Room to Breathe and Work: Tricks to Enhance a Small Office
The goal to live and work in smaller spaces and use space more efficiently is a great idea – it conserves energy, keeps us more organized and ensures that we can manage tasks well in just about any home or office building.
When it comes to setting up a small workspace, there are tricks in decor and furnishings that can help make the area feel bigger without adding square footage. Whether you work from a home office or you’re assigned a tiny cubicle, aspects such as lighting, paint, furniture choices and others will make a huge difference and help you feel more productive.
Furniture
The last thing you need is furniture that takes up so much space that you feel packed like a sardine into your small workplace. You shouldn’t have to squeeze between a desk and a chair to get to your door. Try these tips instead.
- Get furniture to perform double duty, such as a seat that opens up to storage or a desk with leaves to pull out when you need them and tuck away when you don’t.
- Invest in a backless office chair. It creates more visual space and your posture might even benefit.
- Try to find pieces that neatly hide everything in cubby holes, drawers and generally away from sight. The less cluttered your space is, the bigger it will feel.
- Avoid dark, clunky pieces of furniture in favor of a sleek, modern look.
Wall Color
If the walls feel like they’re closing in on you, fight back with some clever design tricks.
- Light, airy paint makes a world of difference. And solid white walls aren’t your only option, so go ahead and get creative. Shades such as beige, light blues and greens and yellow are all great for expanding space.
- Another trick concerning paint is to go monochromatic with the ceiling, trim and baseboards, choosing a slightly different tint of the same color for each. If you paint the trim and baseboards a lighter tint than the walls, the walls will look like they are farther away.
Lighting
Light is the easiest way to keep the eyes moving around a room and create the illusion of space.
- Try lamps in four corners.
Banish darkness and make every inch of space count with plenty of lamps. - Use natural light if possible.
The view of the great outdoors will make your space seem much larger, so go ahead and make the most of your windows. You might even want to leave them unadorned, with no blinds or drapes. But if it proves to be too distracting, a sheer curtain will allow light while keeping you focused. - Try adding emergency light fixtures
While planning for the lighing for your room, you can also think of adding emergency light fixtures in that. These type of lighting fixtures provide 90 minutes of emergency lighting during an evacuation emergency procedure. They are very durable, affordable and reliable.
Decor
Perhaps you’ve never thought about decorating a workspace as you would a house, but a few simple tweaks will enhance the space.
- Pick a single color scheme.
Your space will feel larger if you strive for visual organization and one way to accomplish this is grouping items by color. Whether it’s stationary, paperweights or pens, try to keep your room harmonious for best results. - Take it easy on the patterns.
Busy patterns will confuse the eye and make your workspace shrink. Opt for solids in bright, sunny hues instead. - Use mirrors.
Wall-to-wall mirrors might not be your style, but a strategically placed mirror opposite of the doorway will make the space seem much larger. - Put unsightly cords together.
Don’t cover your floor space in wires; corral them into a cable box and tuck them away from sight. - Add shine when possible.
Keeping surfaces clean and dusted will help them reflect and make the space much larger. - Don’t forget about the vertical space.
There’s a reason so many people fit on the island of Manhattan – everything goes up instead of out. Take that same concept into your workspace by installing higher shelves. You may also want to place focal points such as artwork near the ceiling, in order to draw the eyes upward. - Keep the floors covered in a light rug.
Don’t throw a dark rug at your feet – and don’t hesitate to place a rug lighter than the color of your floor. Make sure the rug’s color coordinates with the walls and other decorative accents.
Remember, physical space can equal mental space, and your personal work space is a great spot to practice making the most of every inch. Before you know it, you’ll feel more creative and productive with your newfound breathing room.
Garret Stembridge is part of the team at www.extraspace.com, a leading provider of self-storage facilities. Garret often writes about storage and organization topics for homes and for businesses.