Bringing design features to your office space doesn’t have to be as expensive as it sounds.
Adding elements of design to your office space can make employees feel more at home while they’re at work — something that can impact satisfaction in the workplace in a big way. “A good design makes employees feel more comfortable, and the space becomes more inviting,” says Rightsize Facility Performance Senior Account Manager Shannon Filo.
According to the American Society of Interior Designers, four key design factors greatly affect levels of productivity: comfort, access, privacy and flexibility. Despite this, oftentimes creating a well-designed office falls to the bottom of the priority list, especially when a business is operating on a tight budget. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“There are small little things that people can do on the cheap to really spruce up their office,” says Filo.
Here are a few easy tips for adding flair to your office space, without breaking the bank.
Tip #1: Combine New, Used and Refurbished Furniture — One of the biggest tasks when moving into a new office is furnishing the office, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive. “Businesses can create a blended solution when buying office furniture, which means using a combination of new, pre-owned and refurbished furniture,” says Filo.
Tip #2: Refinish Existing Items — Giving furniture that's already in place a facelift is a simple way of adding color to a space or making a piece more modern — and it’s amazing how easy this can be. Filo says, “Reupholstering existing pieces can make a big difference in the overall appearance of a space.”
Tip #3: Bring in the Light — An easy way to add pizzazz to an office space is by adding lighting in common areas. “Task lighting is huge,” Filo says. “Even a unique feature in your conference room, like a pendant feature, can update the space and give it a really fun look.”
Tip #4: Add Some Ground Cover — Depending on the flooring, adding area rugs or carpet tiles can be a very cost effective way of livening up an office, says Filo. “If you’re in a concrete space, throwing in some FLOR tiles can give your space some color and bring texture to the design.”
Tip #5: Take Artistic Measures — Adding artwork to the walls is a simple way of adding color to the plainest of spaces. And it doesn’t have to be expensive, it should just be colorful and thought provoking — and not necessarily filled with inspirational phrases. “A lot of people forget about art and leave it out of their design, but it really makes the space,” says Filo.
Whatever combination of design elements end up in the office space are bound to make employees feel like work is a warm and inviting place to be. But if a business has to prioritize where the artwork goes, focus on collaborative spaces where people go to escape, Filo says.
“It creates an area where people can congregate, because it’s a little more homey with the added design elements, rather than just stark office space.”
About Rightsize:
Rightsize Facility Performance, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a nationwide office interiors and facilities services firm serving corporate clients in transition. Founded in 2004, Rightsize employs an industry leading “Design/Furnish” approach to ensure seamless workplace transitions and is a single source for interior design, furniture procurement, delivery and installation, asset disposition, facility decommissioning and ancillary project services. Through its Office Furniture Center brand, which includes OfficeFurnitureCenter.com and a 200,000-square-foot showroom, Rightsize also provides a single source for quality workstations, desks, seating, filing, conference and reception furniture.
