How to Capitalise on Space in a Small Office Space When Renovating

So your small business is thriving, you’re taking on new customers and you have a renovation planned in the works. Unfortunately there is one drawback and that is the size of your workspace. A small workspace can be a blessing at times when it comes to having staff meetings, ensuring that everyone is happy and aware with monthly targets, conducting quick discussion votes and so on, however you are severely limited by what you can fit into your small office space.

As you start the plans and designs for your new office renovation, it is important to take into account any space saving design ideas you can think of to ensure that you get the very best use of the space you have available. If you are ever stuck for ideas or unsure about a certain renovation, you can always put a vote to your employees of encourage a suggestion box as they may have a solution that you had not considered.

Overhead Storage

Many offices do not make efficient use of potential overhead storage, but in reality when you have a small office you need to make the best use of all the space you have. Wall cabinets and tall bookshelves make great storage for folders and files, for design offices or offices that need to keep a physical copy of all their files for a certain period of time. Even smaller effects such as shelves or magnetic boards to hold memos, pencils and pens etc. can contribute to the organisation of an otherwise cluttered office. Look into slim line bookshelves and other minimalist storage savers, or ask a professional designer for advice.

Go Digital

In this day and age more and more businesses are switching towards ‘completely digital’ systems, where there is no need for physical paperwork, and although it is often some comfort to older businesses to keep physical records of your work, it would certainly free up a lot of storage space. In certain professions you are required to keep documents for a certain amount of time by law, but often you can severely limit your physical paperwork use to the bare essentials.

If you already have a wealth of records in a physical copy, why not scan your library to an external hard drive, where you can back it up as you wish and store the entire database in one place? You’ll still have proof of the records and it will mean that far less space is taken up using folders and filing cabinets in order to sort the paperwork, as it will all be on one hard drive.

Standing Desks with Laptops

This is ideal for an office where you have a number of part time workers, or too many workers for each to have his or her own desk space. A standing desk is a new trend within offices that combines the everyday work with a casual ‘exercise routine’ that helps to break up the normal monotony of a working day. The purpose of a standing desk is that it is part of a rotation in offices where there is not enough space for all the employees to have a permanent desk. The standing desk acts as a ‘hot desk’ of sorts, whereby one person would use it one day and then swap with another employee the next.

It is becoming increasingly common for employees to work typical 9-5 desk jobs with only sporadic toilet and tea breaks. Therefore a standing desk is an interior designers ‘solution’ to the fear that we are spending more and more time sitting at our desks.

All in One Computers

All in one computers do exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of having a separate monitor, tower, speakers etc. the ‘body’ of the PC is packed in with the monitor. This means that the monitor is a little thicker than normal, but it does free up valuable desk space where the tower would normally be. There are also various all in one computers that are touch compatible, meaning you won’t even need to use a keyboard or mouse as it will all be available there on the monitor! Remember to keep your overall theme in mind when renovating your office. Space saving design ideas are great, but if you spend every waking moment on your plans trying to fill every nook and cranny, you may lose sight of the style and substance of your renovation in the first place. Everything in moderation and remember to always go with what works best for your office environment, not what looks flashy and impressive at the time.

For more amazing tips, check out these 5 Tips To Create Great Office Designs In A Small Space.

Mike James
Content Editor
www.whiteleys-office.co.uk