Small Office Space Design
Is your office so tiny that employees almost climb over each other? Then it's time to rethink your strategy. Small offices can be just as effective, and sometimes even more efficient, than their grand-scale counterparts. But it takes a fresh design approach from the walls and the floor out.
Here are 6 ways that you can get it:
#1: Use a Blended Office Style Approach
The “open office” was a great idea that ultimately didn't work for most businesses. But that doesn't mean some open areas aren't important. A better idea is a blend with some private work stations and some open work areas for collaboration. This lets you maximize a small footprint and still give everyone the work space that they need. From hot desking to huddle areas, you don't need a dedicated office or even a cubicle for every head in the office as long as everyone has a place to work.
#2: Streamline and Get Rid of Clutter
Do you really need everything that's in your office? Probably not. If you streamline and declutter, think of how much space you'll save. Hard-copy files are becoming a dinosaur in many offices. So if you can store them elsewhere, go for it. Enormous copiers and anything else where you can downsize will help. Switching to paperless, at least to the extent possible, is another way to save space that you'd otherwise need for storage.
#3: Design for Your Business
If you were to examine an office layout template, you'd probably see many things that you don't need and furniture arrangements that you simply don't like. That's the theory behind designing for your business, and it's an area where Cubiture excels. Our professional space planners get to know your business, what's important to you, how you work, and what you do and don't need. The foundation of good design is knowing who and what you're designing for, no matter how small the square footage.
#4: Opt for Smaller Work Stations
The Mad Men office era of expansive desks, a sofa and cocktail table, and still room left over to pace around is a thing of the past. And chances are, you don't need that kind of space anyway. Smaller work stations instead of huge desks work because today's technology is a lot smaller. And if you need room to pace, there's always the common area.
#5: Use Plenty of Lighting
Nothing makes a small office look even smaller more than ineffective lighting. If you have windows, opening up the office with shorter partitions lets everyone benefit from natural light. American Express Open Forum suggests that lots of overhead lighting benefits the whole office too, as does smaller task lighting at work stations.
#6: Think About Vertical Storage
Read any article about housing in New York City, and you'll see how important vertical storage really is. If you design with only the floor's square footage in mind, you'll miss out on lots of potential space. Tall cabinets, shelving, and cubicle add-ons that mount on partitions are just a few ways to think up instead of out when looking for more room.
The footprint of your office doesn't have to dictate its style or efficiency. And if you're working with a diminutive space, consider yourself in good company. Plenty of businesses are scaling back for a number of reasons, not just to save costs.
When you work with Cubiture, you can be sure that every square inch of your office will be put to good use. Give us a call at 713-412-0900 and see how our expert space planners can help you design and create a modern, efficient, beautiful office that maximizes productivity.
