11 Office Design Ideas to Inspire & Motivate Your Teams

It stands to reason that no one wants to work in a pokey or poorly designed office. But is your office decor really that much of a big deal? After all, people are there to get a job done - not admire the boss’s taste in mid-century furniture.

But of course our environment impacts upon our general mood - and that includes our productivity and positivity. And that means having a well designed office that is pleasant to spend time in can not only give your employees a boost, but also your business. 

We’ve talked before about what employees really want their office to look like and - spoiler - it’s less about the ping pong tables and darts boards and more about natural light and comfortable furniture.

So what does a happy and productive office look like? 

It should be comfortable and stylish with some inspirational touches - while also remaining professional.  

And, crucially, your office design should reflect your company culture and your values.

If you’re looking for new office design ideas and your workplace could do with a bit of TLC, we’ve come up with some tips for decorating your office that will help your people feel motivated and productive every time they arrive at work.

11 Office design ideas to inspire and motivate your teams

1. Make a feature of your company’s mission statement 

Think about how many gyms use a bold, motivational statement as part of their décor. Why not replicate the idea for your own office but with your company’s mission statement or motto.

You could enlist an employee with artistic talents to paint the statement on a wall in a common area, hire a professional to do it for you, or even have the wording printed onto sticky vinyl lettering.

2. Use your brand’s colors throughout 

On a similar theme, if your brand or logo has a specific color scheme, using this throughout your workplace will help to create a more cohesive office design.

Just make sure that the colors you choose to use are psychologically positive as some will work better than others. For example, green represents freshness and growth whereas brown might not be the most inspiring of choices.

3. Color coordinate your office equipment and supplies

While we’re on the subject of color, making sure items like trash cans, staplers, hole punches, pen holders and even ring binders are color coordinated - or color coded in the case of files and folders is a good way to add subtle style. 

Not only do matching office supplies look smarter but they’ll also make you look (and hopefully even make people feel) more organized.

4. Invest in some attractive artwork

Gone are the days when office art was all about the cheesy ‘motivational quote’ poster. These days the sky is your limit and choosing prints or canvases that tie in nicely with your ethos is a great office decor idea.

And you don’t have to spend a fortune either. There are plenty of websites offering artwork by up-and-coming or even unknown artists that offer affordable art online.

5. Embrace biophilic design

Biophilic design is one of the latest buzzwords in home and office design - and for a good reason. It involves using natural elements and shapes such as greenery and foliage and materials like bamboo, wood and stone.

The great thing about adding plenty of plants to your office space is that they can help cut down on indoor pollution - and lower the number of days that your employees take off sick as a result.

6. Use attractive space dividers

There can’t be many people who actually enjoy working in a cramped and claustrophobic cubicle but as open office environments become increasingly common, it can be necessary to create partitions for different areas.

Dividers also help to lower the noise factor, which can be one of the downsides to open offices. But rather than plump for a drab corporate partition, opt for something a little more stylish and attractive, while still practical.

7. Create floral displays

Who doesn’t love flowers? But if your only blooms are a sad vase of wilted carnations on your reception desk, it’s time to up your game.

Adding vases with color coordinated (or just colorful) florals around your workplace will bring happy vibes. And if cost is a factor, you could always opt for realistic looking fake flowers instead.

8. Use rugs to create different zones

Like office space dividers, rugs are a useful way of defining specific areas in your office - without the physicality of a partition.

The great thing about using rugs to zone off your office is that they work for both large and small areas. Plus they’ll add a homely touch which will make employees feel more relaxed and less stressed.

9. Declutter your space

Clutter is stress-inducing. Seriously, no one likes a view of piles of files, stacks of boxes or messy shelves when they’re trying to work.

An organized office is a productive office so set aside some time to have a good clear out and encourage your employees to maintain a tidy and clutter-free desk or workspace too.  

10. Display fruit and other healthy snacks

Make sure your people are focused and fueled throughout the day by providing them with healthy snacks and drinks.

Better still, use these to create an attractive centerpiece in your kitchen, chill out area or meeting rooms. Fruit and bottled water will make sure teams stay nourished and hydrated - and productive.

Office design and company culture

The way your workplace looks and the office design ideas that you incorporate are integral to your company culture. 

And if you feel like your company culture could use a little more creativity it could be time that you took a step back and gave your office design a good look.

We hope we’ve inspired you to make some positive changes to your workplace with this blog post about office design. Just remember, you can spend as little - or as much - as your budget allows for.

Painting a statement wall in a fun pop of color or dotting some fake flowers in vases (you could even get the vases from a thrift store if you want to go for a shabby chic look in the office) shouldn’t send costs spiraling.

In fact, the only limitation is your eye for office design!