You’ve Made A Home, But That Doesn’t Mean You Know How To Decorate An Office

As a woman in the workplace, you likely already know there are a whole host of assumptions about what you can and can’t do. As you’ve built your way up the ranks, there’s every chance people failed to pass on tasks when physical work was involved. Equally, if a client was emotional or needed reassurance, you may have been the first one on speed dial.

Now you’re going it alone; you might assume those assumptions would trickle away. Have you not proven yourself enough? In all honesty, probably not. Assumptions based on sex are pretty hard-set, despite the advances we’ve made in recent years. Your team might still shirk asking you if an office chair needs lifting, for instance. And, they might also assume that you know how to decorate your office space. This can be a problem, especially if this is your first commercial space. After all, just because you’ve made a home doesn’t mean you know how an office should look.

Yet, whether you buy or rent office space, it’s essential that you get it looking right. This will have standing on everything from reputation to productivity. What’s more, everyone else’s assumptions here mean that you’ll pretty much go this alone. But, fear not; to help make the task easier, we’re going to look at the three main ways it differs to the decor you already know.

Light is most important of all. In truth, light rarely gets a look in when we’re decorating at home. We might install light shades and table lamps, but that’s about the sum of it. But, this is the first thing which varies in your office. In fact, it’d be fair to say that taking care of lighting should be your priority in that commercial office. As well as ensuring your staff can see what they’re doing, the right light is proven to increase productivity. As such, focus here could even help your team work better. What’s more, giving colleagues some degree of power over their levels of lighting is sure to earn you boss’s brownie points. So, take time to consider lighting for both the whole office and each desk. By providing desk lamps for each person, you enable them to switch these on and off as they please. You also need to ensure your office is light enough on the whole, so consider the main lights, too. Pendant lighting is a good option here as it provides low-level light which is plenty bright enough. Think, too, about using LED bulbs. These are cheaper to run and produce the ideal level of lighting.

Less color is often more. Unless you’re on the minimalist bandwagon, there’s a good chance you love a dash of color at home. Is there anything better than a bright room in your favorite colors? Those of us who go all out here often do so in style. It may be that you have yellow, blue, and even orange rooms back home. All for fun. But, these color schemes wouldn’t work well in your office. In fact, they would prove incredibly distracting. That said, a blank canvas office could be too far the other way. As such, it’s worth considering how to incorporate small splashes of color. Plants are a fantastic option here. Not only do they provide a fresh splash of green, but you can also have fun with plant pots. If you do want to play with color on your walls, pick one feature wall which you have a good reason to highlight. A noticeboard wall, for instance, would be a good option. This way, you can ensure a little fun touch without leaving people unable to work.

Few accessories with big power. Sometimes, a lot of accessories can look fantastic in the home. Ornaments and bookshelves really bring about that country cottage vibe. But, country cottage is not what you want in your commercial space. That said, accessories can work well here. The trick is to get the balance. The main thing to remember is that you don’t want to clutter the area. A cluttered office will lead to cluttered minds and disordered work. Instead, focus on a few accessories with significant impact. As mentioned above, plants and their pots can work fantastically here. Equally, it’s worth finding ways to incorporate at least a small amount of artwork on your office walls. If you want to bring a homely vibe, it could even be worth including a rug somewhere. But, the accessorizing should stop there.