The most important feature of any good office is functionality. However, our offices are often cluttered with excessive office equipment, too many cords, and piles of paper everywhere. This is especially true for home businesses or small businesses, and it makes for a chaotic work environment. Luckily, there are steps that allow you to makeover your office in order for it to be more functional.
Step 1: Decide your layout for your office furniture and equipment
When redoing the layout of your office, it’s important to ensure that it is both a safe and functional workspace. One of the first things smaller businesses need to consider is how much power office equipment like computers and printers use. Since these electronics become “hot”, make sure your space provides proper ventilation to protect your equipment. Install some fans and air conditioning units to keep both the equipment and the workers cool.
Step 2: Keep your design elements functional
Choose some practical but trendy furniture. Instead of clunky office furniture, try shared workspaces or expandable desks and office chairs. They keep the space open and allow you to move around more freely. Make good use of the walls by adding some shelves. Adding a whiteboard or a corkboard for other employees to write collaborative messages is a fun idea. Try separating your office into different zones, the work area with everyone’s computers, the reference area with professional books and manuals, and the office supply center.
Step 3: Put some organizational systems in place
Set up some organizational systems. Paper seems to bring the most clutter. Consider establishing a paper-processing center, where you can divide the projects into three sections: not yet started, in progress, and completed. You’ll also have to decide if you’re going to go paperless or not as storing everything on the computers provides less clutter but not everyone is used to it.
Step 4: Let some light in
A recent study showed that office workers that are exposed to natural light improved their performance and their mood. If possible, create your office space around windows by moving desks or conference tables near them. If your office doesn’t have many windows, try adding some LED lighting or some natural, light wall colors. Lighter colors make the room look bigger and airier. Light blue is a popular color this year.
If you’re looking to re-design your office, our team at Refresh Organizers & Designers can help by meeting with you and figuring out the steps to re-design and organize your space. Call us today at 510-984-1607 to set up a consultation.
