business recognition

Essential Office Design Trends for Startup Companies

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When you launch a new company, you have a blank canvas to work with. You have full freedom—for better or for worse—to sketch out a company mission, a values statement, a corporate structure, and a customer service process that’s exactly how you envision it. And that’s not all: You also have the luxury of designing the ideal office environment, one that maximizes collaboration and creativity.

For some entrepreneurs, this can be both a blessing and a curse. There are obviously a lot of choices available in the field of office design—some might say too many. Determining the ideal use of your corporate space can be daunting, to say the least.

It may help to consider some key office design trends. Here’s what people are doing with their workspaces:

Do what you can to keep clutter at bay. Messiness may run the risk of making your team look disorganized and amateurish to customers and clients; it can also induce stress. Make sure company computers, printers, and other pieces of equipment all have a home, and that you conceal wires and cords as much as you can.

Incorporate some nature. Nothing helps alleviate employee stress—or make for a more warm, collegial work environment—than having indoor plants, or decorating with reclaimed wood. An outdoorsy or “green” work environment can be a great way of keeping your office from ever feeling oppressive or drab.

Create some common areas. A lounge space, where people can get away from their desks, bring their laptops, and work comfortably, is a great way to break up the monotony of cubicle life, and also to facilitate greater camaraderie and collaboration between your team members. Common tables, where teams can gather to tackle projects together, are also helpful.

Use different patterns and texture. This is not just an aesthetic thing. Believe it or not, an office environment that is rich in texture and diverse in its material use can provide your employees with bursts of inspiration and creativity. Using some different colors in your office can have a similar effect. What you want to avoid is a work environment that is simply an unending sea of grey.

Keep it flexible. Try not to get locked into a rigid layout for your office space. Instead, leave it open for customization, for adaptability to each new project or to changing team dynamics. For startup companies, especially, it is important not to make anything in the office design too permanent.

The bottom line: As you seek industrial space for rent, remember that it’s a blank canvas for your ideal office design—and your ideal office design is likely one that lends itself to openness and to change.

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