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Whether you are a start-up or a well-established business, you need to make sure that your office stands out. Your premises are as much a part of your business as your services or products. If you have a dark, dingy office space, it will have a harmful effect on your staff. That is the last thing you want or need. You want your staff to come to work, brimming with new ideas. Here is how you can create an office that stands out.
- Consider your budget
Before you get to work, you need to consider what your individual budget is. Of course, you don’t want to spend all your company finances on this project. You can get a cool office on a budget if you try, and so you don’t need to panic. Figure out how much money you have to spare and work with it. That way, you will find that you won’t make the mistake of over-spending.
- Work with color
One of the main mistakes that people make when it comes to decorating an office is that they only use gray or white. You need to make sure that you don’t do that. Sure, it might look a little over the top to color the entire walls, but you can use hints of color throughout your workplace. For example, you could get colorful furniture or paint the alcoves of your walls a particular tone.
- Find the ideal floor
Finding the right floor for you is essential. Many modern offices have dull carpet, which is a nightmare to clean. Carpet looks old-fashioned, which can be a serious problem for you. If you want to look ultra chic, why not get something like epoxy flooring? If you get a hard floor surface, you will find that it looks contemporary and new all the time. Also, you have the bonus that these floors are not hard to clean at all.
- Create ‘think tanks’
If you work in a creative industry, ideas are king. That means that your employees need the space where they can think of their next great idea. You should create think tanks in the office. That means that you section off an area where people can come up with new ideas when they need to. The area should be free from distractions or any other issues. You might want to include a whiteboard and some comfortable seats, but nothing else.
- Make use of space
When people come to work each day, they need space from one another. You must never try and cram 40 people into a space that should seat 30. That is rule number one. Instead, you need to make sure that each of your employees has the room they need. You should separate the desks so that people feel that they have their personal sense of space. In doing so, you will notice a real difference in the way people feel in the workplace.
- Create meeting rooms
Every week or so, you should call a meeting with your staff members. That way, you can make sure that everyone in the office is on track and knows what to do. If you want people to focus on what you say, you will need separate meeting rooms where you can hold these events. If you only have one area in your office, you might want to create a space where you can gather people around a table.
- Think about comfort
Your staff will have to spend five days a week in the work environment. That is why you need to make sure that it is as comfortable as possible for them. There are many work-related injuries that you will want to avoid. For example, some people suffer from bad backs when they don’t have the right chairs. On the other side, some people find that they get RSI when they type all day long. You should do everything you can to prevent your staff from suffering from these things. You can get specialist chairs to keep people’s back secure. You can also get armrests so that people don’t get RSI either.
- Ensure there’s enough storage
Every office has loads of stuff that they need to file and keep safe. If you don’t have enough storage in your workplace, you could find that you have a problem when it comes to looking after documents. You need to get as many sets of drawers as possible for the office. When people have nowhere to put their things, the office will start to look messy. When an office is untidy, it is not the best work environment. If you sort this issue out now, though, you will never have that problem. Look for office storage online and see what you can find.
- Don’t block out natural light
Again, you want to make your staff feel as comfortable as they can. People crave natural light. Aside from keeping people awake, it also makes them happy. That means that your team will be more content if they can see daylight in the room. Avoid the use of heavy blinds or drapes. Instead, you want to make sure that the windows let all the light into the room that they can. You will see that people enjoy having some light in the room and that it helps their work.
- Add a little character
Remember, this place is your company office, and it should reflect your business ethos. If you are an eco-friendly office, you can show that in your design. You might want to use some reusable material when it comes to creating the room. If you are a design office, you might want to have examples of design around the room to help inspire people. Every office should not look the same as the next. Do what you can to make yours look unique.
If you follow these tips, you should find that your office design looks fantastic. Since you spend so much time there, you might as well make it look great.
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
