Image via Complex Original
Unless you work at an out-of-the-box company like a startup, it's hard to find an office space that inspires its workers through exciting interior design. Some might think that this is a frivolous claim, but the visual environment you’re surrounded with can affect your productivity and energy levels. Unfortunately, most offices consist of blank walls, cheap chairs, and uncomfortable fluorescent lighting. This doesn't mean, however, that we are left to deal with such a boring work environment. We put together a list of 20 Ways to Make Your Office Space Look Awesome, so that work feels less like work.
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Ditch your agenda book for a chalk calendar.
Price Range: $25-$40
Keep a chalk calendar above your desk so that you don't need to consistently flip over calendar pages to stay organized. This is also a great way to avoid cheesy calendar designs of puppies or naked celebrities.
Counting down the hours to leave? Put up a modern clock.
Price Range: $50-$200
Don't rely on ugly office clocks when you're counting down the seconds until the end of the day. Go out and get your hands on a nice clock that is easy on the eyes.
Bulletin boards filled with pictures prove to your colleagues that you're really fun outside of work.
Price Range: $15-$50
Bulletin boards are great for organizational purposes, but they are also the perfect place to stick inspirational images, quotes, and photos of people that are important to you. Put up a lot of pictures of you hitting up the bars, and your coworkers will think that you're a party animal.
Non-work-related books make your space look less corporate.
Price Range: $5-$20
You'll never know when inspiration will strike to read that War and Peace novel that has been sitting there for years. Also, having books in your office from outside of work will keep you inspired by a wide range of influences. They will also make you look smart.
Really weird desk accessories, like a dachshund mail organizer, will add humor to your work day.
Price Range: $10-$50
Quirky objects are fairly cheap and add a bit of humor into your day when you need it. They're also great conversation starters for the people who visit your office.
Nobody will doubt that you know your shit if you take design risks.
This 2D lamp isn't in production yet, but it's great inspiration to go out there and take some design risks with your office space. Adding modern furniture into your work environment will make the space feel more personalized and exciting.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Price Range: $0
It just goes without saying. Everything looks much better when it is clean and organized. If you keep your space tidy, you've already done a majority of the work needed to make your office look great.
Create an intimate moment with your office documents by putting up Christmas lights.
Price Range: $5-$20
This is possibly the cheapest way to insert your creative personality into your workspace. Create images, words, or a cool design with Christmas lights. Also, trading in harsh LEDs for Christmas lights will make you have a more positive outlook on the work week.
Give your office the Martha Stewart treatment, and cover your space with different textiles.
Price Range: $5-$500
Adding different textiles, like pillows, throw blankets, and tapestries, into your work environment makes for a more interesting aesthetic. Your work space will look so good that you won't feel like you're working in an office anymore.
Is your desk covered in junk? Put up easy, modern shelves.
Price Range: $20-$200
If you're careful, you can put up shelves so that you have more space to put your things that are taking up too much space on your desk. The shelves will also make your office feel homier.
Cables aren't cute, but cable clips are.
Price Range: $5-$25
Cable clips are an extremely affordable way to keep all your cables in place. There's nothing worse than random cables lying around everywhere. These clips mix design and function, so you don't need to sacrifice aesthetics for your space.
Hold your pens in something better than an old mug.
Price Range: $20-$200
This is pretty simple. You don't want your office supplies lying around everywhere—it just isn't professional. Your office will only look awesome if you can keep your pens in place.
Wall art is better than staring at a blank wall.
Price Range: $10-$150
Wall art is easily removable and adds a bit of personality into your space within a relatively affordable price. The trompe l'oeil effect adds a bit of humor to an otherwise serious work environment.
Sit in front of a window so that you don't get depressed.
Price Range: $0
Placing your desk in front of the light source creates a focal point in the room, which gives the impression of an organized and Zen atmosphere (even if it is not necessarily true). Also, it will help you feel happier in the dark days of the winter.
Pops of color add some energy to a bland office space.
Price Range: $20-$70
Paint a piece of furniture, add some bright pillows, or hang up a colorful curtain. Adding color to your office space will be more visually stimulating and will, perhaps, stimulate your work day. Who needs coffee?
Hang up a big mirror to make your cramped office appear bigger.
Price Range: $20-$200
You might not be an executive, but that doesn't mean that you can't make your space feel as if you have the corner office. A large mirror is perfect because it gives the impression that your office is twice the size. Mirrors also make great whites board or spaces to tape up inspirational images.
Test out your green thumb, and buy a potted plant.
Price Range: $5-$40
Get that fresh air circulating in your workspace by placing some plants in the general area. The plants also make the office appear cleaner and more relaxed. Not to mention that watering your plants is a great distraction from work.
If you're going to sit on your ass all day, you might as well get yourself a comfortable chair.
Price Range: $60-$900
Sitting in a crappy chair can affect your back in the long run, so we suggest an ergonomic chair for your office. There are plenty of modern looking, yet comfortable chairs out there.
Put up some affordable art so that your eyes don't die of boredom.
Price Range: $20-$2,000
Thanks to the Internet, it's not that expensive to buy art for your office anymore. Putting up art will provide some inspiration for an otherwise dreary, work-filled day. We recommend buying a piece that adds some color, texture, or any other kind of visual stimulation.
Keep things personal.
Price Range: Priceless
Avoid having someone else sitting in your desk by marking your territory with pictures, knick-knacks, and decorations that signify that the space is yours, and only yours. André Breton, the creator of the Surrealist Manifesto, had an office that was so impressive and personal, they stuck it in the Pompidou Museum in Paris.