lighting solutions accordingly. Strip lights are usually preferable for the work environment, but if you have chosen to install glass walls, you might need to try something different. Although spotlights are a little 1990’s, they actually work well, and so you definitely shouldn’t overlook this option.
4 – Purchase Artwork
If you really want to project the most confident and modern image possible of your firm, then heading out to local art galleries or looking online to find interesting original works by some of the most popular up and coming artists could be a wise move. You don’t need to spend thousands, but it’s worth avoiding the cheapest pieces and opting for something with a bit of class and sophistication.
5 – Work On Your Floor Plan
Lastly, your floor plan will play a big role in determining how your office appears to visitors, so you need to spend a lot of time trying out different ideas until you find a suitable way of arranging your desks and equipment. How you go about this will be an individual thing, but just to give you a hand; there are some great free software options designed specifically to aid people with tasks like this available online.
So long as you’ve paid attention to those suggestions, I’m confident you shouldn’t experience too many problems once the contracts are signed and your new office is ready for occupation. Thanks for reading guys, I’ll see you soon!