We can’t give all our employees spacious corner offices. Sometimes space restrictions are a necessary part of laying out offices. So how do you figure out how to work everything a worker needs into an office that one might consider ‘a little tight’? As a furniture installation service,we’ve furnished offices of many shapes, sizes, and purposes, and have found a number of common techniques used to make the most of a small office space.
It’s much easier if you prioritize beforehand. Start with the bare essentials—the things that the occupant absolutely will be unable to work without. Things such as a computer, chair, monitor, perhaps an in/out box, and a desk large enough to fit all of it. The next priority goes to things that significantly improve work conditions and efficiency. This could include items like filing cabinets that the worker would need to access frequently, but could be kept in a storage room, or just extra desk space.
Make a third priority group called ‘wish list’. These are items that could improve the environment, make it easier for your worker to excel beyond their current scope, or that represent general ‘quality-of-life improvements’. This could include items such as extra storage, spare desk space, specialized equipment, or extra monitors. These items can be set aside until you have a plan for all the rest.
If there’s anything leftover…
Anything that doesn’t qualify as “essential”, “time-saving”, or “quality-improvements” can be eliminated altogether. When de-cluttering, consider alternatives to bulky objects, such as going paperless to get rid of bulky filing cabinets, or having the occupant work from a laptop instead of having to clear out space for a computer case.
Do a little research. There are many excellent space-saving ideas from all around the world which could inspire some innovative new space-saving designs, configurations, and ideas. Often, through creative use of space and collapsible designs, a small office can be outfitted to include a surprising amount of ‘quality improvement’ features.
Make sure that every angle of need is met. When trying to worry about physical items, it’s easy to overlook the needs that don’t take up space. Natural and artificial lighting and adequate power outlets and network access need to be considered for offices of any size, and particularly important to small offices are ventilation and climate control—if there’s no access to ventilation, the space will quickly become unpleasant, stale, and stuffy, but if it’s built directly around a main HVAC output, the office could experience extreme temperatures.
As we mentioned, we have experience installing offices of all shapes and sizes. We can help you to make sure that everything is properly installed according to plan, no matter how tight the space. Contact us today to book an appointment.