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The Design Guide for Painting Your Office

The shade of paint you choose can make or break a space. The all-around wrong color, clashing accents, mismatched lighting, and myriad reasons can create a disaster that's all-surrounding during the workday. As you choose your color palette for your home office or corporate workspace, consider the factors that go into a great color scheme that becomes the foundation for a great workspace.

Corporate Offices

It doesn't matter if you're a small business or a corporate giant—designing a professional office space is less about one's personal taste and more about what's best for everybody. Sure, this sounds like it might be a bit restrictive, but that doesn't make any of your choices any less meaningful.

Consult a Professional 

An educated and experienced interior designer will have a wealth of knowledge and recommendations for your space. There's no harm in reaching out to a person who's used to finding the right fit; in the long run, it's worth it. Especially if you're painting multiple rooms, a designer or planner will know how to tell a visual story that compliments your entire office.

Try Before You Buy

No matter who is calling the shots, paint samples are vital to better understand your choices. While conventional paint chips might help, if larger swatches are available, take advantage of them.

No-Brainer Neutrals 

Your primary color will probably be a variation of off-white, light gray, or a faint taupe, and that's not just OK—it's advisable. These no-nonsense colors are tried and true, though they're not as harsh as a bright white.

Agreeable and Accessible 

Be mindful of different employees' needs that may be applicable now or possibly down the road. For instance, colorblindness can affect the way a person perceives bolder accents. People with visual impairments may need an emphasis on bright spaces and proper lighting. Even if this doesn't apply to your current staff, looking toward the future is never ill-advised.

Different Space, Different Mood 

The open office isn't the only space worthy of consideration. Think about how your paint choices tell a story throughout the office, and aim for a cohesive experience that won't distract employees or guests. Be particularly mindful of your reception area. For workers, it's symbolic of the start of the business day, but for guests, it's necessary to make a great first impression with tasteful design.

Acceptable Accents

If you have a big room, it's a given that you have big walls. If you're trying to add an accent wall, avoid doing so on any wall close to employee desking. Entryways, nooks, or infrequently used spaces can benefit from an accent that doesn't overwhelm you. Especially in a main space, consider using your company's colors to offset the ubiquitous neutrals.

Consider Your Upholstery

Are you designing your color palette around your furniture, or are you designing your furniture around your palette? Make sure all choices are well-coordinated, and you're not pairing cool and warm tones that will clash and distract. Be mindful of upholstery on seating or even on cubicle panels.

Creative Conference Rooms

Especially if your business has a plethora of conference rooms, this is a great opportunity to get creative with your color schemes and furniture choices. While you'll certainly want to reserve one as a highly professional space, use smaller collaboration areas to choose interesting colors or out-of-the-box furniture without committing to a large space.

The VIP Treatment

Allow incoming leaders to personalize their private office. Use a wall that isn't completely occupied by large furniture as an accent wall. When one person leaves and another person moves in, ask them what color they'd like it painted. It's a personal touch that won't break the bank or take up too much time.

Home Offices

There's a big difference between an office designed by you, for you and a multiperson office that needs to appeal to all. While you have a lot less space but a lot more flexibility, several considerations can still improve productivity, increase energy, and promote workday wellness.

Push the Boundaries of Neutral

Eggshell, ivory, and alabaster are played out shades of off-white that can stay in the past. In the home and the home office, neutral color palettes can play with different shades of gray and taupe. More daringly, a pastel palette can create a peaceful atmosphere in your workspace that's far from drab.

Invigorate With Paint

If you're trying to create a high-energy space, ditch the neutrals and pastels and embrace bolder, more stimulating colors. If your space allows, use a combination of palatable neutrals and exciting hues for accent walls or details.

Dark Colors Aren’t Dull

For some, dark paint colors can make a room feel serious or studious, which may be what you're going for. If this fits your personality, don't shy away from working with deeper tones to get the right look. If you're working within a small space, try to mix dark and light colors on different walls to keep the space from feeling too cramped.

Avoid Antagonistic Colors 

As you work your way through the rainbow, there are a few less-advisable colors to avoid. For instance, reds are known to inspire anger and intensity. 

Add Accents

Accent colors aren't just reserved for accent walls. Baseboards, molding, fixtures, and other odds and ends are often painted. If you're going to deviate from your wall colors, make sure that you pay attention to these bonus colors so that they don't stand out negatively.

Let There Be Light

If you're lucky, your at-home workspace will benefit from natural light. Even when the sun goes down, there are still major considerations with what lighting you use. Whether overhead lighting or dedicated task lighting, choose light bulbs that fuel your mood. Some people enjoy brighter blue-toned bulbs while others benefit from softer, more docile tones. Not sure? Your smartphone can control many digital light bulbs to find the perfect balance.

Think Long-Term 

We perceive color differently as we age. If you're designing for the long haul, go with a color and design scheme that will be pleasing as you advance. This is particularly true if you're putting together an office for an elderly person. If you've got multiple occupants, collaborate on your palette to ensure it's pleasant for everyone.

 

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More From NBF

Create Your Perfectly Productive At-Home Workspace

Picture this: It's 2020, and you've all but worn a hole in your dining room chair. Every night you have to sweep away a stack of papers to make way for dinner. Maybe your legs are permanently burned from sitting on the couch as your laptop overheats in your lap. Finding a quiet corner to take a conference call? Good luck. Your new "coworkers" are distance learning, taking their own meetings, and barking (Fido is a really hard worker). Your calls are just adding to the fray. Sleeping spaces are occupied all day and all night.

Take your pick from these subpar options—any one of them might hit a little too close to home.

It's probably been a while since you've made your way into the office. And if you're still working through your workflow from home, you're probably past due for an upgrade. Shape your living space into a workspace that's fit to make for a positively productive home office. It's partially intuitive, partially tedious, but 100% worth it for whatever way you work.

The Bare Necessities

Pop quiz! What makes an office an office? We're going beyond "makeshift" and moving toward "ideal.” Whatever defines your workspace, it starts with furniture you can build a room around. There are still some things to consider while you're making the most of any size of space:

Desking

Seating

Storage

Desks come in all shapes and sizes, but you need the right size for your space. Whether that's an L-shaped desk, corner desk, writing desk, or standing desk is up to you and your measuring tape, but a dedicated workspace is necessary for workday productivity. "Making it work" isn't a great solution for the long haul.

We've all heard "sitting is the new smoking" by now, and that's not too far from the truth. Choose an office chair designed to handle the long haul regardless of where your workspace winds up. Ergonomics and comfort are more important than sleek and stylish designs.

Especially at home, you're drawing a tenuous line between work and play. Concealed storage keeps your workday separate from leisure time. If you're not quite paperless, file storage can keep you orderly, while some employees can probably get away with a few simple and stylish supply drawers.

Diving Deeper: Delightful Desks

Make sure to measure before you look for your dream desk:

Table Desks

Storage Desks

Adjustable Desks

Simple and straightforward, a table may be the right depth and right height for working. Best paired with your choice of storage.

With built-in drawers, these eschew (some of) the need for separate storage, offering a place to store supplies and sometimes files.

What goes up can also go down! Height-adjustable desks accommodate a sitting, standing, or somewhere in-between posture.

 

L-Shaped Desks

Corner Desks

Executive Desks

In offices, they're usually a stately staple, but at home, an L-shaped desk can take advantage of an underutilized corner while providing a lot of space.

The little brother of an L-shaped desk is a corner desk. They’re often slightly more compact and designed to tuck up against 2 walls.

The "extra" option. If executive is in the name, this is fit for a larger, dedicated home office space with a lot of room to roam.

Who doesn't love a well-used corner space? Corner desks are often more compact than their L-shaped desk brethren and often have slopes at the workspace to encourage a diagonal sitting position. This is ideal for maximizing unused spaces or nooks within your house that might look unbalanced with a typical table desk.

Diving Deeper: Spectacular Seating

A superior sit starts with the right features:

Types of Tilt

Fabric Choices

Ergonomics

Standard tilt keeps the seat and back at a 45-degree angle, knee tilt alleviates this with a tilt that starts at the front of the chair, and synchro tilt is the king of comfort, providing a 2-to-1 ratio that keeps your feet comfortably on the floor.

Fabric might be fitting for your décor scheme, but durable polyurethane is easier to clean. Leather is luxurious, and mesh provides cool comfort for warmer workspaces. The options are endless.

It's a big word with an even bigger impact. Ergonomic adjustments, such as seat depth, arm adjustments, tilt, adjustable headrests, or back support, establish the comfort of a chair.

 

Active Seating

Lumbar Support

Big & Tall? Short & Small?

Fidget-friendly seating is an emerging trend that provides wiggling capabilities for those who struggle with sitting still.

Sometimes it's simply the design of the chair; other times it's an adjustment (or even auto-adjustment) that supports your back for great posture.

Suit your stature with a chair designed to fit your measurements, usually noted in the title and description of a chair.

An ergonomically-minded workspace is essential for both WFH and at-work workstations. You may have settled for a kitchen chair or gone for a chic seat that pulls the room together, but if there isn't enough support, you’ll feel the effects down the line.

Diving Deeper: Stylish Storage

There's no reason you can't be filing and styling:

Pedestals

Hutches

Bookcases

Particularly within small spaces, a pedestal can be a real lifesaver. These oft-mobile, out-of-the-way units feature a few drawers for must-have supplies and maybe a few files.

While executive desks may be frequently paired with grandiose hutches, a lot of residential furniture has more subtle tabletop options that do double-duty as a monitor stand.

Bookcases embody the intersection between home and office. They’re great for décor and more. Add extra organization with chic and stylish storage bins.

 

Mixed Storage

Built-In Drawers

Wall Shelves

Sometimes you want to put things on display, while other times it's best behind closed doors. Grab a mixed storage option to get the best of both worlds.

Did you choose a desk with drawers? If so, that convenient storage solution can take care of the most basic supply storage.

The at-home atmosphere is more conducive to adding wall-mounted vertical storage. Take advantage of this elevated space to keep clutter at bay.

Aim for ‘Inspired’

When you're browsing catalogs or eyeing blogs, it's easy to envision your space in the perfectly propped, effortlessly chic interior design of a professional photo. When you're balancing your budget and assembling your needs, that perfection may not be within reach.

The choices you make go beyond a photograph. The aesthetic you desire and the items you can't live without might be at odds, so a few careful concessions can maximize your capabilities.

Trade This for That

Mid-Century Marvelous: It's tough to go top-to-bottom within the ever-trending MCM style. Keep a clean, uncluttered, and minimalist background with a few stand-out statement pieces that feature the splayed legs, blond wood, and skillful slopes of both Scandinavian and mid-century modern design.

Super Simple: Taking MCM out of the equation, a truly minimalist space is often deeply focused on the form and function of your furniture. Since other design items aren't of much concern, make the most of your budget by investing in storage solutions that can keep necessary supplies uncluttered and visibly out-of-the-way. Shop collections that have everything you need to furnish your office or mix-and-match well-coordinating finishes.

Maximalist Impact: #inspo often goes wild, combining potentially impractical décor decisions that you know might break the bank. If you're going for this "more is more" appeal, look for secondhand supplies or delightful discounts to add visual noise while keeping a little budget for more important purchases.

Leave It for Later: Rome wasn't built in a day, and your office might be a work-in-progress for a while. Start with the necessities and aim for the pieces that will make you the most productive, such as a chair that's fit for the long-haul and a desk that has everything you need. The rest? Pencil it in for later.

Do Double-Duty

Pro: Double-duty furniture can expand the possibilities of your workspace, giving you a place to work to pursue hobbies outside of the workday. Make sure that these supplies can be stored out of the way during business hours to limit distractions. Your workspace could masquerade as another piece of furniture during the day, though this may make it difficult to set up in the morning.

Con: If you're working from home for the long haul, having a dedicated space for work is important so it doesn't take an emotional toll on your day-to-day. If your space allows it, keep a dedicated working desk that doesn't clash with other activities. At the same time, be mindful of what you might use this space for if you return to the office and any possibilities for future use.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Maybe you can’t hide your at-home workspace completely, but you can strive for out-of-the-way. Folding furniture is a great space-saving solution, giving you the option to truly separate your space from the workday. Secretary desks are an expandable stationary option, while wall-mounted folding solutions are a collapsible treat. Gate leg tables have convenient foldout workspaces with legs that swing into place to create an on-demand desk.

As with any shifting solution, it's important to establish dedicated storage so your workday tools aren't scattered throughout your space after business hours. A mobile pedestal is a great movable solution that can be adjusted as needed—or opt for a decorative cabinet that can always stay nearby.

All About Acoustics

Soundproofing solutions are a must for shared households. There are a lot of ways to mitigate noise to keep everybody working well while working from home:

  • Invest in Headphones: Sometimes, it's just about noise-canceling headphones for all. Especially when there's an integrated microphone for taking meetings, active noise cancellation can keep 2 people in close proximity without conversations bleeding over.

  • Leverage Layout: Intuitive space planning saves the day. Keep desks facing walls with acoustic panels or soft fabrics to muffle conversations. Wear headphones so the other end of the call isn't projected into the middle of the room.

  • Be Wary of Windows: Glass and other shiny surfaces are known for reflecting sound, so direct your dialogue away from panes of glass or mirrored surfaces. The same goes for any art or photographs behind glass frames.

  • Decorative Deflection: Aside from tasteful curtain panels, using fabric or canvas prints instead of acoustic panels can add an aesthetic twist to noise cancellation. Facing a busy bookshelf with a ton of tomes can also absorb extra sounds with ease.

  • Simple Separation: Sometimes, it's best to stay in separate areas. Designate a "conference room" away from your regular workstation that's well-suited for calls and conversations when the time arises. Make sure to communicate any upcoming meetings with others in your shared space, and consider a backup area if a multiperson household has multiple calls going at once.

You're Due for an Upgrade

If you've made it this far, it has probably been a long time since you've seen your corporate office. None of us expected the COVID-19 crisis to last so long, and as days turned to weeks and weeks to months, work conditions—and locations—have shifted.

The scramble to create a workable workstation may have led to a few hasty purchases or tenuously-assembled workarounds, but that can’t cut it forever.

If you haven't already, we truly urge you: Think about the impact your workspace has on your well-being and workplace success. Think about the lasting impact on your physical health due to an ergonomically-unfriendly chair or the impracticality of a not-quite-the-right-size desk. Think about the lasting impact on your mental health that a hard-to-navigate, needlessly cluttered, and deeply disorganized workspace can have.

 

What's In a WFH Workday?

Productivity doesn't just affect your company's bottom line. It affects you. The way you work and where you work are two sides of the same coin: a perfectly productive workday isn't possible without these two valuable components.

How to Split Time Between the Office and the Home Office

As companies have started their return to the office, many of us have found ourselves occupying liminal spaces throughout the workweek. Any number of return-to-work policies may create these situations, but many employees aren't quite office-bound or fully remote. While it's tempting to recreate all the luxuries of the office at home, sometimes this isn't fully attainable.

Consider your situation and design an at-home workspace that makes appropriate compromises with the tools you're provided at the office. For employers, this may involve making concessions or providing assistance to ensure productivity doesn't wane when the workforce isn't under one roof.

What's Your Situation?

Not all work-from-home vs. work-from-work situations look the same. Depending on your structure, your priorities might shift as you create a home office that works with the corporate office:

  • A-day or B-day: A common tactic has been a structured staggering of employees alternating days in and out. Some offices aren’t as rigid, allowing employees to set their own on-site/WFH schedule.

  • Here and There: There might not be any rhyme or reason why an employee is on-site or at home, but there's still a healthy amount of time spent in both places. This might be on an as-needed or "I'll be there a couple of days throughout the week" basis. Time spent in either space can be increased or decreased depending on need.

  • Fully Ready for Remote: As cases rise and fall, there's still massive uncertainty surrounding everything. You may be maintaining an at-home workspace that's fully functional but largely unused… For now.

What Isn't Necessary?

A few accommodations are nice to have—a giant purified water cooler, 4-tray copier, or industrial coffee pot at the ready—but aren't feasible in residential spaces. While many of these can be replicated on a smaller scale, a few things can only be available during on-site hours.

Structure your workload and workflow around larger or unique items. Shared supplies, organizational tools, mailroom needs, and other items are difficult to accommodate outside the workplace, so plan your day around what you need versus what you can work with at home.

 

What Is Non-Negotiable?

You can probably get away with a Brita, Mr. Coffee, and a simple printer, but your workday needs go beyond luxuries or shared necessities. These are often the tools we use to make our workday workable from our designated workstations. As you design your home office space, look toward these easy add-ons to mirror the comforts of the office with the comforts of home:

  • 2 Monitors? More Like 4 Monitors: If you need to have multiple programs running at once or are simply used to working with 2 monitors, a worthwhile investment might be an at-home set of monitors in addition to your setup at work.

  • You Raise Me Up: If you're used to a sit-to-stand desk or are experiencing posture problems at home, outfit your desk with a desktop riser. This will offset the cost of an expensive motorized height-adjustable desk while providing ergonomic comfort all day.

  • Delightful Desking: As you power through workdays at home, you may have noticed that the kitchen table or living room couch isn't a great place to work. Invest in the right desk and chair setup now, as there may still be quite a bit of work-from-home left. It was understandable to put off outfitting a corner of your house or a lesser-used spare bedroom—we all thought this would be over with much sooner—but there's still time to get a lot of use out of your home workspace.

  • Simple Storage: While keeping in line with your home décor scheme, add storage solutions into your workspace to keep office supplies, files, and workday necessities tucked away outside of work hours or on your on-site days. These can do double-duty with household storage, ensuring you still get the same use out of your residential space, even when it's a makeshift office.

  • Take It With You: When you're stuck between 2 places, you'll need a way to bring your must-haves with you. Invest in a padded, safe laptop case that's designed to take a hit. If you also use a lot of files, ensure that your bag is large enough to contain them.

How Can Employers Help?

Besides making the policy decisions that dictate work-from-home schedules, employers' choices can ensure the success of every employee, no matter where they work. Even though 2020 has been rife with catastrophe and entropy, there are surefire ways to make sure that your employees can keep working as well as possible. Accommodations to make sure everybody is comfortable and safe can take on many shapes and forms, but to facilitate at-home productivity, it's worth providing assistance through your HR department.

Some companies have had success in creating a rebate, discount, or package program to help their remote and partially-remote employees feel comfortable in their homes. This can range from assistance with a desk/chair/storage setup or something as simple as extra office supplies to stay stocked in either location. As for extra monitors—you may have some old technology in storage or consider negotiating a deal to bulk-purchase screens for employee at-home use.

A partially-remote setup can only function if employees aren't required to move bulky desktop computers back and forth. Using laptops and docking stations full-time has become more cost-effective and convenient. If you're struggling to implement these big changes, know that it's a change for the better that can keep every employee healthy and happy.

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