No matter what small business you run, a well-designed, stylish and professional-looking office will impress employees, clients and prospects, and give your business a significant credibility boost. A professional office interior will also help nurture productivity, creativity and efficiency among employees, ultimately contributing to the success of your business.
Professional Office Decor Tips
Check out the following expert advice for small business office décor to create a professional and productive work environment.
Use Mirrors to Reflect Light
A lack of light is proven to be detrimental to productivity. One simple solution to boost light and therefore productivity within your small business office is to hang mirrors on the walls. As décor guru Jennifer Davenport recommends in her Business Office Decorating Ideas video, a huge office mirror bounces and reflects light making the office appear bigger.
Make Your Office Look More Exciting and Professional
It is important to make your office look exciting and professional to impress clients and at the same time create an environment where employees are happy to work. As Cassie Egan, Administration Support and Training Facilitator at Victory Corporate Serviced Offices, writes on LinkedIn:
“The idea is to make the office somewhere they want to be, not where they have to be. After all, how would you feel if you had to work in a dull, drab, cramped office?”
Keep Your Office Clean and Organized
“One of the fastest ways to turn off clients is by inviting them into a dirty and disorganized office,” notes the mmminimal blog, a source of minimalist design inspiration.
Having a clean, tidy and orderly office will be significantly more attractive to clients and employees than a messy, dirty office.
Make Your Office Warm and Visual
Interior designer Mania Mavridou writes on her blog:
“Research has shown that we tend to find the people we meet in warm surroundings, more friendly and trustworthy than they really are!”
Ensuring the décor of your office is warm and visually-enticing with inviting artwork and color schemes will go a long way toward promoting the appeal of your small business to those visiting your office.
Get Cozy and Comfortable with an Office Rug
In her video on office décor ideas to make the most of a small office, workspace décor expert Sharra Robeson advises placing rugs under desks for a warm, cozy and inviting workspace.
Glamorize Your Office with Glitzy Wallpaper
Dull and insipid wallpaper does little to inspire creativity and innovation. Instead, YouTube personality ClaCali, suggests adding bling to your wallpaper on your office walls.
Swap Boring Old Desks with Snazzier Alternatives
Carrying on with the glamor theme, this Pinterest board on small office décor from Ann Bush recommends introducing black and gold office desks and artwork into a small office interior.
Introduce Live Plants into the Workspace
There’s nothing quite like green foliage to liven up an office. And with practically zero maintenance, it’s hardly surprising the experts at Small Office Ideas have included live plants in their Five Decorating Ideas for a Small Office feature.
Allow Employees to Personalize Their Workspace
Psychological scientists Gregory Laurence, Yitzhak Fried, and Linda Slowik theorized that when employees lack privacy they end up spending more energy and mental resources on coping with distractions.
“When people experience their work environment to be low on privacy, it enhances the pressure on them to divide their mental attention between pursuing work assignments and handling the distraction, interference and feelings of being monitored that are associated with low experience of privacy,” these scientists note.
Rather than having one large open plan office, give team members some privacy at work by creating private work areas that employees can personalize themselves.
Have Computers Raised to Eye Level
In her video on clever ways to decorate an office cubicle, décor expert Jessica Probus advises raising computers to eye level to make working easier on the eye and the neck. This quick and simple office décor tweak can be an effective way to create a more productive, happier and healthier work environment.
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