Looking at an empty office space might seem overwhelming, but it’s easy to put together a beautiful space that inspires teamwork and productivity if you follow a few easy rules. The first step is to fill the area with equipment to facilitate your day to day operations; desks, phones, computers, etc. But you’ll also want to pay attention to the little details of your office. Lighting, plants, decor, and the overall flow of your office can all influence the use of your space. There are many ways to optimize your office space to make it more inspirational for employees and help them maintain high spirits while they’re busy at work.

Use Color Strategically

It’s been well-researched and understood that color has strong and immediate psychological effects on people, including influencing their mood and motivation levels. For example, red correlates with energy and danger, so painting a room red or including a few furniture items in red can make your employees feel energetic and alert. Red is especially advantageous in a space where people are as enthusiastic and active as possible for work performance. But can lead possibly to an increased level of mental fatigue and disagreements between coworkers.

In contrast, blue provides a calming effect that makes people relax and induces them to think more strategically. Blue also inspires trust, promoting teamwork within your company. Blue is a perfect color to have in meeting rooms since it will serve as a gentle reminder to everyone present to think first before saying or doing anything.

Similarly, other colors such as green and orange also have psychological effects on people and make them feel more relaxed. Ideally, you want to take full advantage of human psychology and make sure that each room has a color that is the most strategically useful for its purpose. Selecting color based on psychology might require a bit of planning, but the result will make a difference.

Incorporate Nature

Adding to the idea of color psychology, plants also serve as a very effective way to provide psychological calm to an individual. The color green is associated with nature and relaxation, so having green plants can be a compelling but subtle way to maintain an environment of relaxed nerves and cool heads in your office.

Compounding their color, plants also benefit from being a source of relaxation by themselves. Being within the vicinity of plants reminds people of nature and allows them to feel connected with nature despite being inside the office building.

Add Art

Art can be a brilliant source of inspiration for individuals at home or in the office. Within offices, it can be essential for creating an inspirational environment. Hanging a few pieces of large wall art can very quickly add interest and inspire employees. It can be a brilliant way to improve your company’s overall morale.

The type of art you use matters too. Having a portrait of an inspirational leadership figure in your office, whether it’s George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, or any other famous leadership figure, can have a powerful impact on your employees’ sense of your company’s seriousness and the strength of its leadership. While adding more whimsical types of art can keep things from getting too serious and provide a better environment for creativity.

Don’t Block the Exits

Keeping the entry and exit points of your establishment clear should seem obvious. Still, you’ll see many businesses place desks, plants, and other things far too close to their doors in attempts to maximize their space. Even if you aren’t breaking the fire code, clutter makes it harder to navigate, especially in an entry where the people who enter might not be familiar with your office. When determining how much clear space to allow in front of an entrance or exit, think about how many people will be in the area at one time. The more people moving in and out of your office, the more clear space you will need. A chaotic entry or exit point can ruin an otherwise perfectly functional office space.

Optimize Lounge Seating

A seating lounge for your employees is a must-have for any business, and it can have a powerful effect on your company’s overall morale. One fascinating modern trend that has developed over the past few years has been the rise of café-Esque aesthetics and more casual furniture in office lounge spaces.

The reason for this is that culturally we are assumed to be in a more relaxed state when we’re in the presence of furniture that we associate with positive places such as restaurants and cafes. As such, choosing to introduce a café-style seating lounge in your company can dramatically increase the positive association that your employees have with your company, which will increase their overall productivity.

Many modern businesses have already begun adopting this approach. Whether it is cafe-style seating or anything else that instantly evokes the happiness or relaxation typically experienced outside of the office, it has had documented positive effects. The employee seating lounge is the perfect opportunity to think out of the box and create a space that shows your employees that you appreciate them.

Layer the Lighting

Good lighting is an absolute must for any space. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your furniture is, how intricately you’ve set up a gallery wall or how you’ve strategically chosen the colors perfect for your rooms; lack of adequate lighting will ruin all of it in its entirety. A simple way to ensure ample lighting in any space, but especially a workspace, is to layer the light—mix natural light from windows with overhead lighting, wall sconces, and lamps.

A well-lit space can energize your employees throughout the day, increasing productivity and boosting their mood naturally. Alternately, being in a poorly lit area for long periods can be depressing and can have an adverse effect on your employees’ productivity and health. They might find it impossible to complete their tasks in the absence of sufficient light. It is also important to mention that having too much light in your office can also have adverse side effects. Consider adding desk lamps to give your employees more control of the light in their immediate area.