Okay, so, you’re starting out your own business, and things are going well. Your little company is growing, and so is your staff. Having said that, your cosy home office is becoming a bit too cramped to house a growing business. It’s time to rent an office.
However, renting an office is a big step. It requires you to make a lot of considerations, such as how much rent you'll be paying, where will the office be located and what supplies will you need. The reality is that you might not even have enough to commit to a large office right away. And that's why most new businesses move into temporary office space – something just to serve as an office until you're ready to take a plunge and actually put down a lease on office space of your dreams.
Be that as it may, you’ll still spend some months in that office space, and so will your team. With that in mind, it’s not a bad idea to spruce up the place just a little bit, just to get you and your employees a taste of what’s to come, this Christmas Season 2019.
If you’re thinking along these lines, then we’ll be more than glad to help. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to spice up your temp office quickly and on a budget, but still make it feel like a place of creativity and pure professionalism. Let’s check it out!
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Choose Only the Essentials
So, let’s lay down some ground rules – pick only the essentials. Always keep in mind that this is a temporary office space after all, and, sooner or later, you’ll have to move, and the stuff in your office will either have to be moved or left behind.
With that being said, the last thing you want is to buy a bunch of stuff for your office that you won’t need or won’t be able to carry when moving. Excessive office furniture, desks, chairs, cabinets, armoires, paintings, fish tanks – all these things will require you to hire a truck and move, and that will cost you. The worst part is, your new office space mightn't even be empty, so you've just wasted your money on things you didn't need, and money that could have gone into your project. Not only that, but you’ll also have to make some essential considerations when setting up the temp office, such as telecommunications, where to place your electronics, where will your reception areas be, etc.
On that note, minimalism is key. This style will not only go easy on your wallet, but it is also very contemporary, stylish and elegant, and also very prevalent in offices of larger and established businesses, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t do it in your office.
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Make the Information Visible
You might get away with not making information such as departments and working hours clearly visible in your main office because everything is on your website, but, in a temporary office, displaying vital info is extremely important. This will allow both your customers and employees to traverse the space. Later in your main office, your employees will learn where’s what, but, if you’re working in a temporary space, and even a co-worker office at that, they might get lost and confused in all the clutter and with so many people going about.
Speaking of labelling, it’s a good idea to add nameplates on your and your employees’ desks, together with a title. This will help people recognise a certain desk as their own personal workspace. This will avoid confusion of who sits where when everyone comes to the office in the morning, which is something certain to offset workflow.
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Make It Personal
We mentioned nameplates on desks to determine who sits where, but you know what else makes a desk one’s own? Trinkets!
No matter whether you're an employer or an employee, you're certain to bring a few trinkets with you to your workspace. It might be something like a picture of your family, a pencil holder, a table lamp, or even your favourite fountain pen – whatever it is, you should bring it. Making your workspace more personal will feel like you're in an actual office and it gives you a nice, warm, homey feeling that’s certainly going to impact your productivity very positively. Also, the space would be incomplete without a fine handmade carpet. One can either place a traditional wool rug or a kashmir Silk carpet depending upon the look
This type of personalisation with trinkets is even more encouraged if you’re working in a co-working office. Making the space your own will prevent others from encroaching on your turf and interrupting you. However, this doesn’t mean you should put up walls and make a cubicle around your desk – after all, one of the co-working offices’ advantages is the social aspect where you meet and talk with people from other industries, or, perhaps, even your own, where you can share advice and experiences.
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Create a Break Room
If your temporary office has enough space, you should definitely create a little lounge in which your workers and you can take a break. Nobody can work 8 hours a day without so much as batting an eyelash and you yourself will eventually have to unwind for half an hour before getting back to your project. That's why a break room is essential for maintaining a relaxed and positive attitude, and it'll provide your employees with a place where they can socialise, as well as rest for a bit.
As for what to put into your break room, consider getting a coffee machine – that’s something everyone in your office will appreciate. You don’t have to buy one either – you can rent a coffee machine, and, when the time comes to get up and move, you can just return it so you don’t have to lug it with you to your new office. You should also consider putting in something like a TV, as long as it won’t distract the people who haven’t taken their break yet, a small fridge, and a kitchen cart with drinks and other necessities for a quick lunch break.
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Add Some Greenery
Adding some greenery in your temporary office space is a great way to make things livelier in there. Potted plants are always a refreshing sight – there’s practically no office without their own little collection of house plants, especially in the break room. Not only do they break down the drab image of an office, but they promote a relaxing atmosphere and keep in with the contemporary minimalist style of office decoration.
Another major upside of potted plants is that they’re both portable and easy to get rid of. If you’re really grown attached to the plants (pun fully intended), you need to put in but little extra effort to organise their transport, and you’re sure to have enough space for them in your new large office. And if you don’t feel the need to carry them, or if you’ve found other plants that you think will fit the new office better, then throw them away, or simply leave them in care of your ex-office mates.
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Add Some Art
But not too much! A painting or two, a nice graphic poster, perhaps a wall canvas – that's all you need. Art promotes creativity and productivity and breaks the monotony of office walls. Not only that, but a few posters will be no hustle transporting to your new location, both time and money-wise. One can also choose to hang a wall-hanging carpet that would enhance the look of the entire room.
When it comes to the office wall art ideas, the point is not so much in what's on the paintings themselves, but the colours that occur in them, and how it’s arranged. Naturally, you won't put up something completely inappropriate or something that's doesn't tie in with the type of work you do in the office at all, but whatever you're getting, consider that it be in lively colours, as bright colours such as red and more vibrant shades of orange, together with more soothing shades of blue and green are proven to have a positive impact on office productivity.
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Keep the Office Clean
Nothing spells unprofessionalism as a messy office. Yes, you’re probably working in a co-working office, and, yes, you’re working with limited space, but keeping the place tidy and clean is very important for both your image and the image of your start-up.
Keeping the office clean and neat among the chaos of a co-working space will show your customers and employees alike that you are diligent and professional, even when under pressure and working with limited resources. This will not only reflect positively on you as an employer, but it will also motivate your workers to keep in line with you, even when you eventually change offices.
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Create a Reception Area
If you’re expecting customers and affiliates of actually meeting you in person and coming down to your office for a chat, consider where you will put them. Certainly, you won’t be able to host them properly amid your employees – that is both unprofessional and disruptive, both of the meeting taking place and of the workers trying to go along their usual tasks.
With that being said, if you don’t have a conference room, and you’re most likely not to have one in a co-working office, at least leave one desk or table separate for that particular purpose. If you’ve got a bit more room, try and make it into a sort of a lounge. Place a nice rug under the furniture to pull the place together, introduce a few plants and perhaps some wall art. If you've got the room, a nice couple of shelves with some books will do nicely as inspiring office meeting room design, and to bring about a leisurely atmosphere, but still, one that allows business deals to be closed in it.
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Create an Entryway
Though this could prove a more difficult task, creating an entryway to your office will do wonders for the workflow. Instead of popping right into the office from the door, employees and visitors should be met with a hallway or a kind of separate space that will then lead them to the reception area or one of the smaller cubicles where the individuals work. This will prevent cluttering of people and objects, keeping them neatly separate but still within a few steps, where the employees will be able to consult one another and use office supplies and appliances, and visitors can be streamlined into conference areas.
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Inspire Your Employees with Wall Decals
Here’s a good idea for an easy and budget-friendly way to personalise your office space – wall decals! Wall decals are very contemporary, minimalist and, most importantly, easily removable. Some of the ideas you can use here is displaying your company logo, or your business’ moto, something that will capture the eye of visitors, employees and office mates alike, something that will simply say “This portion of the office belongs to my company”
But, there’s so much more you can do with wall decals that doesn’t require you to have a doctor's degree in graphic design. The simplicity of this type of art is very appealing to contemporary interior designers and their favourite thing to play with. In fact, wall decals are not only complementary to wall art such as we know it, but, when done right, it can outright replace large and clunky paintings, and they'll never lose their colours, something that happens to pictures and paintings over time.
Conclusion
All in all, there are plenty of budget-friendly ways to personalise your temporary office. The key phrase here is budget-friendly, as you'll no doubt need every bit of cash to keep your business afloat. Naturally, already established businesses that are just changing offices are sure to have an easier time, but if you're just starting out on your journey, this transitional period might be of great importance. Here you'll be able to see how well you do as a manager, and how well-adjusted are your employees and co-workers. In any case, the most important thing is to have fun – after all, that's what making something personal is all about. It's all about making the space you're going to spend much of your day in feel like an extension of yourself, a place where you can feel relaxed and refreshed, and ready to take on new business challenges.