It’s in the best interest of any business to fit out space that establishes a healthy, ergonomic environment for its employees. Owning a small business doesn’t mean you have to think small. It does, however, mean you’ll need to implement some creative optimisation techniques to ensure your office fit-out fits your business.
Size doesn’t always matter – and small-scale office fit-outs are reducing clutter in the most imaginative ways possible. Simple, affordable and effective ideas are so vital in improving productivity.
So, you’ve decided to move to a new office, and you need to fit out your space. Of course, you don’t want your office to be another boring, run of the mill environment. You want something vibrant, something cutting edge, that inspires energy and productivity.
That’s where we come into it, office design and fit-out company with plenty of experience and innovative ideas.
There are a number of ways in which you can achieve smart space management to transform your small office into a multipurpose dream.
Creative Office Fit Out Ideas
CREATE AND INSPIRE BRAND AWARENESS
The overall look and feel of your commercial premises are one of the best ways to communicate your corporate identity. So it’s important to sell your brand to your staff and customers with a well-executed fit-out design that speaks volumes for your establishment.
Make your ideas known and invest in some brand-specific lettering and artwork or characteristic wall finishes to underpin your company’s vision and overall image. Incorporate some playful interactive features like custom-built sculptures or furniture which effectively showcase the purpose of your business — this can set your organisation apart in the minds of clients. Consider bold fixtures and fittings to transform further how your employees work.
Designate Diverse Areas Within Your Office
The daily grind can get a little tedious; so by introducing areas where your employees can either brainstorm ideas or take time to regenerate, you’ll help break up their day and encourage more effective time management. It’s so important to keep the level of engagement in the office high, and you can expertly do so with your office fit-out project design and management.
Allow your coworkers to take a well-deserved break from the pressure of looming deadlines with some clever ideas for your office break room. The break or lunchroom is so important for building on your working relationships and charging those batteries with some downtime. Be sure to give it some personality with some unique lighting fixtures, feature walls and ceiling works.
Kick back with some casual-style seating or lounges, so your employees feel well respected — it’ll also promote a strong sense of equality in the workplace. You can even mix it up with some playful custom-built phone booth style zones, work bays and privacy pods for quiet conference calls that won’t take away from an open plan.
Create a Communication Center
A limited amount of space can be especially frustrating with various conversations going on all at once. To avoid the distractions these causes, many small business owners are using privacy pods to create a designated communications area. When your employees need to make a call or participate in a video conference, a privacy pod lets them communicate without distracting others.
Privacy pods are small booths that are designed with a seat and tabletop, all constructed out of soundproof materials. Each pod is the right size to accommodate just one person and takes up a very small amount of space. You can install privacy pods in one portion of the available space, leaving the rest of the office space quiet and conducive to productivity.
Employ Colour Psychology
Let colour be the crème de la crème of your office fit out with an inspired scheme to get those creative juices flowing. Studies have shown colour has poignant associations, and you will need to elicit the right response from your coworkers and clients. Worker performance is highly dependent on the hues and tones demonstrated to work up the right atmosphere. Remember — colour can affect how you do business, so use this knowledge to your advantage and let your fit-out speak for itself.
Give bland, dull representation of the flick and brush up with some vibrant, stimulating shades. Your choice will depend on the mood you wish to evoke. Think shades of orange to stimulate creativity, and blue to keep employees in high-pressure roles cool, calm and collected. So choose wisely for what you want out of your business, and what you wish to see from your employees.
When you’re working with limited space, you want to stay away from dark, heavy colours as much as possible. If you start overusing shades such as charcoal, navy blue or burgundy, your office could end up looking even smaller. You can still use these colours throughout your office interior design, but you will need to use them sparingly.
Your colour palette needs to be dominated by lighter colours that are going to reflect the light and give the impression of greater space. Shades of white, beige, pale blues, greens and more are ideal for achieving this effect.
Go For a Minimalist Design
Less is more when you’re working with limited space. Minimalism has been a popular design trend for a while now as it favours simplicity and functionality. The contemporary style aims to create light and airy spaces that use clean, modern lines. It’s all about paring back décor, reducing clutter and only including necessary furniture.
It’s pretty easy to see why minimalism will work well in a small office. By taking a minimalistic approach to your interior design, you’ll be able to ensure that you only have essential furniture in your office and that every item serves a specific purpose. The style will also encourage you to find storage solutions to manage any clutter, including paperwork, cables and workplace accessories.
Implement Lockers, Shelves and Cabinet
Each and every employee plays a pivotal role in your company’s performance, so it’s a good idea to equip your staff with ample storage space to make their jobs much easier, saving valuable time and energy. A productive office is an organised office, and an organised office will no doubt leave a good impression on your clients and coworkers.
If your office space is small, there are a number of storage solutions for your office fit-out to reduce clutter and store all your important documents. You can support your employees to do their job at a minimum cost with custom-built lockers, shelves and cupboards that meet your spatial requirements perfectly. You’ll wonder why you didn’t exercise something so simple, to begin with.
Nap Pods
In Japan, they’ve been doing it for years – inemuri means falling asleep on the job and is an indication of working too hard rather than laziness, and the practice is even admired. Where napping used to be a fireable offence in a workplace, these days napping is encouraged. Some workplaces have napping stations or pods to encourage workers to take power naps to increase productivity, so they’re not dozing at their desk instead.
Reshaping the Space
Remodelling an office space can be expensive and time-consuming, but there is a more efficient way to create the office interior design you want. Many companies opt for installing fit-outs that can recreate a more professional setting and provide a workspace that promotes efficiency. Many office designs and fit-out companies offer a variety of styles, so finding something to suit your tastes shouldn’t be a problem.
There are office fit-out ideas to cater to almost every need, whether you want to create individual private offices or one large workstation for anyone to use. Many models make use of recycled wood and other low-cost materials, making a fit-out the most cost-effective alternative to constructing an office area from scratch. Each fit-out can be customised and will be made with the highest dedication to quality. This means only you will know the offices were assembled with fit outs and not constructed by an on-site crew.
Ensuring there’s enough room to navigate your office comes down to decluttering safely. Remove unnecessary decor and opt for symmetry throughout.
Avoid visual chaos and disarray by opting for lighter, more neutral wall colours as darker colours will make an office feel closed in. Increasing the natural light with larger bay-style windows will allow your office to breathe – mirrors can also be effective in creating the illusion of a larger room. Keeping on top of these techniques will ensure you get the most out of your smaller office.
We are experts in achieving the impossible for your office space, working within your spatial parameters and budget. We’ll look after the layout, construction and project management of your small office space, so your establishment can live up to its true potential.