“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work,” according to Greek philosopher Aristotle. But you don’t have to be a philosopher to know that working in a beautiful space makes work more pleasurable.
Whatever your personal style, you can follow these simple steps to make your office a space you look forward to seeing...which may bring some pleasure to your work and an added dash of perfection to what you do.
Here are four pro tips for a beautiful office space.
Step One: Get Organized
We’re not trying to cramp anyone’s personal style...if you love a disorderly, chaotic space, and that mess is its own inspiration to you, fine!
But even under the disorder, it may be good to have a certain kind of order.
Get your workspace organized by:
● Making a list of all the items you interact with
● Ensuring you have a size-appropriate, organized way to keep all of those things
● Dividing and labeling your tools of your trade
● Getting in the habit of putting things back where you keep them
● Reorganizing if you find that your system is more of a hindrance than a help
Here’s an example: you get lots of mail and it tends to accumulate. So, figure out the right divider for you for your mail, label where things go and how you will handle them, but if that organization method made you lose track of important items (organized alphabetically and now you realize it should have been done by date), change your organization method.
Another example: you craft in a home office, but you find that the tools you use don’t wind up back in the drawers where you thought you would keep them--maybe it is time to put them on display, such as with a wall-mounted peg board or toolbox.
Make your organization method suit how you really use items, and you’ll save precious time searching for your tools.
Step Two: Keep it Simple
A beautiful space doesn’t need to be complicated, in fact it will look more elegant if it is not.
Choose just two to three colors for your workspace. Hide less attractive items, such as power cords or filing cabinets, and streamline what is on your desk.
If your furniture pieces feel too clunky or eclectic, consider painting or refinishing everything in the same color palette.
Step Three: Choose an Accent
If things are organized, cleaned up, and all in the same neutral color palette, they can also be a little, well, dull.
Spice up your space by choosing a favorite accent color. Then hang large-scale art or a (removable) wallpaper on an accent wall, put a colorful rug in the room, or otherwise add just a splash of a favorite accent color.
Step Four: Accessorize
The final step to pull the look of your renewed office space together is to accessorize with beautiful, useful, desk items.
Your pencil holder, inbox, scissors, pencil sharpener, etc can all be beautifully coordinated.
A few decorative items or framed photos enhance the look.
A good rule of thumb is to have any item you add to the space have 2-3 things in common with other things in the room. For example, your paperclip holder is circular and gold, matching gold dots on a photo frame, or a round rug with flecks of gold in it.
Be Stylish and Organized
Whether an adorable home office only you (and your Pinterest followers) see, or the most beautiful cubicle in your building, you can make your office space stylish and organized.
OfficeGoods carefully curates all of our beautiful products to suit your style and productivity.