When considering an effective workspace, people usually think of light, airy and spacious places to help maximize their potential output, through boosting moral and creating a calm environment to work in. However, a lot of workspaces are small, cramped and dark; meaning utilising our workspace effectively is really important to keeping employee satisfaction high, and providing a great space for work to get done in. So, in this article, we are going to discuss how we can use as much space as we can in small workplaces, to make it feel as big as possible.
1.Using colour
Colour provides a pop of life into any room, and sets the atmosphere for your workspace. You can use what colour scheme you like, however keeping to a couple of colours will make the room seem bigger and warmer. White walls with a few pops of colour either from plants, prints or lights will provide a calm and open atmosphere which is ideal for providing an environment to work efficiently in.
This of course, can be altered to you taste and references, but by adding colour into a room, you bring an element of warmth and character into your workspace, and balancing your colour scheme correctly will help make the room seem less busy and more welcoming.
- Take advantage of vertical space.
Utilizing your space effectively, both on the ground and vertically, will provide a lot more space for you to work in, and keep your office from feeling cluttered and un organised. Using vertical spaces really benefits those who are working in very small offices or home offices. Limiting yourself to desks and cabinet’s will only exacerbate the problem even more, so using shelves, sconces and overhead storage will really provide you with much needed space.
Using floating shelves can free up a lot of space otherwise taken up by brackets and shelf arms. This will help make your office space feel more harmonious and less cramped. Sconces also provide more space to your desk, by mounting the lamp to the wall you can really free up some desired workspace.
3.De clutter
The easiest and most effective way to start clearing out your office is by clearing out what you don’t need to make space for the things you do. This may be pretty obvious, but it can’t be understated how important de cluttering is in order to provide a more spacious workplace.
Big desks and tables will take up a vast amount of space, which could be drastically reduced by having a couple of smaller desks, placed at opposite ends of the room which will make the room feel bigger and less cramped.
Even with smaller things such as knickknacks or miscellaneous items lying around, these can be removed to give a sense of purpose to you space. Having a couple of plants, personal items or trinkets on your desk or windowsill will give your space a touch or personality, without taking over the entire room.
4.Use of lighting
Lighting can make or break a room or workspace. If not used to its full potential, your workspace can be left feeling dark and gloomy. Having a lot of natural light can really bring a room alive and help boost your cognitive output when working. Of course, having natural light will benefit you mentally as well, as you are spending a big portion of your day in your workspace, so having a good source of light will help you concentrate better and boost moral throughout the day.
Having a good source of artificial lighting is also important if you are working in a space with little sources of natural light. Using led lights to brighten up the room, with dimmer features so you can set the tone for when you are working. Having a good source of both natural and artificial lighting will have major benefits to you, both in work and mentally.
- Organising effectively
This encompasses many factors when considering using your space effectively. Good storage can help you with keeping your office organised, whilst labelling, tying and hiding cables will help declutter your space and make the room more functional.
Adding sections in your offices to perform different tasks and all with separate purposes will help you keep your workspace organized, so instead of having a single all-purpose workspace you can have multiple different workstations all in one room.
These tips are great for utilising a space effectively, and will bring a basic small room into a great workspace. If you are looking to utilise your workspace more effectively, or would like a design or your office space, why not contact lake contracts today to see how we can help you!