By Ashley Preen
August 10, 2019
It is a known fact that the environment you work indirectly impacts the performance and result of your work. It, therefore, becomes essential to decorate the office in such a way that it is comfortable and inviting, enhancing productivity. A well-designed office can increase the success rate of your business.
The best possible way to make the surroundings of your office comfy is to give it the colour and vibe of home combined with the vibe of a professional business. Comfort and motivation must be both incorporated in the decor of the office to increase productivity and keep employees happy. Also, it is essential to keep in mind that embodying your business's main idea and theme in the design and decoration is also necessary to provide a healthy work environment.
It is no doubt that productivity and happiness go hand in hand. It is also no doubt that changing your work surroundings ultimately isn't possible either. However, even a slight change can become a significant uplift for success for the business. Furthermore, you don't need to be an architect to design the office. Some essential and straightforward things can be altered and kept in mind while designing, and you will be good to go. In simpler words, it is no rocket science. Not all offices are filled with sunshine-filled rooms and bright colours, but with a little touch of appropriate décor can turn the environment into a positive and creative working space.
Let's have a look at ways to decorate your office.
The best way to bringing your imagination of a perfect office is to have at least a mind map or at most a well-drafted plan on paper. You can also discuss this with any professional architect that you might hire, which is always a plus point. If you convey what you want to your architect, it will become a lot easier for both of you, and no one will be disappointed. This can only be achieved by having a plan to start with, so THINK!
The first and foremost step to decorating anything should be planning. It would help if you had an idea about what you are getting yourself into. If you don't, then it is fine too. You can always plan, step by step. It's your space and your business. No one else has a better idea about the feel and essence of it. So, start by deciding the underlying theme and make sure you choose wisely. Some decisions are only one time or long term like drilling in a wall. So, it is vital to know beforehand what you are doing rather than making a last-minute decision that you might regret later.
It is advisable to avoid offices that are situated in the middle of buildings with minimal sunlight. It is a known fact that sunlight makes people feel healthier and warmer, generating a positive vibe. So, you should make the most out of the day by decorating the windows of the office in such a way and positions. Use the central area of the offices for conferences and stuff where you require minimal light for PowerPoint presentations. On the other hand, use the outer areas near the windows and sunshine for the employees and yourself. Depriving employees of the sun gives a negative and gloomy feel sometimes, and it indirectly hinders the success and progress of the business.
Using plants can bring your office ideas to life. Plants can actually bring the workplace to life. It is not easy to maintain and keep the plants healthy, but they do have a lively impact on the office environment. Moreover, plants require sunlight to survive so you will automatically be providing it to by making means. Due to this, the employees will also get more sunlight, and it becomes a win-win situation for you.
A more straightforward option is using air plants. Air plants are mess-free and do not require soil and are easy to maintain. You can hand them on wall fixtures or decorate dull spaces by adding natural beauty to boring, gloomy offices.
The best offices are often bright in colours and extremely welcoming. Colours have an impact on how you feel. Incorporating colours into your workspace can have a motivating effect. Bright and dark colours give a feeling of strength and motivate you to work harder in a happier environment. If it is not possible to paint the walls altogether, you can make use of colours in several other ways. Colourful paintings and posters can be put up, and the equipment used can be matched with the whole colour theme of the office.
The human body has a different reaction to every colour. Here are some colours that can have a positive impact on your office environment:
Blue: the colour blue gives a feeling of stability and calmness. In this way, it becomes more comfortable for you to stay focused on the task.
Red: the colour red inculcates energy by increasing your blood flow and heart rate. This makes it easier to do work that requires more physical attention and movement.
Green: the colour green helps you stay focused for a more extended period. It doesn't cause fatigue to the eyes and gives a more natural feeling making you more efficient and calmer.
Yellow: the colour yellow is considered the colour of happiness. It inculcates and triggers the creativity aspect of the human brain, helping them become more comfortable and productive as well as happy.
Knowing the kind of work you do, you can decide which colour should dominate your office. In this way, you can maximize the creative aspect of the business as well as prosper productivity-wise. You can use any of the colours mentioned above in various ways. For example, you can keep a stress release toy or use a photo frame in a specific colour that complements your business and productivity.
Owning your space will make you feel more committed to the workspace and the tasks you do. Bring in picture frames and cups that you like to make it feel like a second home. Use personalized stationery and decorate with lamps that you are attracted to. Moreover, give your employees free will. Let them own their own space too. That will increase their level of productivity, and all in all, benefit the business. Let them make alterations and additions that would make them feel like home. Let employees have a distinguished desk and workspace. Ask for what they want and provide them with precisely that. In this way, they will ask for less and more fun stuff. Moreover, they can inspire and motivate each other by bringing in a variety of different creative material.
Make the décor interactive. Let employees communicate through stuff such as the kitchen walls or put word magnets and allow them to come up with random phrases to joke about and inspire each other. In this way, they can communicate with each other and open up to newer and broader ideas, increasing the horizon of creativity throughout the business.
Having an organized and mess-free desk lets you have a clear set of mind. On the contrary, too many things on a desk won't let us focus, and to some, it is sometimes very bothersome. This easy step can help decrease the level of stress and increase the level of productivity because you would know where everything is that you need and there will be no hassle to find it in a clutter.
Keeping the desk clean might not be considered a way to decorate, but it still counts. It can offer you the same benefits that adding a plant or an extra window can, i.e., increased productivity.
Another way to décor your office to perfection so that it complements your business is to incorporate the main idea and mission of the company in a commonplace. Use the relevant theme and colours and choose a place that people have to pass through every day. In this way, everyone will become familiar continuously with the main motive of the business and stay on track with that. It acts as a motivating tool and helps with décor as well.
Once you have decided the primary colour of the theme, start integrating those colours into literally everything. From basic stationery to the pamphlets and advertisements. Doing this will demonstrate how serious and committed you are to the cause of your business. Moreover, it will provide a sense of belonging to the employees as well as you since the same colour will be used everywhere. The bright colours used on the right products have the potential to have a strong psychological effect on people's minds, making them feel more motivated and happier.
To keep your office in track with the professional development, have related books in a well-designed bookshelf set up in the conference rooms or wherever you think will suit and have an impact. Having a bookshelf gives a professional look and feel. It might also encourage others to read books related to relevant subjects, increasing their knowledge and as a result helping your business.
Having a pleasant smell around you is very pleasing and refreshing. So, make sure you have the right amount of air fresheners in the office. You can even install the automatic air fresheners that maintain the aroma throughout the clock, so you won't have to worry about the pleasant smell withering off. In addition to this, you can put an aroma candle on your desk as well, which adds to the beauty, refreshment, as well as express your sense of belonging.
The benefits of coffee are essential for every person who works from nine to five. From the morning coffee to the evening coffee, the coffee station must provide different flavours. People love coffee, and having a coffee station with all the requirements of coffee around it will give a chance to the employees to communicate as well as stay fresh and focused without feeling drowsy.
The entrance of your office is the first part that anyone interacts with. Make sure it is decorated with the right stuff and has a warm and welcoming feeling to it. It is the first impression you will have on anyone, so this aspect of the office should be thought about carefully.
Make it interactive for the employees because they will be passing through it every day. Add things that would motivate a person entering in the morning like frames with great motivational quotes or coffee mugs. Moreover, add couches and chairs that are funky and cute. It would be best if you made sure that employees feel like entering a place that they belong to. If this is achieved, then your entrance decor is doing a great job, otherwise, alter it.
This decoration is more on a personal level. Adding photos of the loved ones who you miss or are excited to go back to after the job also has a positive impact. It makes you feel more like home, and it becomes easier for you to relax during a massive project that you might be doing. You can put up any picture you want but make sure it is something that brings you joy, not sorrow. The better your mood, the better your performance.
Another effective way to decorate the perfect office is to use the most significant moments and achievements of your team and décor the office with them. In this way, they will be reminded of the great times they have had for example business trips, conferences, awards won, records were broken, etc. it will encourage them to strive for more moments of greatness.
Conference rooms shouldn't be neglected instead given immense importance. These are the rooms where ideas are presented, and innovations begin. Make sure you décor the conference room that triggers feelings of motivation and confidence so that people can freely and confidently convey their ideas. You can make the theme revolve around your business name and idea or the products you sell or the market you work in. It is all your choice in the end.
People believe that perfection is impossible to achieve. However, it shouldn't stop you from working towards something you want. Success and prosperity for their business are what everyone wants. A great way to achieve this is by motivating the employees and yourself by decorating the office in such a way that it gives a warm and welcoming feel. It makes you feel like another home, a place where you belong.
Keeping in mind all the 16 ways to decorate mentioned above, you can significantly increase the level of happiness of the employees as well as productivity. Decorating your office is not a difficult task if it is planned in the right way and on top of that you consult an architect.
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