How to Create a Great Office Space

Moving to a new office space can be an exciting time for any business. When planning a new space, you have an opportunity to create a better work environment for you and your staff, and one that can aid in communicating some of your companies’ values to clients. You will need to consider things like the office furniture, the layout, and the different types of work spaces that you want to create.

Most companies would likely benefit from consulting with a design firm. A professional that specialises in office design will know how to create an ideal work environment while maximizing the available space. However, many small companies may not be able to afford to hire a consulting firm. For these companies, here are some design tips that can help to achieve a better office environment.

1. Light & Space

Two key elements to a great office space are light and space. Every day, staff will spend hours in their workspace, and things like poor lighting and cramped conditions can have a pronounced negative impact on mood and productivity.

Electric lamps are obviously going to be a big part of your lighting scheme, but finding ways to introduce natural light comes with a raft of benefits. Sunlight provides the worker with a wider spectrum of light, and the human eye is more accustom to working in sunlight. Natural light can help to reduce eye fatigue, and studies have shown that employees are more productive in environments that have more natural light. Made to measure sunscreen roller blinds are a great way to control the amount of light entering the office, while also protecting staff and furniture from harmful UV rays.

In regard to space, there are a few concerns. You have to consider the amount of space that the individual employee has at their workstation, the space in corridors and common areas and the amount of space between the different workstations. Essentially, you want people to have enough room to work in their own space, and you want there to be enough space for people to move around easily when they are going from one place to another.

2. Furniture

It is tempting for many companies to go with cheap furniture – especially when they are buying for staff and not for themselves. This is often a mistake as the amount of money that you save on commercial furniture is likely to be lost in productivity.

As in many occupations, staff are likely to spend a lot of time in their chairs, if the chair is poorly designed, it can lead to issues like back problems. This might take the employee out of work for a few days, and when they are at their desk, they might feel the need to take more breaks or time to stretch. With a set of ergonomically-designed modern chairs, you can make your employees happier and more comfortable, leading to better productivity.

Similarly, a better desk can also help to improve productivity. A modern desk will have design features that are intended to increase organisation and it will keep things like computer wires out of the way.

When you purchase office furniture, keep productivity in mind. Additionally, you want to consider whether you may want a contemporary furniture style, you can choose to buy bespoke furniture for your office, and you can even choose to buy your office furniture online. If your office is a place where clients may commonly visit, then you may also want to think about the possibility of buying stylish office furniture to project the right image.

3. Keep it Neat and Organized

Making an office space that is neat and organised will be another important point for a functional and productive working environment. The two major considerations for this point are keeping things free of clutter and having adequate storage space.

On the level of the individual staff member, the choice of office furniture is going to play a big role in reducing clutter and having enough storage. With modern desks, employees should have enough drawers and storage compartments to keep their work area neat, clean and organized.

Beyond the level of the individual worker, you have to consider storage solutions for the office as a whole. When you are planning the space, you need to account for the types of things that you may need to keep stored away. As an additional point, you are also going to want to make sure that storage rooms and closets are organized. Buying different shelves and racks can help to make for a more efficient use of storage space.

With these three points, you have the basics of creating a good work environment for an office, but there is more that you can do. You can brand the office to establish a stronger sense of company culture and you should consider the design for places like break areas and team collaboration centres.