Even if you have little knowledge in Feng Shui, these practical office interior tips will help you reset and prepare for 2019.
Read on to see how you can beautify and redesign your office for a productive year to come.
Step 1: Declutter & Organise
Feng Shui Tip: Decluttering improves energy and vitality while creating a relaxed and stress-free environment.
Interior Application: The act of decluttering and organising helps you reflect on the year that’s passed and prepare for the year to come. Check your drawers, cabinets, and shelves for outdated documents and redundant items, then put them in the trash or recycling bin.
Clear pathways of small furniture, rubbish, or unused knick knacks to enable movement, thereby increasing collaboration within co-workers. Organise your files and documents by date or task and add shelving or storage spaces that are more suitable to your working style and needs.
For example, if you use a lot of loose papers, replace drawers with file cabinets and utilise a proper filing system for easy access to your documents. This will improve your efficiency and make eliminate stress from losing important documents.
Step 2: Plan Your Seating
Feng Shui Tip: Place work desks in a “power position”, away from the entrance with the back facing the wall.
Interior Application: Placing work areas away from the entrance is a good idea to create a quieter working space that’s free from the distraction of delivery men and people traffic. Instead, design a small foyer space to welcome visitors and create a comfortable waiting area.
As for work stations, allow breathing room between desks to allow for privacy and focused work. For open plan offices, add a short partition between desks to allow separation and personalisation of individual work areas.
Being able to pin photos of one’s family, friends, travel destinations, and favourite quotes will boost employee morale, thereby improving efficiency. It’s also these personal touches that add character to an office, making the environment more comfortable for work and conversations.
Step 3: Choose The Right Colours
Feng Shui Tip: The 2019 elements are fire (represented by red, pink, and orange) and metal (represented by white and gold).
Interior Application: Coincidentally, Pantone’s 2019 colour of the year is Living Coral, a bright coral colour belonging to the red family.
Sprinkle coral and pink accents throughout the office via pieces of furniture, art, accessories, and even a feature wall. Keep your other colours neutral for balance and to create breathing space and enable clear thinking.
Metallics like gold can really elevate and update old furniture. For example, switching out table legs, drawer handles, and statement lighting for metallic ones give the office and instant makeover.
Step 4: Add Plants
Feng Shui Tip: Plants bring positive energy and luck.
Interior Application: Plants add live to any interior space! They are a good way to bring the outdoors in, especially at the office where workers might feel cooped up for long hours.
Certain indoor plants like the money plant and ferns even purify the air, creating a more comfortable working environment. Add large potted plants at visible areas like the foyer and workspace, and smaller potted or hanging plants in the washrooms.
Since more offices are moving towards green living, you can also opt for vertical vegetable walls which employees can admire and harvest for their home-cooked stir fries.
Step 5: Get Creative
Feng Shui Tip: 2019 is the year of the pig, and within the Chinese zodiac, it is known to be an artist, making it a good time for aesthetic upgrades in the office.
Interior Application: If you’ve been considering an office makeover or renovation for a long time, then it’s a good time to do it!
An office is so much more than a workplace, it’s a place for co-workers to socialise, brainstorm solutions, and discuss ideas, so it’s important that the office interior is equally creative and inspiring.
Since it has to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, it’s best to hire a professional who can plan efficient workspaces that employees would love to spend time at.
At Ambient Concept, we offer creative designs for the best office layouts. We take into account the work you do, the various working styles and communication needs of the different departments, and your storage and facility requirements. We do this while ensuring that the design reflects your company values and even attracts good Feng Shui!
Cover image credit: Grab Malaysia