A pleasant work environment can help with productivity and organization. Whether you’re a solopreneur working out of your home office, or you have an actual space in a building, making the most of the area can improve your business and help you thrive.
How can you manage the property you have and get traction from it? We look at ideas for improving the aesthetics, layout and mood of your environment. You’ll also want to keep the space in good working order, fixing any issues that crop up as you go along. Make sure the functionality of the space stays updated.
How Can You Improve Your Office Environment?
According to the National Office Report, the average office vacancy rate remains around 15.1%, while more businesses opened in the past few years than is typical. Still, in some areas, there is a lack of available space, so you might be forced to make do with what you can find.
Whatever the limitations of the space you have, you can improve any environment and make it more conducive to a thriving business. Here are our favorite tips to make your office space amazing and a place you and your employees can feel at home.
1. Change the Color Scheme
Colors have a huge psychological impact on people. You can use color to create a calming atmosphere, bright pops to generate excitement or neutrals to keep things even keel. Consult with a designer about what hues might work best for the office space you have.
You should also think about your brand color palette and how well the shades fit with the personality of your business. Paint and decor is easily changed if something isn’t working for you.
2. Make Small Spaces Appear Larger
Do you have a small space or are trying to work out of a home office? Perhaps you need to meet with clients and want your single car attached garage to serve multi purposes. The good news is that you can make a small space appear bigger by arranging it in certain ways.
You can also utilize an accent wall toward the back of a long room to draw the eye and make the space seem larger than it is. Use a contrasting color, such as a deep green against pale tan walls. Think about any accents that might draw the eye. Even your flooring can make a space seem larger or smaller.
3. Go for Comfort Over Style
You might be tempted to buy those bright orange armchairs for meeting spaces, but if they are like sitting on the edge of a rock, they won’t be conducive to productive conversations. Instead, look for furniture pieces where people can sit and chat for long periods.
You also should lean toward ergonomic designers for desks and chairs. Your employees–even if the only one is you right now–will likely spend long hours at various tasks. You want them to be comfortable and not create back issues.
4. Install Adequate Lighting
The proper lighting can completely change your office space. Natural sunlight is always best, but where it is lacking, add overhead lights whenever possible. No one wants to work in a dark, dreary space.
If customers come to your office for meetings, you don’t want them to feel as though they’re walking into a dungeon. If you own the building, adding some canned lights in the ceiling can create quite a bit of illumination.
You also may want to look into lamps that simulate natural sunlight. It can improve your employees’ moods and keep everyone more productive.
5. Improve Air Quality
Poor air quality can impact the health of you and your workers. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to improve it for everyone. If you have staff who have asthma or other breathing issues, they’ll benefit as well.
Some experts believe office plants can improve air quality–some others say no. Even if they don’t make a huge difference, the oxygen plants put off and the carbon they absorb can’t hurt.
Open windows for a cross breeze from time to time to get fresh air circulating inside. Add an air purifier, regularly change filters and dust to remove the dead skin cells and debris from your space.
6. Declutter the Space
A cluttered space makes it hard for some people to work. Look around at all the “stuff” in your office. If there is anything you haven’t used in the last month, either store it or donate it. Getting rid of the clutter can help the space look bigger.
Look at organizational systems to get things off the floor. Store things up and inside cabinets for a more streamlined look everyone can enjoy.
7. Add Some Personality
Think about what personality your brand has. Are you fun loving? You might want to add some interesting posters or quotes to decorate the space. Perhaps you have a more serious, performance-based approach at your company. Add motivational sayings throughout.
Some brands are known for being youthful, for example, and might use bright pops or colors and accent pieces that scream of the younger generation. Add what you love and slowly grow your overall decor.
Take a Step Back
One you have gone through the steps to create an appealing office space, take a step back and look at everything. Is anything not working? What else could you change to make it even better? Talk to your workers about their preferences and what they need to do their jobs efficiently. The best managed spaces tend to change over time and adapt to various trends.
Eleanor is editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.
