Design & Innovation

Building a beautiful office is no small task. With employees spending a large portion of their time at work, creating a home away from home is an integral step in maintaining morale and inspiring great work. Designing your office décor with a theme in mind is an easy way to create a cohesive environment where employees can stay productive and comfortable while they do their tasks. Consider these 15 professional office décor ideas while designing your perfect workspace! 

1. Tie the Room Together

Simplify your office design process by establishing a theme from the start. Pull from your company's branding, use an online generator to find the perfect palette, or search for inspiration using articles, blog posts, and catalogs. Find multiple schemes and styles that complement one another so that every room looks fresh and interesting.

2. Draw the Eye

Draw the eye to something special by choosing a focal point for the room. Smaller spaces may benefit from a special painting or print. Tailor these choices to your industry or brand, if possible. Try to add local color for reception areas and community spaces by featuring scenes from your surrounding area.

3. Feature Fabrics

Consider how your fabric choices relate to your office theme when purchasing upholstered seating. Durable, high-traffic fabrics are often available in on-trend, stylish patterns that can stand up to rigorous use while looking great.

4. Don't Forget the Furniture

Office furniture has come a long way from the drab, cookie-cutter desks of yesteryear. Seek stylish pieces with updated laminate finishes, creative hardware, and interesting configurations. Durable construction from high-quality materials will help your pieces stand up to years of use in a commercial setting.

5. Motivate Your Workplace

Uplift your employees and guests with motivational and inspirational pieces. While well-known quotes are always an option, consider commissioning a print that features your company's mission statement or goal. Vinyl decals are an inexpensive option for a quick, easy-to-adjust reminder of why your company is a great place to work.

6. Go Green

Bring a little bit of the outside world into your office. Choose plants that fit your décor, but consider their maintenance needs—from constant watering to finicky sun requirements—and select a plant that works within your capabilities. An artificial plant is a great choice for low-light areas or no-fuss offices.

7. Take a Seat

Chairs come in all shapes and sizes, making it hard to decide which is the best fit. Outfit team spaces with a variety of options that coordinate with your theme so that spaces don't look stale while employees can choose what works best for them. Provide a few options for employees to choose from so that everybody can find the right combination of ergonomics and style at their desks.

8. Set Some Boundaries

If your office features an open floorplan, build in some flexible privacy for employees. Dividers, both semi-permanent and mobile, can be added to wide-open areas to give your staff a bit of privacy while they work. 

9. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Touchdown spaces help take "bored" out of the boardroom and foster organic, off-the-cuff collaboration between team members. From simple group seating configurations to tech-equipped open-air spaces, a workspace without borders is an easy update for an innovative office.

10. Clear the Clutter

Happiness in the workplace is a multifaceted goal, but a few key components can keep your staff smiling. Keeping clutter at bay is a must—many employees say a messy space is a driver of workplace discomfort. Go for fun, inventive, or cool-looking organizational tools and office supplies to add delight to the little details and clear the clutter. Make it your mission to organize your organization.

11. Set It Down

While seating is often at the forefront of design, it's easy to forget about tables. Choose coordinating pieces that can accommodate anything from a coffee cup to a laptop. Laminate tops are ideal for a surface that won't stain or scuff. For a more multifaceted option, choose soft seating options with pieces that can function as tables, ottomans, or stools.

12. Let Some Light In

Maximize access to windows, skylights, and other sources of natural light so employees can enjoy the happiness-boosting benefits of sunlight. When choosing artificial options for the rest of the space, look for daylight-mimicking bulbs and task lighting that doesn't carry the harsh feeling of fluorescent or LED lights.

13. Where Form Meets Function 

Office storage goes beyond a few desk drawers and drab filing cabinets. Incorporate out-of-the-way options by adding a hutch to a desk or credenza to your conference room. Outfit employees' desks with mobile pedestals that double as extra seating or consider ottomans that include built-in storage beneath the lid.

14. Make It Personal

Feature the fun side of your workplace culture with framed photos from employee outings, volunteer opportunities, and other interoffice activities. Remind employees of what makes your company a great place to work outside of the daily grind. Celebrate successes by displaying awards and accolades in a communal place where everybody can appreciate them.

15. Embrace Employees' Individuality

Allow employees to curate their spaces with personal items, such as photos of family or tokens from back home. While a cohesive theme is a powerful tool for making the whole office shine, straying from the norm helps your staff feel comfortable while spending long hours away from the people, places, and things they love.

 

More Office Decor Ideas

How to Decorate with Traditional Décor & Office Furniture

Whether you’re working in a lawyer’s office or just love the rich look of classically styled furniture, traditional offices are a sight to behold and easy to achieve in most workspaces. Take our tips for bringing this high-class style into your office.

Think Warm and Welcoming

Traditional office furniture is typically made from wood in a warm brown color. When it comes to the shade of brown, you’ll have a lot to choose from, including cherry, mahogany, walnut, and dozens more. Just be sure the finished product has a warm look—neutral shades of black, white, and gray won’t give off quite as much of a traditional feel.

Choose Furniture With Elegant Details

Of course, modern or contemporary styles can also feature warm wood tones. The difference is in the details. Traditional office furniture features lavish finishing touches such as picture frame drawer fronts, bun feet, pilasters, parquet panels, and more. You may not find all of these details on a single desk, but at least one traditional element should be present to give off the right look.

Add Luxurious Leather

Traditional office chairs generally feature a wood frame and leather upholstery. This elegant combination creates a regal and refined appearance that complements the case goods in the office. Nailhead trim, button tufting, and scrollwork details are also common in this type of seating.

Get the Look for Less

Traditional furniture doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. If you want to get the look for less, go for furniture made of laminate instead of real wood or veneer, and stick with a faux leather chair instead of genuine leather. This will help you create the same look for a fraction of the cost.

 

How to Decorate with Modern Office Furniture & Décor

Modern office design has a signature look that’s simple and clean. With a focus on minimal silhouettes and bold décor, it’s no wonder this style is the go-to choice for most corporate offices and startup businesses today. Here’s how to deck out your workspace in this luxurious yet understated style.

Keep it Simple

If you’re going for a modern look in your office, it’s best to keep things simple. Although furniture that incorporates the latest technology, such as adjustable height mechanisms, is certainly a step in the right direction, be careful to steer clear of overly ornate design elements such as picture frame drawer fronts or bun feet. These features lean more toward contemporary or traditional. A truly modern piece will include straight lines for a sleek, sophisticated look without overcomplicated design elements.

Think Minimal

Don’t overstuff your office with tons of furniture and accessories. A modern workspace should have an open and airy look. Although this is primarily accomplished via simply designed furniture, an uncluttered work life enhances the look. Keep paperwork filed away, leave walkways unobstructed, and be careful not to fill your walls with too much stuff.

Choose Cool Colors

While warm wood tones are a staple of traditional interiors, cool and neutral shades represent modern design. Gray, black, and white are ideal for wall and furniture palettes because they can be paired with nearly any décor when you want to add a pop of color to the mix. Going with white or light gray for most of your office will also make the space appear lighter and larger.

Add Statement Décor

Whether on the walls or your desk, modern décor should make a bold statement. Choose large wall art that immediately captures attention, or go with metallic lamps and sculptures that stand out against your otherwise neutral workspace. Pops of color are also great additions to your office furniture. Just use them sparingly and don’t overdo it.

Mid Century Modern Decorating for a Mad Men Inspired Office

So, you want a mid-century modern office reminiscent of Don Draper’s private workspace. We don’t blame you! The popularity of this style has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years due to the rise of the hit TV show Mad Men. Also, what once was old always becomes new again at some point or another. If you’re interested in getting this look for your office, read on to find out how to do it.

Furniture Reminiscent of the 1950s and ‘60s

When choosing office furniture in your workspace, go for something that looks retro but sophisticated. Think solid wood desks, chairs with angled legs, and furnishings with funky silhouettes. Many mid-century-inspired pieces that are manufactured today blend 1960s style with modern aesthetics. For example, desks with angled wood legs but a white high-gloss top are commonly found in modern-day mid-century workspaces.

Wall Art That Makes a Statement

More is more when it comes to wall art! Go for loud and in-your-face pieces with bright colors and bold patterns that shout at you from across the room. Mid-century modern décor is all about beauty blended with a ton of fun, and the best way to add that fun is via the accent pieces in the room.

Clocks That Tell More Than the Time

Mid-century style takes pieces that are meant to serve a functional purpose and turns them into works of art. A clock is much more than a clock when you add solid wood sunburst panels and funky face numbers. Clocks in this style are often the centerpieces of the room, taking a place of pride above a fireplace or, in the case of an office, above the desk.

Area Rugs and Throw Pillows That Excite

Bring on the bold! Area rugs and throw pillows are inexpensive mid-century additions that can drastically improve the look of the office. A mid-century modern rug should feature bright and bold colors in a visually interesting pattern. 

Whether you’re decking out your entire office or just adding a few pieces to make the space pop, mid-century modern decorating will help create a space you can truly be proud to work in.

0 Comments

Leave a Comment

Your comment has been sent.

National Business Furniture’s team of experts is dedicated to helping you create a better space to work. We’ll help you find the best information. From office planning and furniture guides to sustainability and workplace trends, we’re here to help.