How to make the most of a small office space

Picture the scene, you've just moved into your new office space and you love it. Sure, it’s a little on the small side, but it’s yours – this will be the hub of your business for years to come. Now, about that ‘small office’ bit – you probably want to do something about that. Puff its chest out a little, make it look and feel bigger than it is.

Help is at hand, as we've come up with some top tips to make your modest surroundings feel like the top floor office suite of a Fortune 500 CEO.

1. Living off the wall

Take a look around look around you, what do you see? Four walls and hopefully a little natural light – windows are good – the sunshine beaming into your office will give your employees a great lift throughout the day and make the space appear light and airy in the process.However, it’s the walls we’re most interested in here. In a small office space it doesn't take an Einstein to realise that utilising as much of your surroundings as possible is crucial. The “Eureka!” moment comes when you see what a few shelves and storage pockets can do for you. Excited? You should be; you just saved yourself some extra m2.

2. Go digital

Wherever possible, eliminate the need for paper filing. Clunky filing cabinets and storage units are a massive drain on space and after all, that’s what the funky shelving and storage pockets you've just installed on your walls are for: storage. It’s time to banish the filing cabinet to the scrap heap!

3. Modernise

Desks are the greediest of all space-eaters in your office, yet they are non-negotiable. It’s time to streamline, replacing those old desks that look like they came from the Victorian era (if that is the case, then get down the auction house and sell them off) for a more, let’s say, 21st Century design.

We would recommend going for light colours – white desks for example not only look great, but actually help to brighten up the space and give a sense of flow.4. Get rid of clutter

In a small office space, clutter is the equivalent of the weeds in your garden: unwanted and fast spreading.

Be brutal. If it serves no purpose, get rid of it. Our rule of thumb is that if you don’t use it at least once a week, then it’s time to transform yourself into a 1980s rock star and throw it out of the window. (OK, we got a bit carried away there – throwing things out of windows is neither big nor clever. Recycle, offer your old equipment to schools, do anything… but do NOT throw it out of a window.)

5. Cable tie

Ah cable ties, how we love you so. In a small office space, any amount of untidiness is amplified, so keeping your cables and wiring neat and tidy is vital. Another bonus is that cable ties are far cheaper than ‘where there’s blame there’s a claim’ law suits from employees who've tripped and fallen into your new streamlined white desks.6. Colour!

There has been a huge amount of research done into the psychological effects of colour on people. Yellow has been reported to energise, while too much red could cause anger or aggression.

In terms of colour for a small office space, we would always recommend bright and light colours, as this makes the space appear bigger than it is, while hopefully having a positive effect on your employees’ productivity and happiness too.

If you’re interested, there’s a little extra insight into colours for office spaces here.

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We’d love to see how you’re revamping your small office space, so feel free to send your pictures to @flexioffices on Twitter using #BigSmallOffice and we’ll retweet our favourites!