Functional beauty: Maximising space with interior design

Tiny House Nation is a US reality TV series that ran for 5 seasons. In each episode, a renovation expert and a carpenter help a couple or family create a beautiful home that’s usually no bigger than a shipping container. The challenge lies in finding creative ways to maximise the available space through a beautiful interior design.

Though your office space is probably bigger than a shipping container, the same challenge remains. How do you make the best use of the space you have? You’re paying for every bit of it, after all.

Minimise clutter

Start by minimising clutter. Even a large office looks smaller when shelves and desks overflow with paperwork or trinkets.

Look around your office and remove items that have no purpose. Improve your filing systems (or your shredding systems!) and be ruthless about eliminating unnecessary trinkets.

Office layout design

The layout of your office sets the scene for everything that happens within it. The right layout creates a smooth workflow and promotes wellbeing, creativity and productivity.

The form follows the function, so you need to be clear about what your office space needs to achieve. These days, an office needs to be far more than a place where staff sit at their desks from 9 to 5. The office needs to enable focused work while also fostering creativity and collaboration.

When considering your office layout, try to ensure it allows for:

• Easy communication between staff
• Easy access to tools and resources
• Different temperaments and working styles.

Learn more about creating a dynamic workspace

How to maximise desk space

Desks have a large footprint and need to be used efficiently. Maximise desk space by:

• Minimising clutter
• Keeping cables organised
• Using monitor stands with inbuilt storage
• Minimising desk decor – one or two personal photos are lovely, but don’t overdo it
• Thinking vertically – rolling cabinets could slide under the desk, and floating shelves could hang above it.

Maximising space can sometimes be achieved by a simple 90 degree turn. In the photo below, turning the desks sideways creates space for stylish storage cupboards.

How to maximise drawer space

Even in these digital days, you still need somewhere to keep pens and post-it notes. Too often, though, desk drawers are a cluttered waste of space. Drawer organisers cost very little but help to maximise space and make it easy for staff to find what they need quickly.

How to maximise storage space

Handbags and rucksacks don’t really belong under desks. It looks cluttered and can create a trip hazard. It’s better to ensure each staff member has somewhere to store their belongings.

This could be a sizeable drawer under their desk or a self-storage locker in a common area. Either way, consider what sort of things staff might need to store and ensure the space is big enough. Someone who cycles to work, for example, may need to store a change of clothes, toiletries and a towel.

Maximise storage space by ensuring it performs more than one function. As well as keeping items, your storage furniture could be used to:

• Divide your floorspace into defined areas
• Introduce natural elements – top your storage unit with a planter box for greenery.

Harnessing natural lighting

The Harvard Business Review describes natural light as the number 1 office perk. One survey of 1600 Americans found that staff ranked natural light and views outside as the most important attribute of a good office, outranking other perks like onsite childcare, cafeterias and fitness centres.

Not only does natural light make a space seem larger and fresher, it also has a big impact on employee wellbeing. Staff who work in natural light reported a 51% drop in eyestrain, 63% reduction in headaches and 56% reduction in drowsiness.

Harnessing natural sources of light should, therefore, be a key aspect of your office layout.

How can Growth Workplace Design help?

We delight in creating beautiful, functional designs that use space to maximum efficiency. That includes harnessing natural light, maximising desk space and using storage cleverly.

If you’d like to learn more, please contact us to discuss your space.