We all know being in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere plays a huge role in our overall mood and productivity, but did you know that a well-designed office space can make an impact on the success of your business? Learning how to decorate an office properly can have a tremendous effect on your business.
The most productive offices balance the comforts of home with a professional business image. Aka a stylish setting full of color, life and inspiration lead to a happy, healthy work environment for your team members to thrive in.
Your office design ideas should embody your company’s values in a way that makes everyone at work feel great. You don’t want people walking into the office with a bad first impression because the office design needs a facelift.
Take these 36 office decorating ideas to adorn your office with elements that keep you and your team productive, inspired, and motivated every day. It’s time to spice up your corporate office design ideas!
Have You Heard Of The Employee Retention Credit?
1. Hang large works of art
If you are looking for great small office decor ideas then hanging art can make your workspace look a lot more interesting, thoughtful & spacious. Keep it simple with black and white wall hangings or go bold with vibrant, eye-catching works that brighten your day every time you walk past them.
Adding canvas prints to your office’s walls can be a beautiful expression of art to represent the heart and mind of your company.
You can try these high-quality canvas prints from CanvasPop. They use state-of-the-art technology to make crisp, aesthetic, and alluring prints of your desired photo or artwork. The resulting prints are stunning and eye-catching which will personify your company’s ideals and motives.
2. Incorporate flowers
Flowers are happy. They look good, they smell good and they make you feel good. Sprinkle vases around your space for an uplifting vibe that everyone is sure to appreciate.
Note: Having fresh flowers can get costly, so opt for fake ones like these.
3. Add stylish trash cans
You need trash cans around your office, so why not make them enjoyable to look at?
From stainless steel to top-loading restaurant-style options, you’re sure to find a few that go with your office aesthetic.
4. Add unique furniture
There are so many options for swagged-out couches, chairs, tables, and the like these days. From animal print ottoman chairs to architectural chaise lounges, you will find some furniture that speaks to your brand, guaranteed.
Check out these unique office furniture options to bring new life to your workspace.
5. Make your company’s mission statement visible
Think about creating an enlarged picture of your company’s mission statement and plastering it in a common area.
Swag.com makes it easy to turn this vision into an attractive reality with its Spring Wall Kit 2.0. Upload your custom design, relax as the product is made and shipped to you, and then set it up in just a few easy steps. The wall is lightweight and mobile, so it’s a flexible way to display your mission statement.
Seeing your company’s mission on display every time you walk to the printer can be an effective way to showcase the values your business embodies, and a great reminder to carry them out.
Something like this:
Take customer success personally
Build products we’re proud of
Learn fast, act faster
Be real
6. Connect with your local arts community
A suggestion from monday.com is to use your work office decor as an excuse to support some local artists. Check out galleries in your area to find artists who create artwork that fits your office style, and see if they can customize some pieces for you.
Depending upon what line of work you are in, this could also give you a tailor-made way to extend your company’s marketing message to a whole new audience.
7. Integrate your brand colors
When choosing a color scheme for your space, incorporate your brand’s colors so your space upholds a consistent style reflective of what you and your business are all about. By incorporating your brand into the office design, employees may feel a stronger connection to the business and be more inclined to promote a positive company image.
The right colors can have a powerful psychological impact on people, causing them to feel happier.
8. Outline different spaces with rugs
Rugs are a great way of outlining various spaces without creating physical barriers. If you have a larger space with multiple sections, separate those areas with rugs.
Or, if your office is smaller, you can still add rugs like these. Put them underneath the furniture to act as nice accents or add one directly outside of your office doors. Even one or two can liven your space up.
9. Put mirrors up
These office decoration items can change the whole look of your workspace. They make your office more refined and professional and can make any type of space look bigger, causing your workspace to feel more open and inviting. These are some of our favorites to check out.
Bonus: Now your coworkers don’t have to go to the bathroom every time they need to double-check their appearance before a presentation.
10. Add a funky accent table
To some people, abstract art can be distracting, but if placed in the right room at the right angle, a funky accent table like this can make for a seriously cool centerpiece for your office, and oftentimes acts as a great conversation starter when welcoming new clients.
11. Color code your office supplies
Not only do matching pencil holders and staplers make you look organized, but they also keep you organized. Some colors are even proven to enhance your critical thinking skills.
Color can profoundly affect how productive you are. Scientific research has shown that blue colors affect your mind, read your body, yellow your emotions and green your “balance.” By combining these colors, you can greatly influence your work behavior.
If you need to be creative, try utilizing the color purple. The blue and red hues get your brain synapses firing as they produce a mind and body experience.
If you Google “most productive color,” you will find many results that suggest the answer is blue. If you do mind-work all day, experts recommend painting your office blue and spicing it up with a bit of orange. This evokes emotion into your mind-stimulating room
12. Break up spaces with dividers
Open office environments offer more than a modern workspace look. Breaking down walls increases communication and collaboration among team members, giving the entire workspace an overall synergetic feel.
This way, team members feel more apt to jump into conversations because the atmosphere is welcoming and informal.
13. Evaluate your office vibe
Speaking of office atmosphere, each space in your office should have its feel.
You might want your conference room, for example, to have a more serious, get-down-to-work feel. So having a neutral color scheme and more professional-looking furniture would make the most sense here.
Meanwhile, you probably want your breakroom to elicit fun and laughter, so adding bold colors, eclectic furniture, and dart boards would be appropriate. Find some awesome office furniture solutions from our friends at Calibre.
14. Paint an accent wall
To add some look-at-me color to your space without overwhelming your senses, paint one wall with a bright or accent color, then leave the rest of the office light and neutral.
15. Let team members personalize their spaces
Because everyone has their taste and personal style when it comes to decor, encourage your team to integrate any elements that will keep them motivated throughout the day.
This can be something simple like a colorful planner that keeps them on track or something extravagant like a mural of their favorite artist. You can even offer employees working remotely the option to customize their home office.
16. Make the most of your natural lighting
Good lighting is one of the most important elements of a well-designed office. Your space can be equipped with the most unique furniture, the best color combinations, and chic desks, but none of that will truly shine unless you have the right lighting.
Since natural lighting is always best, keep all window areas unobstructed to fill your workspace with as much natural light as possible. If your windows have blinds, keep them open during office house.
17. Have healthy snacks on display
Setting up a colorful display of snacks is an inviting and enticing way to get your team to eat healthy throughout the day so they can stay sharp and focused.
Put a fruit bowl, snack bars, and bottled water out for everyone to grab when they need some brain fuel.
18. Add a bookshelf
If your office likes to keep ahead of the competition with professional development and business books, stock some of the office favorites on a bookshelf in a meeting space or community room.
If you don’t have room for this one, simply stack some books on a coffee table that relate to your company’s purpose and encourage creative thinking in a common area in the office.
19. Highlight attractive views
If your office has a scenic view, showcase it. Keep the windows open and hold important meetings nearby.
If your office doesn’t overlook mountain tops or the ocean, you can always add a backdrop or two. Etsy is always a good choice for interesting options, and you can categorize for waterproof, glare-free, or wrinkle-free backdrops.
Whether big city buildings get you into the boss mode or palm trees are more your thing, you’re sure to find something that suits your style.
20. Get rid of office clutter
Papers, files, and boxes of all sorts are bound to pile up after a while. Setting aside 20 minutes each day to clear out office junk will have your space looking clean and refreshed in no time.
For more ideas for decorating your office at work & how to organize your office, check out this post.
21. Don’t forget about office aromas
Having nice smells in your office makes for a pleasant workday. Invest in some air fresheners and make sure that the air circulation in your building is up to par. If you’re careful, you can also light some candles to keep your workspace smelling great.
22. Keep a fruit basket handy
There’s something about a big bowl of fresh, colorful fruit that gets you invigorated just by looking at it. Place a fruit basket in an unexpected place like the coffee table in the lobby.
Doing this not only makes for a pretty picture, but you’re also encouraging healthy snacking!
23. File papers in “pretty” folders
Administrative work can be daunting, and at times, numbing. But it must be done, so make this task more enjoyable by departmentalizing your papers with colorful folders. Blue for marketing, purple for billing, and so on. Who knew filing could be stress-relieving?
24. Customize your computer desktop
This is an easy one, but essential. Simply add a picture or graphic that you know will keep you inspired throughout the day as your desktop wallpaper. Change it up every few weeks to keep things fresh and new ideas brewing.
25. Add hanging calendars
Never miss a meeting or important sales call again.
Serving both practical and eye-pleasing purposes, wall calendars will keep you on track with everyday tasks and ongoing projects and will remind you when upcoming vacations and holidays are on the horizon.
26. Keep framed photos of loved ones nearby
Keeping pictures of friends and family on your desk reminds you of what’s most important in life. The next time you’re stressing over a deadline, you’ll calm down once you glance over at Aunt Sharon hugging Grandma.
27. Add unique office furniture
What’s not to love about crazy-looking couches?
Having funky furniture around like cobalt blue lamps and patterned curtains transforms your traditional office space ideas into a futuristic workspace that your friends will envy.
Adding “out there” furniture also creates a new and informal space for your team to meet, which fosters collaboration.
28. Add a coffee station
Everyone loves coffee, especially when it’s free. Get a rolling island for the office, place a coffee maker, coffee and coffee filters on the tabletop, and mugs, cream, and sugar in the storage compartment. Get some inspiration here for your corporate office design.
Your team can have fun rolling this around in the middle of the day taking people’s espresso orders.
29. Hang team photos
Do you and your team set aside time for philanthropic ventures? Or perhaps designate one day out of the month to do a team-building activity?
Turn those good teamwork times into memories by snapping photos of your efforts and framing them around the office. Glancing at them periodically will remind you how good it felt to help out at the homeless shelter, prompting you to keep the good deeds going.
30. Add pops of color
Pick a few vibrant colors to incorporate throughout your space. Use a bright orange backsplash in your kitchen to point team members in the healthy snack direction.
Warm tones like reds and yellows stimulate productivity, so incorporate those in areas where team projects are worked on. Cool tones (think light blues and greens) create a more relaxing environment, so it’s best to utilize those in spaces like your breakroom.
31. Get a whiteboard
Whether in your own space or communal area, add a whiteboard (or chalkboard) for a creative and intriguing look. Use this to check off to-dos, hold presentations, and as an open invitation for team members to do the same.
Perks: You’re saving trees, you ensure your tasks are accomplished, and when the afternoon lull strikes, you can doodle for a creativity boost.
32. Add plants
Breathe new life into your office by adding plants. Potted plants like these can naturally help you separate spaces. And, they improve air quality in the office.
33. Position your desk properly
If you have a private office within your workspace, point your desk so you are facing sideways to team members walking by or wanting to pop in.
This way, you’re balancing privacy with openness without sacrificing your productivity rhythm.
34. Make your entryway warm and welcoming
Your entryway is the first thing people notice when they come through your office doors, so you should think carefully about the impression you want this space to have.
How do you want your team and clients to feel as they walk into your office? At home? Ready to get down to business?
Make it inviting by incorporating fun couches and chairs, wall hangings that are reflective of your company’s vision, and relevant magazines or news articles. If you have enough room, put a high-top table in the corner with a Keurig station and coffee mugs with a sign that says, “Grab a cup!”
35. Replace overhead lighting with lamps or task lights
Harsh fluorescent lighting isn’t comfortable for anyone. It hurts people’s eyes, causes headaches, and does not look good.
Replace your overhead lighting with industrial or contemporary floor lamps with cool office decor like these to match the rest of your office decoration ideas. This change creates a more open, cohesive space and it looks so much better.
36. Add a big clock
Never ask Julie what time is it again. Placing a can’t-miss, oversized clock in the center of your workspace is a modern way of keeping track of time and ties your office together – a must-have for your office wall decor.
