Commercial Interiors

Top 17 Powerful Ways To Make Your Small Office Look Big

January 18, 2021 / 200 Comments

Do you feel claustrophobic in your own office and you want your small office to speak for itself. Office design shows how your work culture is and if not designed correctly it can hurt your revenue to a great extent.

Founders and employees of small offices are one of the most hardworking and reliable people, they give their 101% trust towards their work for a better tomorrow and in this scenario, if the office designs don’t support them, it can harm their productivity.

These top 17 powerful ways to make your office look bigger are the most basic points that will help you achieve a better attractive look and also help you establish your office in a unique way.

1. Mirrors To The Rescue

Mirrors To The Rescue
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By BD Architects
Mirrors To The Rescue
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Humming Tree

A golden rule to make a small interior space look bigger is to use a mirror wisely and appropriately. Mirrors add depth to the place and also beautifies it. Mirrors reflect light and make the office appear bigger and brighter.

Mirrors have the quality to enhance the look of interior space. Small offices appear to feel big due to the presence of the mirror appropriately.

Mirrors can be used on the whole wall or even in bits and pieces as a decor element. You can play with the base color of the mirror, you can even use lacquered glass or back-painted glass.

Back painted glasses are available in various colors, two of the most followed back painted glass color in office designs are the royal brown and silver glass or simple black or white. They put up a rich look and improve the visual value of the place.

2. Say No To Dark Colors

Say No To Dark Colors
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By MDDM Studio
Say No To Dark Colors
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Colliers International | Poland

Dark colors like black or navy blue, etc. make the place appear smaller and congested. The main aspect of making a small office look big is by getting rid of dark colors.

Dark colors also put up a sensation of claustrophobia. In bigger offices, black color plays a great role in building up the design, but it is better to keep dark colors away from the small offices.

One of my recommendations would be going ahead with only white colors, light colors, or cool colors. Cool colors appreciate positivity and divinity in an interior space. It makes the office look bigger and helps the owner and the employee concentrate and focus more on their work.

White color is evergreen and combines with any other color available in the color wheel.

3. Keep Your Ceiling Silent

Keep Your Ceiling Silent
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By DESIGNIC

We often desire to have a decorative false ceiling, full of elements and always try to make it eye-catchy but this rule doesn’t work in small offices, the more simple the ceiling is.. the more visual worth it adds.

The simple ceiling of an office space can be defined into 2 perspectives. Firstly, it can be a plain white colored ceiling, or second, it can be a false ceiling with cove in the corner/borders.

4. Indoor Plants Can Be A Good Investment

Indoor Plants Can Be A Good Investment
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Bauer
Indoor Plants Can Be A Good Investment
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Bauer

Indoor plants are available in various options which are extremely low maintenance and some of it needs water once a month. Indoor plants boost morale amongst the employees and help you focus on positivity and peace.

Plants have proved to spread harmony and unity. It is moreover a very good decor element and the best part is that it doesn’t need a specific area to blossom, it can spread its positivity as a wall fixed plant as well as a hanging plant or planters placed on the workstation.

5. Wide Entrances Can Help

Wide Entrances Can Help
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By D+ Studio
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Steven Leach Group

The main failure in some of the office designs is that they don’t focus on welcoming entrances. Welcoming entrances mean wide entrances or open entrances, which means it is better to spend some money in building a good big reception.

Receptions should be clean and accepting, it should not be filled with furniture and storage. Welcoming receptions can be achieved by enough visitor seats/sofa and not overloading it. It can have bright graphics on one wall, it can also have a history wall, showing the rich history of the company.

If you have no visitors coming to your office and you feel like not having a reception, that is fine.

The most preferable option is to have a double-leaf glass door, as it signifies how broad the firm is. 

6. Glass Partition Is Your Go-To Option

Glass Partition Is Your Go-To Option
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Hagai Nagar Architects

Glass partition opens up the place, the more you construct cabins with solid partitions the more you decrease the visual value. You are blocking the exposure of the place by doing this.

Using glass partitions for cabins, meeting rooms, and conferences will connect the whole office as one, which is great when it comes to avoiding the claustrophobia

For a person who is sitting inside the cabin with solid partitions blocking all the possible views and exposure, how can that person concentrate on his work completely?

Employees can focus on their work when they get a sense of openness and fresh air, but in this case, the sense of openness and visibility of the whole office can drive the employee to concentrate more on his / her work.

7. Get More Height As Possible

Get More Height As Possible
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By IDA Workplace

Getting more height in a small office is like a virtue from God. Height plays a very important role in shaping one’s office. More the height better the interiors of the office.

If you don’t have a great office height, the first thing you have to do is avoid a false ceiling.

Secondly, even if you desire to have a false ceiling, the only thing you can do is to make it on the zero levels that means the false ceiling gets touched to your true slab, the only advantage we get is, you can avoid the messy wires and cables and you can easily execute concealed lights. 

Even an inch counts so it is better to go ahead with a simple false ceiling and more height than a jazzy busy false ceiling with less height.

If you want no ceiling, then make sure the wires and cables are properly organized and designed. Simplicity is the key.

8. Having A Multi-Purpose Area Is A Great Option

Having A Multi-Purpose Area Is A Great Option
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Studio Eagle

A multipurpose area is a place dedicated to informal seating. It is an area that can be used as a break from the hectic schedule and an area that can also be used as a meeting space.

This area can be in the pantry or the workstation area. Multipurpose areas are the ones that can also be used as a collaboration center, where employees and owners can sit and brainstorm with a cup of coffee.

There is no rule of making it a jazzy looking fun place. The area can suffice with two sofas with a center table and in some cases, not even that.

This area will help the employees work, brainstorm and collaborate.

These areas have proved to develop more productivity amongst the employees, which will improve the outcome of each employee.

9. Is There Enough Natural Light?

Is There Enough Natural Light?
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Evolution Design

Natural light in an office interior space increases the liveliness of the place. One of the main factors which boost confidence is the involvement of natural light in office design.

Get as much sunlight in the office, because sunlight has also helped in generating positivity.

Employees lose interest when they feel they are in the dark. They are often found not concentrating on their work when they find inadequate lighting.

10. Adequate Artificial Lighting

Adequate Artificial Lighting
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Hong Design Works

Lighting in an interior space has to be done accurately as it is kept switched on every day.

If you do not have natural light coming into your office, you can try out some artificial lighting systems like the downlighters and can use hanging lights in the place where dark spots are seen.

Nowadays task lights are also used on the individual single workstations and that helps the employees to not bother about the other ceiling lights.

Lighting is one of the biggest elements in an office, if not done properly it can be considered as poor design.

11. Analyzing Open Office

Analyzing Open Office
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Brook Inc.

Open offices are one the concept which has already boomed in the interior design industry and is going to trend in the coming decade.

The open office is designed to make the office look open. That means reducing the cabins and keeping the office as spacious as possible.

This will help the employees breathe. One of the major faults of a small office is, despite it being small, it is full of cabins.

The companies will have to analyze, whether they need a cabin or not, whether the managers, directors, etc can be offered a cubicle instead of a cabin.

12. Proper Storages

Proper Storages
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By Hollandse

One of the biggest issues faced by small offices is inadequate storage. Storage is a problem not only for small offices but also for multinational companies.

The approach towards these issues can be only sorted by giving more storage. This does not mean that giving storage wherever possible.

You can take up a wall that is unused and you can execute full height storages. You have to make use of the vertical space available.

The least important storage materials like papers, contracts can go in the pedestals, but the ones which are important but not required can be shifted in that vertical storage / full height storage. 

13. Try Storing It Online

Try Storing It Online
Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash

This topic is not as relevant, but this is an important point that every firm should follow.

Ask yourself, all the contracts and important copies, which require printing can always be replaced into an online digital space? If those important papers are signed and approved digitally then the usage of hard copies can be reduced to a great extent.

All these important files can be digitally saved in various internet cloud formats, which is the safest anybody can ever get because these files are extremely secured and you can access it whenever you want.

14. Choose Blinds Over Curtains

The simple reason for choosing roller blinds over curtains is, it grasps less space, it doesn’t need maintenance or cleaning as much as a curtains requires. Curtains act as a distraction to the employees.

Curtains do not look professional and blinds look more mature in an office. You can purchase blinds as per the required transparency.

Blinds are extremely slim and don’t take up much space. Whereas the curtain drapes on the floor makes it look poor in an office.

The transparency output of the blind is one of the most important steps. Sometimes it depends on the preferences, some prefer 25% transparency and some prefer 100% blackout blind.

Blackout blind cuts of the sunlight totally, making it look like a solid element, which is generally recommended only if the sun rays are directly coming through the window.

15. Simple And Clean

Simple And Clean
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By SAV Architecture + Design

One point that I highly recommend you to apply it in your office is this point. Simple looking offices have the power to talk on their own. Being simple is in itself unique. Creativity with the touch of uniqueness makes the office do wonders.

Simple and clean interior design advocates having linear lines, not so much of forms and shapes, being more practical and more mature towards the office design.

Being simple is not a thumb rule as such, it means you can still play with some elements, you can still creatively decorate your walls, you can even go for an accent wall effect.

Accent wall means highlighting one wall uniquely and creatively in comparison to the other three walls. The other three walls are meant to be silent and the accent wall does all the talking.

You can even plan for a history wall displaying your hard work throughout the years and also motivate your employees by an accent wall.

The most important aspect other than all this is keeping the furniture dust free. Making sure your furniture and workstations are cleaned regularly.

16. Cozy Office = Relaxed Office

Cozy Office = Relaxed Office
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By D/DOCK

Some people opt for office designs that are very unique and loud, but that design should be soothing to the eyes which means, there are specific color themes and concept which triggers a feeling of relaxation amongst the employees.

These designs can be used only if the office employees are surrounded by work stress all the items. Colors schemes such as brown, beige, off-white act as a healing component.

Fishtanks have also help in the office space to reduce the stress in the office. The more positivity you garner amongst the employees and yourself, the more output you create

17. Get The Dimensions Right

The basic and the standard dimensions have to be followed in a small office for an easy workflow.

The following points are the basic dimensions you can follow:-

  1. Workstation Minimum Length – 90 cms.
  2. Workstation Minimum Depth – 60 cms.
  3. Workstation Standard Height – 75 cms.
  4. Distance Between Two Workstations Minimum (back to back) – 165cms.
  5. Reception Table Minimum Length – 90 cms.
  6. Reception Standard Height – 75 cms.
  7. Distance Between Reception Table And The Back Wall – 105cms.

Conclusion:

offices
Source : Google, Office Snapshot | Design By DIG Architects

Small offices have the advantage of getting employees’ support. These offices are usually startups or small companies looking to expand, these top 17 powerful ways to make the small office look bigger will help such companies in a great way when they renovate their offices next.

Color themes in offices have also been trending. In small offices, one trick that will work is using one bright color and using it as a pop-out in an office that is painted out in white.

For example, using the color yellow as minimal pop out the color, it adds a great sophisticated approach to the office interiors.

Do you think a white color is a great option for an office?

If you have any queries regarding the standard measurements of specific furniture, or you want to know the minimum sizes for the meeting rooms, cabins, pantry, bathrooms, etc, you can contact me on my email. I would be very happy to help you with my FREE consultation.

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