Making your Office at work more like you

Sorry for my recent absence, but I promise that I'll be more on top of things in the future!!


I have a 9-5 job in an office with cubicles and closed-door spaces.  Fortunately for me I am one of the lucky few that has a door, but this doesn't mean that if you have an open-concept space (i.e. cubicle) that you can't personalize your work situation.


For many of us out there (myself included) it can be difficult coming into work to deal with the day-to-day grind and there is nothing worse than a workspace that falls flat.  Uninspiring spaces, in my opinion, are by far the worst for creating inspiration and creativity and for driving work-flow/production.  I understand that in many cases you are limited in what is allowable in your workplace, but there is always a happy medium that can be attained.  For those of us who have the option of working from home or have a stay-at-home job, these tips can also be applied to your at-home situation to infuse your home office with some personality.


Now we all have the basics in our offices: desk, chair, filing cabinet, storage.  But what's lacking is a sense of ourselves.  We sit at our desks all day and work for most of our lives so why not make your space feel more like you.  Here are some ideas to help infuse your work environment with style:


Lighting
If your office space has florescent lighting you are not alone.  Florescent lighting casts a cool glow and many times shadows in your work environment, which in many instances does not provide the best option when working.  If you're able to turn the lights off or down (on a dimmer), or can have the bulbs removed overhead, great!  If not, don't fret because turning down the lights still requires you to have some form of task lighting in your work area.  The best way to achieve task lighting is to bring in incandescent lighting in the form of table and floor lamps.  The key is to make sure that you bring in lamps that create up and down lighting in your workspace.


Up lighting is achieved by having lamps that cast their luminous glow in the upward direction, i.e. toward the ceiling.  The best examples of lamps that provide "up lighting" are floor lamps with shades that tilt toward the ceiling (creating a "bowl" at the neck of the lamp), such as the one shown here:

Down lighting is when the majority of the light is directed downward.  Table lamps are best for creating down lighting and these types of lamps are best for use as task lighting, especially in work spaces.  Task lighting, in other words means to illuminate the workspace/desk.  Be careful when selecting table lamps for use in your work environment because you want to make sure that the lighting is directed, so be sure to select lamps that have shades, such as the one shown here:

You want to make sure that you have both up and down lighting in your workspace in order to achieve maximum lighting potential.  If your workspace will not permit the removal or shutting off of the overhead fluorescent lighting and you are limited in square footage, opt for a table lamp(s).  If you work from home and your office has overhead lighting, get creative with the fixture you select, and make sure that you use incandescent lighting, but I insist that the fixture you select works with the harmony in your space, i.e. that it coordinates.


Artwork
The best way to warm up a space is to hang artwork/photography on the walls, so why not adopt this concept for your work environment as well.  If you have the luxury of a space with proper walls why not hang some proportioned art pieces.  If you have cubicle walls there's nothing to say that you can't hang some artwork as well.  Just be sure that you select pieces that are not too heavy or have glass in the event that it slips and falls.


How to hang artwork in your workspace: to spare yourself the hassle of sending a workorder to get the guy in maintenance to come up in a month's time to bang a hole in your wall, why not consider 3M Command hooks for your space instead.  They leave no marks and can be re-used and re-positioned when needed.  If you have cubicle walls, there are hooks that can be positioned over the top of the cubicle wall in which you can hang your artwork - just be sure that the hanging mechanism on your art-piece can accommodate the hook.  Here is one example:

Framed photography of loved ones or special places visited are also great options for warming up your space.  Just be sure to not overdo it with artwork on your walls or on top of your desk, you still have be able to work functionally.


Decorative Objects
A great way to inject personality into your workspace is to display collections of decorative objects.  Now don't get too carried away because you want your space to look professional, so leave the knick-knacks behind.  To build a collection for your office, cohesion is key, so take a colour from one of your art-pieces to build upon.  Think about texture and material when organizing a collection.  You could easily create a collection of white glazed ceramics in varying styles and textures for example.  Find a niche in your space and display your objects proudly.  You can always translate some of them into functional pieces such as a wooden bowl to hold your paper clips or a vase to hold your pens.  Think about using books or sculptures in your space as well to balance the symmetry - if you have the square footage of course!

Trays, Paperweights and Office Essentials
Why settle for the basic black office essentials such as staplers and tape dispensers (for example) when you can get retro and have these items in red or teal.  You might not find these retro examples in your local office supply shop so scour the web for places that sell vintage items such as Etsy.com. Your in-tray doesn't have to be boring either, why not use a tray that you would in your home as opposed to the traditional plastic.  And who's to say that paperweights are a thing of the past.  Why not get creative with your paperweight and have one personalized; IOMOI has some great paperweight and general office supply ideas.

Think outside the box when it comes to your workspace, after all we spend the majority of our lives there so it should be a place that you can go to and feel at home.


Happy Shopping!


Courtesy of:
IKEA
Structube
Grand and Toy
Pier 1