Just moving in to a new executive suite? Or does your office need a makeover, but you just don’t know where to start? No problem! Just as there are four corners to your office space, there are four basic guidelines to follow when you are decorating your office:
Make A First Impression With Your Executive Suite
You spend lots of time IN your office, but put yourself in the shoes of a client who ENTERING your office for the first time. Is your office easy to find? Does it let the client know who you are and what your company is right away? An identifying door mat or door sign will let the client know he has come to the right place. Is the entry generally welcoming?  A clean entry with a plant or other simple, decorative item will help a client to feel at home, and will make a nice first impression.
Color Your Office Space
If your office has a case of the beige blahs, then incorporate some color into your workplace. There are lots of theories about color choices that can affect your mood, but I will save the Feng Shui lesson for another day. Choose colors that you like! In many offices it is not possible or practical to paint the walls, but there are plenty of other ways to add color to an office space. Choose some colorful artwork to display. The price for artwork runs the gamut, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Perhaps there is a local artist who would like to display his work in your office. A bulletin board doesn’t have to be beige. Five minutes and a can of spray paint can add a big splash of color. Fabric adds color too; with just some canvas frames, colorful fabric and a staple gun, even an artistically challenged person can create some large colorful wall hangings. If not on the walls, then choose colorful accent pieces such as pottery, glasswork, plants in colorful planters, or even an area rug. The best part about all of these color ideas? They are temporary and easy to take with you!
Keep Your Executive Suite Clutter Free
You’ve thought about what you want clients to see when they enter your office, but you should also think about what you don’t want them to see. Clutter. Large piles of paperwork, books stacked high enough to topple over, pens and pencils scattered about your desk…these all give the appearance of someone who is disorganized. Invest in a storage system so that that your clutter stays hidden away, and make a clean, organized impression on anyone who comes to your office. by the way, even though this technically doesn’t count as clutter, hide the snarl of wires that keep our technology connected, too! Clients don’t need to see that!
Office Identity
The first three guidelines are about making a general first impression and creating a pleasant place for you to work. This one gets specific. Whatever your brand identity is, your clients should see a representation of it in your office. This could be a framed picture of your logo, or an example of what you create or sell on display. Office identity is like your signature, it makes your office different from any other office space.
When you implement these guidelines, they will work together in your office space. For example, you may incorporate your office identity into the first impression by displaying a logo sign on your entry door. If your logo is red, then you may choose a color scheme that compliments your red logo.  A colorful bulletin board can be a place to tack up papers, to avoid the sloppy piles. Taken all together, these basics will get you well on your way to an office that is pleasing to clients, and creates a great place for you to work!
