Imagine this room: old, yellowing carpet on the floors. Grey, peeling wall paint. Sparse furniture and even sparser decorations. Clutter lying around everywhere, cheap vases with plastic flowers staring at you from every flat surface, and desks that are all crammed right next to each other. Do you feel pleasant in this room? Neither do your employees. Neither do your clients.
An office is more than just a place where people work. It’s a reflection of the company’s values and its competence, and ultimately, it’s where your employees spend at least eight hours a day and your clients come to do business.
If you want to impress your clients and keep your employees happy and productive, you’ve got to get the design right. Here are a few tips to help you spruce up the workspace.
Colors affect everyone’s mood
There’s more to colors than preference, and the majority of entrepreneurs are well aware of this. For example, let’s start with green and blue – these colors occur in nature very frequently, which is why they evoke calmness and tranquility. This aspect of office design is important for breaking tension. Yellow, however, tends to communicate happiness and joy, which plays a key role in keeping a mind unoccupied and is a great pick-me-up. On the other hand, none of the mentioned basic colors evokes creativity as red does. This creativity, however, comes at a price – red raises a room’s energy level and has a tendency to cause adrenaline surges, which isn’t always ideal, but can do wonders for new ideas.
Knowing how to use colors in your office design is a key factor in making things function properly.
Lighting is crucial for productivity
Proper lighting is the most important aspect of a well-designed office space, especially if your building doesn’t get too much natural light during the day. We’ll just come out and say it – you need LED lights. Don’t even bother with any other type of artificial lighting. LEDs are up to 80% more energy efficient than other fixtures, they contain no toxic elements, they have a longer life span, and they’re much easier on the eyes than fluorescent fixtures. If you want to do more thorough research we suggest visiting the lighting fair in Frankfurt, Germany, especially if you want to hear expert advice. For architects, artists, and similar businesses that rely heavily on employees seeing their work clearly, proper lighting fixtures make all the difference.
Furniture design reflects the company’s image
Bet you didn’t think it’s going to take this long to get to the office furniture design factor, right? Well, now we are here and it is very much worth mentioning that it does, indeed, play a crucial role in creating a great atmosphere. However, not everyone is an interior designer and, try as you may to come up with a true feng shui atmosphere, it will never feel as good as when arranged by experts in commercial office design, and this is a fact! When it comes to furniture, always resort to professionals.
Spacious offices increase comfort
There is nothing worse than feeling caged within an indoor area where you spend the majority of your working hours during the week. Now, of course that you can’t really expand the walls of an area, but cleaning all the clutter and trying to find a perfectly fitting place for everything from printers to drawers will go a long way in creating a more open atmosphere within your workspace.
Pro tip for your office: try to keep the couches and armchairs a foot or two away from the wall; contrary to the popular belief, this will make any space feel more comfortable!
Plants will boost teamwork and productivity
Is there anything sadder than gazing out from your office window just so you wouldn’t have to stare at a dull, grey, lifeless room around you? To make the office livelier, introduce low-maintenance indoor plants. They will boost creativity of your team, make them more productive, and clean the air. Plants can also reduce noise pollution, which means the office will be quieter.
Personal items will make workers more committed
Personal items can make any employee feel more at home. Instead of just clocking off eight hours, they’ll be more dedicated to the company because of the sense of belonging. Things like family photos or small ornaments are an important part of positive office decor because they create a familiar atmosphere and boost teamwork between office members.
Most employees spend 40 hours a week in an office. With good décor, it can become a pleasant space to work in where every worker feels relaxed, creative, and productive. Create a stress-free, beautiful place for your employees and they’ll repay you in hard work.
Lana Hawkins
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Author, smoothdecorator.com
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email: lana.j.hawkins@gmail. |