Bringing the right attitude to your start-up is one of the most important steps you can take towards ensuring your success. Having an office which reflects your values is an important part of broadcasting that attitude to the world to put employees at ease and to impress potential clients.
Your office design is your choice and depends on what image you want to present for your start-up. But whether you focus on sleek lines and minimalism, or creating a comfortable atmosphere, you want to make sure your décor is unified and effective.
Start from practical concerns
The best office design layout for you will depend on how your company works, and who benefits from being able to talk to each other, and which teams and individuals, having minimal need to connect are better in separate areas. With office space at a premium, it can be worth your while to consider, while the company is small, who is happy working close to other colleagues with relatively little friction and which employees will do better work away from public spaces.
Do not forget the importance of light
A major practical concern is light: try to get an office with plenty of windows so employees can enjoy the sun. This can make your staff feel more positive and, in the event that any suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, can combat the symptoms and depressive moods. However, the importance of light does not stop with natural light.
As your employees will be spending a great deal of time under electric lights, it is worth making sure that the lights form a positive part of the décor in the direction you are going for. A most obvious example is in wall fittings: do you want them shiny and chrome, or ornate with a sense of reserved opulence?
For variation and to avoid being confined to the oppressive glare of standard overhead office lights, consider the role of floor lamps around the office. Companies such as Pagazzi specialise in offering a great range of light fittings, to ensure that you are always able to find one which fits the décor style you have chosen to go for.
Imagine the whole unified experience of your office from an outsider’s perspective
If you think you know the décor direction you want, then try putting yourself in your client’s shoes. To see if you have managed to pull off your desired theme, walk into the office imagining you are an important investor or client coming in who wants to be as impressed by what they see as they are by what they hear. Try and notice if certain items are missing that would tie a room together, or if a space seems too crowded.
Doing this is excellent preparation for putting yourself in the mindset of the people you are aiming to pitch to and can offer valuable practice of. It can be worthwhile having a single item which can act as a conversation piece quite central in the office to act as an icebreaker.