WORKING SPACE

Make Your Office Work for You By: Kayla Goldstein Have you ever walked into a space and immediately felt something? Maybe it was a romantic restaurant or a calming hotel room. Maybe you walked into someone’s house and immediately felt welcome (or not). This is because our surroundings have a profound effect on us.

Those feelings aren’t always so prominent. Sometimes we feel them hit us in the face — like when walking down a gorgeous tree lined path. Other times, it can be more subconscious. That is when we need to be most careful and put in the effort to make sure our surroundings are having the right influence on us.

Whether it’s at home or in an office building, most people spend a significant amount of time in their work space. So how can you make sure that your office is having the right effect on you? How can you know it isn’t holding you back or making you feel trapped, overwhelmed, or unsuccessful? When designed with intention, your office can be set up in a way that will make you feel all the positive emotions you want to feel when you’re working, creating the ultimate productive space.

Here are a few tips that I have learned in my career as an interior designer.

First, make sure your office is located in the right place. This means your office should have a designated location. Whether it’s in your home (tucked away in a quiet corner) or in a building that is conducive to productivity, location matters.

Second, set it up the way you need it. Don’t set up a perfect magazine office — set up an office that works for you. Do you stand a lot? Sit a lot? Go to meetings or host meetings? Think about the typical activities you’ll be doing in the office and select furniture based on that. For example, if you’re an artist, you might need a draft board, bookshelves with easy storage, and a lot of bins, but if you’re a bookkeeper, you’ll need a comfortable chair and a spacious desk with a good computer. Focus first on making it something that works for you before you look for the Instagram-worthy shot.

Once you know what you want to buy, don’t rush the purchasing process. People always ask what item to start with when designing a room — in an office, it’s the chair. As humans, our eyes are pulled towards the direction we’re heading, so when you enter the office to sit down, you want that chair to be something that makes you smile every day (which means it has to be both comfortable and good looking!).

Now that you have the basics, time to style your space and make it pretty. Here is where I’m going to tell you to ignore Google. While there are many theories about how different colors stimulate your brain and your emotions, the truth is if you hate the color blue, it’s not going to inspire knowledge no matter how much you look at it. Looking at a color that isn’t pleasing to your eye will set you off a negative train of thought, which is exactly what we are trying to avoid.

The same goes for style — if you like eclectic, go for it, and don’t listen to anyone who tells you how minimalistic or busy your space should be. Simply put, if you design the space with things that make you happy, you’ll feel good when you’re in that space.

While setting up the office, make sure the layout is easy to navigate, with a clear walkway to access everything (18” is a standard walking width minimum). Make sure that your desk faces a window or door, or at the very least, a picture of something that makes you feel inspired. Almost done here! Time to bring in the personal items; the pictures, certificates, and degrees. That picture of the dream house you are working towards or your goals at work — whatever it is that gets you working on a hard day. We need constant inspiration in this world, so give it to yourself.

For one last piece of advice, make sure to drag the eye up. Don’t put everything on the floor — hang things on the walls, get a cool light fixture, or add anything interesting so that you look up more than you look down. It may sound silly, but it really makes a difference!

Now get to designing! Don’t forget to post it on instagram and tag me @kayla_llc so I see it. If you are overwhelmed or still struggling with the design, feel free to contact me at kayla@kaylallc.com.

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Kayla Goldstein is a contributing editor for Mochers Magazine and an Interior Designer at Kayla LLC. Follow her on instagram @Kayla_LLC