Principles of designing a productive and inspiring office are the same regardless of whether you work at a company, have a home office or have an obligation as an employer to make the most of the space you have. In order to create the most effective office design, you don’t need too much time and effort, complicated Feng Shui steps or a lot of investment. Stick to the basics and common sense, and productivity at work will always be satisfactory.
No Clutter No Problem
When making changes to your office design, make sure to get rid of all the clutter that you simply don’t need. This goes for bigger pieces of furniture but most importantly for small knick-knacks that you thought would be good for decorating purposes. Personalized décor is necessary by all means, but you should never go overboard so much so that you find it hard to concentrate on your work. Not to mention that a messy desk is everything but a productivity booster.
Change up the Color Scheme
Many studies have confirmed so far that sterile white or gray walls and similar color schemes lower the employee’s productivity. On the other hand, colors such as red, blue, yellow and green as well as their hues are said to boost productivity, energy, mood and inspiration at work. Of course, the choice of colors can depend on the type of business in question or your own personality. You don’t have to paint the whole office – one accent wall is enough as well as colorful accessories here and there.
Comfort Comes First
Being too relaxed at work is not the road to successful productivity and performance efficiency but this doesn’t mean that anyone should have to deal with discomfort at work and be expected to perform outstandingly. In that respect, keep the work area at the right temperature and make sure that both the desk and chair are of proper height and quality so that they don’t cause any pain.
Effective Layout
Together with proper chairs, desks and other work place furniture essentials, it’s important to think about the proper layout. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that effective office interior design can have a massive influence on the employee’s efficiency. For work to proceed smoothly, one needs to have adequate freedom of movement as well as immediate availability of important documents, gadgets, etc. If the space is overstuffed with desks, chairs and other bits that it almost feels suffocating and requires more effort to move around, productivity levels are bound to drop.
Plenty of Green and Light
A positive effect of nature is widely known but plants and natural light can be especially useful in an office. Not only do plants purify the air, but they also calm and soothe the mind and relieve stress, while plenty of natural light improves the overall mood and lessens the strain on the eyes. Some companies took this step to another level by introducing indoor vertical gardens into the offices but if you don’t have that kind of space or budget, regular plant pots here and there will work just fine.
In order for the office design to be truly effective, one needs to make sure that everything is kept nice, clean and neat. If you’re trying to improve the look of your own office, you need to pay attention to leaving no mess behind. On the other hand, if you want to provide your employees with productive office design, you should aim to involve everyone in this process and encourage every employee to actively do their own part in keeping the office, desks, drawers and shelves mess-free.