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My high school guidance counselor once told me to fake it until I make it. That advice was immediately put to the test. The $300 bottle of perfume that had been on my radar for months was finally mine, sort of. The designer imposter version of it cost only $35 and smelled exactly the same. The scent was so distinct that everyone really thought I was wearing a fragrance that was clearly out of my price range. I ended up going back to the same shop and buying a knock off Gucci bag and some earrings to boot.
The same philosophy can be applied to designing your office on a budget. Granted this is the Bay Area where posh is prevalent and and elegance is everything. But you don't have to compete with all the global giants or even your neighbors. The perfect office for your company culture, brand and team doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact there's no reason to splurge on high-end furniture and a famous designer to get the desired results.
These three tips will guide you on the path to creating the perfect office space without breaking the bank.
As previously mentioned, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area are home to several large, extremely successful, multinational companies. They are always expanding and updating their office spaces to accommodate new employees and company mandates. That means perfectly good furniture is discarded and replaced with brand new items. Their vanity is your opportunity.
Eco Office collects discarded office furniture from numerous sources and injects new life into it. We have a wide selection of remanufactured office furniture, including cubicles and seating. We'll refinish and reupholster certain items to fit client needs. You can also have the furniture as-is for even less money. Either way, you'll save a bundle.
Used furniture is also good for your company reputation. It shows stakeholders and clients that you are environmentally-conscious and kept perfectly good office furniture from ending up in landfills.
An office with all the same desks and chairs doesn't have to be dull and boring. It's well established that colors effect our moods. Steve Palmer, professor emeritus at Cal-Berkeley, has studied the science of color for many years. He told Smithsonian magazine that humans are conditioned over time to like certain colors and dislike others depending on what they associated them with. For instance, his subjects almost universally disliked a greenish-brown color because they associated it with nasty stuff like feces and mucous. Interestingly, when the same color was presented to babies, they all seemed to like it.
People also tend to like colors that are close to them and dislike those that remind them of something negative. Cal-Berkeley students, for instance, almost universally reported a dislike for red and white. Those happen to be the school colors of their rivals at Stanford. Thus, when decorating your office, avoid colors associated with rival brands.
Bright, crisp colors give an office life. Yellow ottomans, tortoise flower pots, lavender binders, and other accents make a grey-looking office feel alive. Green is perhaps the most important color for the office. It represent harmony and nature. Your greens should come naturally in the form of plants.
Small offices have limited floor space and likely no extra storage areas. Walls are good for hanging art, clocks and posters. But they're also good for storage.
Walmart, Home Depot and other department stores sell hooks that screw into walls. Spend $20 on several different sizes. Folding chairs, coffee mugs and many other items can be stored on walls. Don't forget about the ceiling for extra storage as well.
Eco Office is your one-stop solution for big savings on office furniture and design. Give us a call today at 408-437-1700 to discuss your options.
