Category: Office Design

Owning your own business can be quite expensive and time-consuming. There are many business owners who have decided to move their business into their homes to save money, time, and stress.

If you feel that moving your business to your home is the best option for you, use the following guide to learn how to make the transition as easy as it can possibly be.

Dedicate Space in Your Home to Your Business

The first thing you need to do is dedicate a specific area of your home for business use. You do not want to have things scattered all over your home because it will make it difficult for you to keep up with orders, inventory, and shipping. Having a room dedicated solely to your business will allow you to keep everything organized.

Invest in a Great Internet Service

When you have a home business, you need to be able to easily look things up online, contact supplies, and contact customers. Be sure to choose an internet service that offers unlimited streaming data so that you can have video conferences with clients and suppliers whenever it is needed. Consider a few of the options available by Optimum to get the service you need for your business.

Ensure Safe Storage of Your Merchandise

When you sell merchandise online, you will need to have a place to store the items securely. If you do not want your home to be filled with the items that you sell, consider renting a storage pod to keep behind your home. The pods can be secured with a lock and will allow you to have the merchandise close at hand without taking up a bunch of room in your home.

Establish Dedicated Shipping Arrangements

Having to travel to the post office every time you need to ship something can be quite a hassle. Consider investing in a shipping scale and making arrangements online to have items picked up from your home when they need to be shipped out. This will save you a lot of time and money because you will not have to make special trips to mail something to your customers.

You can print shipping labels at home and weigh everything so that you know exactly what it will cost to ship the items without leaving your home. Make sure to leave the packages where the carrier can easily find them when they come to pick them up to ensure everything ships on time.

Set Aside Time Specifically for Work

Working from home requires you to be dedicated and responsible. You need to force yourself to set aside time to get work done on a regular basis. While your schedule will be more flexible than when you owned a brick and mortar business because you will not have scheduled hours the business has to be opened, you have to be willing to dedicate some of your days to the business on a regular basis.

Transitioning a brick and mortar business into a business at home will take time and patience. Be sure to prepare your home for the transition before making any changes so that you can get your business back up and running as soon as possible.

 

Being a business owner will require you to do some things that can make your company successful. Of course, you will need to have the right space to get the business you need, and this can be done by purchasing the ideal commercial property. However, the key to making the right choice is sure to depend on knowing what to look for before you make this purchase. Taking time to consider some things before putting an offer in on any property you’re considering is sure to be ideal.

Location

You’ll want to be sure to find the ideal location for your business. This is one that will be easy for others to get to and can allow you to get the additional customers and clients you need for success.

The physical address for your company will play a large role in the overall profits that you may be capable of making. Keep in mind that you will want to choose a real estate property that has enough population in the area to help make your business one that is visited frequently.

The more traffic you have, the greater potential of being able to make a sale while having an increased amount of profit and this may depend on your location.

Health Inspections

You can count on having your property inspected by a professional to ensure it meets all of the requirements before you will be able to open your business. When you’re considering real estate development San Diego residents consider the importance of the condition of this property and take the advice of others when looking in this area. Getting recommendations from family and friends is sure to be helpful to you.

The last thing you will want to do is to have to make a ton of repairs because this simply means more money out of your pocket. If you have to do a great amount of work on any commercial property you purchase, this will directly take away from your profit margin.

Listed below are some of the things that are necessary to pass a health inspection for a restaurant:

1. Cleanliness – If you operate a food business, you will need to ensure that it’s clean and sanitized. The officials that do this inspection will look for any dirtiness or uncleanliness, and this could prevent your business from passing.
2. Storage – You will need to properly store your food, and this means keeping raw food in the right places, as well as having your food at the ideal temperature. You will want to ensure any property that you do purchase offers the right space to get this done.
3. Washrooms – Your business will have to meet the requirements when it comes to the areas where the food is washed and kept in good condition before serving it.

Parking area

Being sure your customers have a place to park is one thing that you must consider. You will want to take a good look at the parking lot to ensure that you won’t need to do a lot of work to it.

Some things to consider include is it paved and smooth for your customers to use. If not, it could be an expensive task to repave the entire area. In fact, studies do show that the low cost of adding asphalt to this area is $1,400. Of course, there are many factors that will play a large role in this expense, and these include the size of this area.

The key to making the right choice when it comes to choosing a commercial property you will enjoy is to know what to look for well in advance. Taking the time to do your research beforehand is an ideal place to start and could be the key to getting past making the wrong decision. You should also make use of existing data visualization tools like the Maptive mapping platform to make sense of all the data that you’ve gathered from your research. For example, you can record all the data collected from your research into an excel spreadsheet or Google sheet and upload it to Maptive. You can then use its Google Map radius tool to gain more significant insights into your competition. It will help you figure out whether purchasing a commercial property in that area is worth it or not, as you will get a better understanding of your competition e.g., their total numbers and proximity to your business, etc.

Making an investment in commercial real estate is a big one to make, and you’ll want to be sure you select the right property to meet all of your needs today!

Educational institutions are not the only place you’ll find a fun & inspiring atmosphere, sometimes you can find it in places you’d least expect it, like a home office!

Our client based in San Mateo, was in search for a home interior designer who could transform their room into an office space to tutor students in the evenings. In order to better enhance their learning experience, we value the importance of creating an enjoyable atmosphere for kids, so we couldn’t wait to take on this project!

After a long day of school it can be tiring to have to attend tutoring, so our aim was to incorporate uplifting colors to create an empowering space for kids to feel positive & motivated in.

Although we had a small budget we used our resources effectively & decided to keep the walls off white & add in pops of color that livened up the interior office & maintained a well balanced space.

To perk up the room we used a beautiful velvet teal arm chair with a neutral colored pillow, a fun multicolored patterned pillow for the desk chair, an abstract rug that contained colors that complimented the wall & decorative accessories in the room, & teal patterned wallpaper. Overall it was a fun project & our clients loved the outcome!

We used the following resources to decorate their beautiful space: Wayfair – Modern Look – Cp2.

In a world where technology is becoming increasingly important, and technological possibilities increasingly advanced, it is necessary and helpful to consider how and to what effect technology may be put to best use. In recent decades both hardware and software technologies have been implemented in the workplace to make lives easier, work more efficient, and standard of production higher. From typewriters to touchscreens, letters to emails, technological advancements have redefined understandings of what an office should be and how it should function. Based on ideas forwarded by Interactive Space, a professional services company in London, we explore the possibilities of the future: how might technology enhance office design in years to come?

The Handheld Device

Nowadays, handheld devices are the essential accessory – for both professional use and otherwise. What began as a rectangular and table-sized workstation has been reduced to the size of one’s palm; the functionality of mobile phones and smart devices is so advanced

that everything one needs to work effectively is at the touch of a button. Of course, this has been facilitated by the development of technology in itself: the Internet, the cloud and email, make it possible to work on the go. It is probable that workplaces will develop in line with this technological trend: entire offices will be smartphone-friendly. Smart devices will open doors, QR codes will be used for meeting invitations, and smart payment solutions will be implemented in staff canteens. Instant messaging systems – such as Slack – are already being used in offices and are accessible from mobile phones, meaning workers are instantly reachable.

Smart Walls

Office designs of the future will integrate smart walls for collaborative tasks and presentations. Smart walls will bring companies together, from in-house activities to client meetings, and external collaborations. They will facilitate wireless presenting and will act like an innovative dry-erase board, with an app that lets employees save and share content. Smart Walls will improve the ability to record, stream and distribute videos. Doodle, plan, present, view, review, meet and exchange. Rear projection screens will also be used to enhance digital signage and branding, while live data feeds will improve professionalism and performance. Glass projection walls will also be put to use in most offices.

Workstations

In office designs of the future, workstations will look very different indeed. In part due to an increase in the desire for flexibility in the workplace. It is thought that 92% of millennials consider flexibility as a top consideration when seeking a new job. As many as 58% of workers envisage workstations, as we know them, ceasing to exist. Instead, employees will have a variety of working options. Seating areas and work surfaces will be varied to suit particular needs; different areas will cater for group collaboration, individual work, meetings and presentations. Workstations will be integrated with enhanced technologies, creating smart workstations that streamline efficiency and quality. Portable devices will sync with desks, computers and centralised communication systems. Computer screens will increase in size; it has been found that dual screens or larger visual displays increase productivity levels by up to 15%.

Smart Buildings

Entire buildings will become smart. Smart rooms will optimise the conditions of work, with the perfect lighting levels and temperature being controlled from a central console. It will be possible to monitor energy usage, air circulation and security from central systems in smart buildings. Space analysis will be mechanised to increase performance and productivity. Corporate apps will integrate with the technology of a building to direct visitors to their location, and check identity for safety purposes.

Office spaces will see the unification of IT and audio-visual systems, with the aim of improving work output. Currently, technology is facilitating the transformation of offices, with spaces defined by the technological systems that exist within it. Flexibility, mobility and collaboration will characterise the focus of office design, with a marked interest in the technologies that will enable each.

The cubicle farm is a thing of the past. With more and more organizations trying to stimulate creativity among their employees, great office design is fast becoming a necessity. After all, it’s hard to be creative in a drab space. Simply adding perks or a game table won’t cut it.

But if you want to perk up your office, you don’t need to tear down your entire space right away. Here are five easy ways to make your work areas feel more fun:

1. Add unique lighting fixtures.
   Instead of the usual fluorescent tube lamps illuminating your entire floor, you can try adding custom-made fittings that lend more character to each space. For example, you can replace your harsh white bulbs with ones that emit warm, natural light. Or you can install a hand-blown glass lamp that serve as both light source and accent piece in common areas.
2. Use more color.
   Offices don’t always have to be a drab shade of gray or that boring variant of blue. You can try using a vibrant color to transform an otherwise generic panel into an accent wall. Or get great art prints, have them framed, and hang them up to dress up blank spaces. You can even get furniture in bright, funky shades to break the monotony of an all-white design.
3. Have the right ratio of private to open spaces.
   Open-plan offices were originally conceptualized as the anti-thesis of the cubicle farm. However, employees eventually realized that this wasn’t the best setup to get real work done. After all, instead of fostering a collaborative atmosphere, it encouraged unnecessary chit-chat; getting interrupted by an officemate became the norm. Hence, to balance things out, you should allot enough private spaces for your employees who need to finish work in peace and quiet. On the flip side, they should also have enough common areas for team meetings or for relaxing during their break times. To create spaces like this in a pinch, you can have dividers installed. That way, your employees simply need to fold out a divider to create a quiet space.
4. Make use of creative storage solutions.
   Instead of stashing away files in boring brown boxes, why don’t you try dressing up your office storage? Use plastic bins in different colors or use woven baskets. Or get quirky desk organizers for your office supplies. You can even have shelving in different designs or modular configurations that you can change as needed.
5. Ask employees for their input and let them add their own personal touches.

Your employees are the ones who will use the office the most. Hence, it’s just logical to ask if they have comments or suggestions about changes in the layout. You can even give them a space to express their thoughts. Why not create a freedom wall using chalkboard paint or dry erase whiteboard sheeting? That way, you’ll be sure that your new office design will delight your employees.

These five suggestions are just to get you started on your workspace redesign. Check out our other office design guides for more ideas!

All work and no play indeed would make an office workspace a dull place to work in. Today the information age has paved the way for new technologies, leading to a wider distribution of work and increased mobility to work from anywhere. So then why is it that coming together as a collaborative team is still a very important factor and is leading some industry giants like Google and Facebook to hire celebrity architects for renovating their office space? That is because co-creation has become the dominant factor when innovating something different and creative.

Businesses today try to lay more emphasis on collaboration in order to drive better innovation and increased production. Entrepreneurs try to build up a place where people having different skills, knowledge and experience come together to build a collaborative whole. Hence, building your office space to best complement the work structure of your employees matters a lot today than what it was previous. But the best office space can be the one that can best compliment both the cultures of working together and being apart.

Here’s why –

• The importance of working collaboratively

Collaboration leads to high scale performance and delivery. Great ideas should be executed faster and perhaps this is why man needs advanced technology and a common space where everyone can come together and work as a team. Of course, faster delivery and proper implementation of ideas and strategies become possible with the coexistence bond and trust among each other, and this is what makes innovation successful.

• The importance of being apart

Individuality brings more control and choice of thoughts. In some cases, this is important before all the heads can come together and begin joining the dots to great innovation. And for that matter, different kinds of works are sometimes best done by an individual when in different work settings. Creativity is something that should be spontaneous they say, but then, serendipity is not something that you are going to get amidst an environment full of cacophony.

Entrepreneurs may today look forward to hiring more talented people than ever and surround themselves with people who can bring on board unlimited creativity. But the point is, it just does not help to build up the work culture you desire. Besides, why would someone desire to work in an office that simply does not inspire them or bring motivation to their work? Employees are just as demanding as you are, and the best ones are always on the lookout to associate themselves with office environments that look desirable and are highly effective.

Building Up Office Personality Matters

An office space is not just about being comfortable and spacious. While both are essential for enhancing employee productivity, nevertheless, setting up office cubicles Irvine CA, chairs and desks should be based on your office personality. What type of office is yours? Is it fun and interesting? Or does it have to be a little bit serious?

Whatever your business calls for, make sure that your workspace architectural layout plan draws emphasis on factors like concentration, collaboration, socialization and creation. This helps to build up an open environment that gives people more choice and control over their work process, while simultaneously helping to maintain the serendipity they need, to avoid bumping into each other.

Every great work needs some inspiration and to begin planning your own office space, here is a look at how the big giants have gone creative with their office interior designs –

#1 – Google

There are innumerable reasons to envy Google employees and their work environment. While most offices have their employees spend their office hours hunching over and working in box cubicles and under harsh fluorescent lights, Google employees have something to gloat about their office awesomeness. And why not, when they can get to zoom through their workspace on scooters, slip down from one office floor to another in spiraling slides and even grow vegetables in their personal office garden. As interesting and unconventional as it sounds, the architectural designs help to serve the purpose of bringing together creative people as well as engineers, to generate better ideas, trigger maximum creativity and at the same time ensure happiness to clients

#2 – Facebook

One of Facebook’s motto talks about bringing “your authentic self to work“. The Manhattan headquarter tries to keep its staff upbeat by providing amenities like the ping pong table and a basketball arcade game in the dining area, a per-person budget for hacking and designing their individual office space and vending machines for dispensing office supplies. But Manhattan is not alone since Facebook is known for delivering some of its most impressive office spaces all over the world. The Facebook office in California is known for providing a fantastic work environment with big spaces for work, relaxation and even a separate place to skate and dance. Pretty impressive indeed!Need we say more?

#3 – AOL

The company seems to have taken out a leaf from Google’s book in their attempt to get rid of the blank corporate facade look and replace it with designs that are fun, fresh and inspiring. Their office space includes everything that one can expect – from big internet companies such as bright color splashes, large kitchens, game rooms, pool tables and creative working places.

#4 – Selgas Cano

Size remains irrelevant when we look into the interior decoration of Selgas Cano office. Located in the middle of the forest, the office is placed partly underground and partly above the ground as the employees can enjoy a great view into the woods while working. Designed by Iwan Baan, the office space has a light and airy architecture, clean lines with colorful details and a more relaxed environment close to nature with big empty rooms and harsh lighting system.

#5 – Zappos

This popular online shoe retailer has largely stuck to the cubicle office design. However, they encourage their staff and give them the freedom to go ahead and decorate individual spaces as they wish to. That means each cubicle has its own specialized design and some of them come decked with toys and trinkets hanging around. This makes the office space more enjoyable and less sterile. Office employees can even contribute individual ideas and opinions when it comes to designing the conference room. What’s more! The office also offers a short trip to outsiders who wish to take a short round to learn about the company.

Work Space Still Matters!

And hence you should be also concerned about the interior design of your office that can leave an impact on the behavior and thinking of the people around. Not all offices spaces can turn out to be the same and while some designs may affect the morale of the workers thus leading to reduced productivity, others can inspire people and motivate them to become more creative. Whether you decide on an open floor plan or a more private one, make sure your layout design is as supporting and empowering as possible in building up the right work culture for greater productivity.

Author Bio: Jessica Parker is an interior designer and a guest columnist for some of the top interior design magazines. She likes to experiment a lot with spaces and home and office are some of the key places where she devotes her attention the most.

It was not long ago that we discovered Vitra’s functional and inspiring products for homes, offices and public spaces, and we were pleased to see unique items along with some legendary concepts that marked the international furniture design. The products and concepts that the Swiss company Vitra are developing combines their engineering excellence with the creative genius of leading international designers, so the quality of the furniture items is undeniable, so here is our pick for today’s post: the remarkable Alcove sofa family created some while ago by French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

With the aim to create furniture that adapts to people, and not the other way round, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec came out with an innovative sofa concept -the “room within a room” – that they developed it together with Vitra. Starting from the idea that a sofa can go beyond a mere piece of furniture to become a room within a room, inside a home, designers imagined a solution that offers flexible, affordable, and comfortable space for use in home interiors as well as office environments: the Alcove Sofa.

Its design was initiated by the idea o mobile, micro-architectural elements and was inspired by the Arabic “al-qubba”, being a secluded, upholstered niche, envisioned for lounging, sleeping or private meetings. Alcove Sofa is seen as an environment of its own; both a security zone and a social place with many more advantages than a standard sofa. With a modern minimalist appearance, it features comfortable seat, backrest upholstery and  high, flexible side and back panels transforming it into a perfect retreat, spacious and without noise. For open-plan offices, it is the best alternative because it isn’t a permanent fixture ( can be relocated ) and is much more cost effective than making a separate partitioned meeting rooms with all the facilities they need such as lighting, air conditioning, etc.). Ideal for small meeting groups, for informal chats with your clients or brainstorming with your team, the Alcove sofa family consists of different sofa models with various trendy colors that can be easily combined to suit your needs. Below are some pictures with them. Take a look!

 

Photos © Vitra

What would you say if you had your office located in the woods? We bet it would be an interesting experience and the idea of working in the middle of the nature is certainly an unconventional office design approach. Spanish architecture firm Selgas Cano is responsible for this creative office space, which is in fact their own architecture office situated amongst downtown Madrid’s trees.

Its exterior appears as a long and narrow tube like structure with half of it opaque to ensure privacy and with a huge window on the other half, that makes you feel a part of the nature, while flood the office space with natural light from the surrounding landscape. Looking at these pictures, the view is fantastic whether you’re inside or outside. The building which is almost underground built features an extremely minimalist design inside. Vibrant lime, yellow and orange touches contrast with the dominant interior color, white, giving a fresh and appealing look. Enjoy the photos!

Photos © Iwan Baan