If you’re looking to make your office feel more sophisticated and productive, you’re probably wondering what’s the most time and cost efficient way to do so… indeed, you might even be questioning whether it’s truly worth the effort with regard to the return on effort.
In this article we’re going to look at some of the core principles in terms of making your office feel more sophisticated and productive. Of course, when it comes to sophistication, that’s a very subjective matter yet there are some core design principles to consider.
For instance, installing glass railings to ensure safety whilst maintaining a feeling of clean, cool, spacious and airy design would be one way to enhance sophistication. The challenge is, as with most things, design is constantly changing in terms of trends and tastes – what’s in one minute is out the next, so in this article we’re going to look at some of the core components that are likely to stand the test of time.
- CREATE A BLANK CANVAS
If you value both sophistication and productivity, you can’t go wrong with thinking along the lines of an art gallery. Art galleries tend to have nice white walls that allow the statement artworks to stand out. The reason you want a blank canvas, and to keep it that way, is that it will bounce light around and lead to a feeling of calm rather than clutter.
2. ENSURE PLENTY OF LIGHT
One of the most important aspects of creating a more sophisticated and productive workplace is to ensure there is plenty of natural light entering the space, and if there isn’t to use tricks such as mirrors, or alternative sources of light to create a feeling of spaciousness and clarity. You just want to make sure they are energy efficient light sources.
In doing so, you will find that people are much more focused and energised, because when people work in a dark and dreary place they often feel drained and uninspired. The more natural light (presuming it doesn’t interfere with their ability to see the computer screen in front of them) the more focused and energetic your staff will be.
3. INCORPORATE NATURE
Whilst you don’t want to turn your office space into a jungle, it can be helpful to bring the outdoors indoors with regard to having some foliage around the place. It helps people feel more connected to nature and has a variety of health benefits.
4. MINIMALISM IS OFTEN BEST
Similarly to how a clean desk policy can help people feel more productive, and less cluttered in terms of their environment and their mind – keeping a minimalist space can be helpful in terms of keeping people feeling productive whilst creating an air of sophistication.
Of course, you don’t want to make things so minimalist that they feel austere, but clean, white walls, for instance can be a lot better than walls cluttered with certificates and art work.
5. KEEP IT COOL
If you’ve ever been on a hot stuffy train, or aeroplane, then you’ll know how agitated and drowsy this environment can make you. Yet, when it comes to office space, there are so many sources of heat (i.e. people and computers) that need to be accounted for in terms of keeping the temperature cool enough to focus.
You want your staff to remain energised throughout the day and one of the best ways to do this is to lower the temperature, as it has been shown in study after study that a cool working environment increases focus and attention span.
