The modern office is a space that embraces change.
Shorter leases mean companies move more often. Insiders expect occupation in co-working spaces to rise by 30 percent by 2030. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced businesses to embrace remote working.
When crafting the office of today, business owners need to focus on modern office furniture. Think adaptable and cost-effective.
Below, we reveal how to create a flexible office environment at an affordable price.
Modern Office Furniture Hacks That Work
Enduring Monochrome
When it comes to modern office ideas, nothing is more enduring than the simple, united look a monochromatic design provides.
When interior designers mention a monochromatic theme, they are referring to the technique of using a single color. They apply the color in a variety of lighter and darker shades throughout a space.
Choose a color from your company brand’s style guide. Your office will look cohesive and any furniture you buy will fit with your business forever. Even if you move to a new office.
Mix blocks of color, such as brightly hued couches, rugs, or your boardroom table with patterned accessories and art.
If you’re not sure which color to pick, you can’t go wrong with black, white, and grey. A focus on monotone helps graphic designers prioritize layout and spacing. Similarly, business owners can use this approach to design a room without distraction.
Provide Lockers for Your Staff
As much as 21 percent of businesses in the USA reported employee property theft in 2018, a number that grew by almost 100 percent over the prior decade.
Hot-desking, flexi-hours, and work-from-home options are more popular than ever. Smart business owners are finding ways to provide their workers with a secure space to store their personal possessions.
Employee lockers can be easily personalized with names or numbers, lock securely using keys or digital codes, and have space for everything from stationery trays and laptops to gym gear. Smart lockers allow employers to combine the building and locker access using a scannable card or smartphone app.
Alternatively, take a leaf from home office furniture ideas and give your employees a small safe at their desks.
Take Advantage of Sales and Coupons
Invented by Atlanta businessman Asa Candler in 1887, coupons are a time-tested marketing strategy. Candler’s hand-written tickets offering consumers a free glass of a certain shadowy beverage propelled Coca-Cola into the popularity it enjoys today.
Nowadays, savvy shoppers can use coupons–like this modshop1 coupon–to earn discounts on everything from floor cleaner to office chairs. If you’re outfitting an office on a budget, be sure to check the websites of your office supply stores and social media accounts of interior design influencers to snag discount codes.
If you’re buying a lot of one item–executive office desks, for example–negotiate a discount with a commercial furniture provider. The discount could be a percentage of the total cost of the items or the supplier might offer free shipping.
Another way to save money when buying in bulk is to buy second hand. Look for office liquidation sales, scour Facebook Marketplace, or look for refurbishment centers near you.
Flat-Packed Modern Office Furniture
This year, the BBC declared the future (of furniture design) is flat-packed. Indeed, IKEA has almost 500 stores around the world for a reason. DIY furniture is compact, making it cheaper and easy to transport.
If you’re putting an office design together, you can save big by choosing flat-pack furniture for desks, shelving, side tables, and even the kitchen cabinets.
Are you worried about the quality of flat-packed furniture? With getting in on this modern office trend. Designer furniture companies like American-born Burrow and Hem from Stockholm are creating home and office furniture that is as beautiful as it is transformable.
Flat-pack furniture reveals its convenience when it’s time to move. Simply dismantle everything, pop it into boxes, and re-assemble it all at your new location.
Invest in Art
From mosaic tile patterns to classic canvas, art is an integral component of a lot of modern office space ideas. It has been proven to enhance morale, reduce anxiety, and broaden views of diversity.
Responses in a 2004 survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts revealed the power of art in the workplace. Over 60 percent of participants surveyed agreed that exposure to art while working increased creativity and productivity, while almost 80 percent said it helped them feel less stressed.
If you really want to prove your commitment to the community, collect artwork by local or emerging artists. The work will likely be cheaper. Plus you never know who might become famous in the future!
Don’t just consider paintings. Ceramic sculptures, textile wall hangings, or large-scale photography can add a touch of charm to boring corners of the office.
Plant an Indoor Garden
Turning your office into a jungle might sound like it belongs among the very wackiest of rustic office ideas. But there’s actually some science behind the benefits of business greenery.
A Japanese study from 2019 found that plants have the power to reduce employee stress. By simply placing a plant on a worker’s desk and asking them to take care of it, the pulse rate of the participants lowered significantly.
Adding small, easy-care plants like succulents and cacti, grasses, or ferns won’t break the bank and may improve office life for you and your employees. Buy plants online and have them delivered directly to your place of work to save money and time. For a low maintenance option, rent plants from an indoor plant hire service.
Dive Deep Into Corporate Design Theory
Decking out an office requires more than just a keen understanding of modern office furniture trends. You need to consider how color, light, exposure to nature, art, company culture, and contemporary working conditions impact what employees require from office design. And that requires a lot more than just plonking a ping pong table and some ergonomic chairs into a room.
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