When it comes to designing an office layout, several things must be considered, from furniture to desk arrangements to lighting to … well, the list goes on and on.
Studies show that office layout and other environmental factors affect employee well-being and productivity. It attracts talent, drives culture, and enhance productivity and creativity.
It can definitely be overwhelming and exciting in many ways, so here are some important aspects that you should consider in your realm of planning an office design so that once you’re moved in, you feel welcomed and can get right down to business.
Make Initial Plans
Determine the goal of your office furniture arrangement. Consider whether you are arranging your office to make it more welcoming to clients, to maximize your productivity, or purely for aesthetic reasons.
Measure the size of your room and the size of the furniture. Figure out the area of your room by measuring the walls and multiplying the length of the room by the width of the room. Once you know the size of the room and the size of the furniture, you can make some preliminary plans on how to position your furniture without actually moving it.
Choosing Your Primary Furniture
Primary furniture consists of your desk, work surfaces, and your chair. Secondary furniture is anything additional, such as filing cabinets, conference tables, guest chairs, or shelving units; these items are the primary requisites and one of the most important elements in your office. Your desk serves as a place for working, as well as storage of Zone One items, and it is the keystone of your office. You should be choosy and make the right choice by selecting the furniture from the most trusted brand.
Arranging in a Right Way
Before you arrange the furniture, consider whether or not you should even keep it. If you choose to purchase cheaper furniture, remember that saying “you get what you pay for”. Substituting lower-quality furniture of any sort, can lead to a lack of inspiration in the office, lowered productivity, and most importantly health issues amongst your employees. Old or poorly made cheap furniture can cause employee health problems such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, and eye strain.
Do Not Take up All of your Wall Space
This step may be tricky if you’re working with a smaller space, but, if possible, try to avoid pushing all of your furniture up against the walls. To make better use of the space and give the room more fluidity, place your desk in the middle of the room. If you have a desk that must be placed against a wall, then put your guest chairs out in the open instead. The right amount of open wall space will make the room seem larger than a space that is overly cluttered.
Keep The Entryway Clear
Your entryway should be very clear and should only have a few pieces of furniture near it as possible. Place visually heavy objects such as your desks away from the door to create the illusion of having more space. This gives you a better view of the entire space. Try to keep a few things as near the entryway as possible so that you don’t visually shrink the space or interrupt the flow of traffic.
Create Visual Balance
Distribute visual weight throughout the room to make space feel balanced. In other words, don’t put all of your case goods in one corner of the room and leave the other end of the room with a big, blank wall and no furniture at all. Visual balance can be created not only by furniture but by décor as well. If you’ve got your desk and bookcases at one end of the room, then try hanging some large art statements on the opposite wall to achieve that balance.
Be Conscious of Traffic Flow
Don’t put furniture in an arrangement in which people will struggle to get around it. It can be very irritating at times and can actually make you feel more stressed if you’re working in a cramped room.
Rather than placing furniture pieces across the whole floor and decreasing walkway space, try doing the opposite. Placing bookcases and filing cabinets close to your desk will keep walkways open, creating a space that’s easy to move in.
You can use Office Depot coupons and buy good quality furniture for your office at cheaper and discounted rates.
Placing Things at The Right Place
Place your most-used office supplies or machines near your desk. If you need to use a printer often, place it near your desk, such as behind you, where you can access it without getting up too frequently. If you need a file cabinet to hold your files and you work on several files a day, put your file cabinet near you at your side so that you can easily turn to access it.
Add chairs for clients or meetings. Place a few chairs near your desk so that when someone comes for a meeting, you can work from your desk. Place at least one chair in front of your desk directly across from you.
Stay Organized
As you’re considering ways to appropriately light your workspace and provide employees with functional, yet comfortable desks and chairs, don’t forget to factor in storage space. Every desk should have drawers, as well as a filing cabinet. Consider hiding electrical wires and hanging shelves, as well, to minimize clutter and promote good work habits.
Your office will definitely look good and well organized and will help you in concentrating on your work as well. It will surely bring out the best output.
Organizing Traffic Flow
Create a scale drawing of your office and Learn to achieve maximum function with minimum furniture. Plan for traffic flow and place furniture accordingly. Place office equipment and peripherals in the right way to make your workplace a better and more organized one.
So, These were some of the points one should consider giving the furniture layout while setting up a new office. It is most important to have an organized and properly maintained workplace in order to get the desired output.
So, next time whenever you think about renovating your office or start up a new one, do not forget to look up these tips to get better ideas.