Decorating Your Office

Your décor speaks volumes about your business
By Frances Sharpe, freelance writer/editor When you’re getting your business off the ground, choosing artwork for the office may fall to the bottom of your to-do list. But a well-appointed office can be very beneficial to business. In fact, attractive décor can be a strong marketing tool and can improve productivity and employee morale. Fortunately, putting the finishing touches on your office doesn’t have to bust your budget—options are available at every price point. The goals in decorating your office are:

1. To enhance your professional image.
2. To reflect your brand.
3. To reflect your corporate culture.
4. To reduce employee stress.
5. To encourage productivity.

Artwork

The artwork you choose to enhance your walls is more than simple decoration. It gives clients an idea of your company’s philosophy and culture. Clean, crisp black-and-white photography can indicate your commitment to detail; bold, colorful modern pieces may denote your talent for innovation; and classic paintings with ornate frames can highlight your dedication to tradition.
Try:  Art.com boasts more than 400,000 posters and prints suitable for business environments and offers discounts on orders over $1,000. Successories.com is well-known for its motivational prints. If you’re looking for fine art, consider hiring a corporate art consultant such as ShowcaseArtandFraming.com or Art4Business.com, which has a collection of 3,000 paintings, sculptures and prints and also includes a budget calculator on its site. To lease artwork, try ArtRentandLease.com.

Indoor plants

Including live plants in your office décor can greatly enhance the environment. Studies have shown that indoor plants can help reduce stress levels, elevate employee morale, increase productivity and improve air quality. The plants you choose will depend on the amount of natural sunlight available in your office and space constraints. Silk plants are always an option, too.
Try:  Corporate-Plants.com is a major supplier of indoor plants for offices, hotels and banks in most cities in the U.S. Most plants are available for rent or purchase, come with a maintenance program and can be placed in a wide variety of pots and planters to match your décor. For silk plants, try SilkPlantsPlus or QualitySilkPlants.com.

Reception-area furniture

First impressions count and the first thing a client or potential client sees when they step into your office is your reception area. If clients come to your office on a regular basis, don’t skimp on the furniture in your reception area. On the other hand, if clients rarely visit your office, choose tasteful, yet budget-conscious couches, chairs and tables.
Try:  OFConcepts.com and BizChair.com offer a large selection of affordable reception furniture. For contemporary designer furniture, visit JazzyExpo.com or Topdeq.com, which has one of the best selections of modern office furnishings and accessories.

Area rugs

Adding an area rug in your reception area can provide color and can also protect carpeting in high-traffic areas. Choose rugs that fit your image.
Try:  AddARug.com and Rugs-Direct.com boast hundreds of styles of area rugs, with many of them suitable for high-traffic business offices. For economical options, check out rugs at Staples.com or another office supplier.

Desk lamps

In addition to overhead lights, desktop lighting fixtures are recommended to reduce eyestrain. They can also add some flair to an office or workstation. Choose models that fit your decor, whether your office has a traditional or modern feel.
Try:  For a good selection of desk lamps, visit LampsPlus.com, where you can search for lamps by price range, brand, type, style, finish or height. Or try DeskLamps.com, which offers more than 350 styles.

• When choosing reception area sofas and chairs, remember that light colors show dirt and stains more easily. You may want to consider going with darker colors.
• Be wary when choosing sofas and chairs from a catalog. It’s best to actually test them out in a showroom to see how comfortable they are.
• Check your building’s policy on indoor plants. In some cases, they may be prohibited.
• Avoid plants that can aggravate allergies or that have strong odors.