For those businesses that have an actual office space, it is important that it is open and inviting. We have all walked into a place of business and been completely turned off by it. Many people leave and never do business with that company. You do not want that to happen to your business. Every office space needs some updating after a while. It is easy to fall into the trap of purchasing items for your office that are the new cool thing, but in six months, it makes your office look silly and unprofessional. You do not want to fall into that trap. Keep reading this article to find out five ways you can keep your office looking modern.
Option 1 – Open Space
You may think it sounds expensive to create a modern office space. It sure can get expensive depending on what you would like to do. However, there are commercial facilities solutions that will not break the bank or your budget.
Obviously, the larger your space is, to begin with, it gives you the ability to create a more open office. When you think of offices that are classy, stylish, and lucrative, you think of one that is spacious and large. Even if you have a smaller space, you can give the impression that it is larger. It is more challenging but not impossible. The first thing you want to do is remove all clutter. Anything that is not in use should be stored somewhere. This includes cups, stationery, office supplies, and those pesky cables. You want to hide all of your computer cables as much as possible. If you cannot hide them, streamline them. You can tie them together, so they look neat and clean.
You can move your furniture around to create more space. You can remove oversized furniture that is not being used. You may also consider replacing all of your current furniture with more modern looking workspaces. If there are partitions in your office, take them down. This will open up the space and make it look larger. If there are cubicles, you want to get rid of those too. This creates a more collaborative environment for your employees, as well.
If you are replacing your existing furniture, this carefully about the new items. You want to make sure you purchase quality items that will be comfortable and modern. If you have a reception area, consider adding plush seating, with possibly a pillow. You could add custom countertops to give the space an elegant feel. Not only do you want your office space to be modern, but inviting and comfortable, too. No matter what type of business you have, you want your clients to feel like you want them there.
Option 2 – Lighting
The lighting in your office is going to be a critical factor in making it appear larger, welcoming, and modern. In general, for a workspace, you want it bright and airy with a lot of light. However, you also want to keep in mind that you do not want the light taking away from the productivity of your office.
Natural light is the best way to create a bright work environment. When you have large windows, you can reduce the amount of artificial light you need in your space. If you do not currently have windows, you could consider custom construction to add them. When you reduce the need for artificial light, you are reducing your energy bills which can improve your budget or increase the amount of funds you have available when you need them.
You want to consider layering your lighting. In addition to your windows, consider overhead lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. If you add dimmers to the lights, you can dim or brighten them as you need or based upon the feeling you want to create in the room. You can even use lamps to spotlight specific areas around the office. When you have good lighting in your office space, it will help everyone be more efficient. It will also eliminate eye strain, and your employees can be more effective.
You may want to consider investing in specialty lamps that give your office an artistic look. Of course, you want to remain classy and keep within the style of your office, but you can add a pop of style or art with your lamps and light bulbs.
Option 3 – Technology
Adding technology to your office space is a great way to not only make it more modern but also more efficient. When you add technology to your business, you can streamline work and make it easier to complete. In addition, adding new computer services can give your employees the ability to focus on specific tasks. You are providing them a way to be creative and thoughtful while performing their job functions.
You can add applications that are job specific to the work your employees are completing. For a modern office, you should consider moving to cloud-based software. There are many reasons why you want to consider this. While it may be surprising to you, moving to the cloud can provide a significant amount of savings for your business. This allows all of your employees to easily access the data that your organization stores. This helps to save a significant amount of time and money. In addition, storage in the cloud allows you to pay for only the space you need. You do not need to pay for anything more than what you need.
Cloud computing also provides your company security in a world where that may be hard to find. No matter which host your choose for your cloud services, they are all focused on monitoring security carefully. In all cases, the security of the cloud is greater than any in house security system you may have in place.
Using cloud services allows your organization to remain flexible. When you need more bandwidth, the cloud provides it immediately on the fly. In addition, you and your employees are able to access important information from just about anywhere with mobile capability. No longer do your employees need to be on site to tap into your data stores. This helps to promote mobile and flexible work environments that are more in line with modern offices. This can help your business when hiring, also. It may make a wider range of potential employees excited about your business and want to work for you.
Another huge step into a modern office is to incorporate a point of sale (pos) system into it. A clover pos system will make running your office and business simple. You will be able to accept payment and take orders on this system. It syncs with your data that is in the cloud, so your entire office is streamlined and scalable. It offers reports, refunds, and deposit capability. It can even help you increase your base of customers. Best of all, it looks streamlined and modern.
Not only are helping to streamline your capabilities but looking good while doing it. Technology changes and advances each day. Moving into a more modern office means embracing those technological advancements.
Option 4 – Do Not Be Afraid of Color
Adding color is a great way to make an office space more appealing. However, you want to be careful with how many colors you add and where. There is such a thing as too much when it comes to color, especially if your goal is to create a modern space.
Many people think that the only way to add color is to paint the walls, but that is not accurate. You can paint the walls in the office to create a new look, but it is not the only way. You can also add a rug or two and textiles. In addition, you can put drapes on the windows. If you do not want to cover the windows because you want natural light, you can put drapes on chairs.
If you want a more corporate environment, you might want to stick with dark blue and gray. However, this can make it seem a bit stuffy, so you can add in some neutral shades and accents of color to loosen the office a bit. With carefully selected furniture and accents in color, you can give the room character or charm while not being distracting or busy.
Focal points are a great way to naturally draw the attention of your customers or anyone that enters the office space. You can use art, decorations, or furniture. You can place artwork or plants in a position where they can be seen as soon as someone walks into the room. When you add lighting or contrasting wall color, it increases a persons awareness of the focal point without them even knowing it.
Option 5 – Do Not Forget the Facade
When you want to create a new and modern look for your office space, you cannot overlook the outside of the business. If you do not own the building, there may not be much you can do on the outside. However, you may be able to encourage your landlord to make some changes. If you do own the building, there is plenty you can do.
Start with your signage for your business. Do you have a sign that makes it easy for your customers to find you? If not, or it needs some help, consider sign repair. This could be a great time to revamp your logo or your business sign. Depending on how old the sign is, it could be outdated. On the other hand, you could give it a more clean and modern look.
Take a walk around the outside of your building and look at your roof, gutters, windows. Does it look like they could use some sprucing up? Now might be the time for a new roof installation. Not only do new roofs look appealing, but it is important to have a functional roof. The last thing you want is leaks in your office. You do not want your equipment ruined or your customers to get soaked when they enter your office. It is not a good look, and it does not scream classy office. The outside of your office is the first thing your customers and employees see. You want to start off on a good foot by making every point of contact they have with you a good one.
It can be pricey to do work to the outside of your building. You could consider construction loans to get the work finished quickly. This type of loan could pay for itself if it encourages more customers to shop with your company. Taking on new debt is not always ideal; it could be a great way to secure future revenue.
Conclusion
Maintaining an office space can be an expensive endeavor. Included in that maintenance is keeping it modern and current. You can spend large amounts of money to do this, or you can make well thought out decisions about where to spend money. In addition, you can make some inexpensive changes to your space that make a huge difference.
In some cases, such as when construction is needed, it may be impossible to avoid a large bill as a result of modernizing your space. While there may be times when this is needed, if you are constantly working on your space and trying to keep it neat, modern, and efficient, your overall costs should remain low.
When deciding to make a change that comes with a high price tag, you want to consider if this change will still make sense in six months, one year, and five years. Are you making decisions to do something just because it is the popular thing to do right now? Depending on your type of business needs, this may not be the best decision you can make.