How to make the most of a small office space

28th September 2020 | 3 min read

making-the-most-of-a-small-office-How to make the most of a small office space

The type of space we work in has been proven to affect our mood and motivation. For example, small cramped offices are not only uncomfortable, but they have been known to sap employee morale and drain productivity. However, if you only have access to a small office, there are steps you can take to make the most of it. Keep reading to find out how…

How much office space do I need?

As a general rule, in London an adequate office space per person m2 should be around 100 square feet, or 9.2 metres squared for each employee. However, often this is not achieved and employees are crammed into smaller offices to save on desk space. In a densely populated city like London, some offices and workspaces have come up with ways to work around the issue of space. For example, coworking spaces like the LABS office space Camden have been carefully designed and adapted to fit the unique needs of their members, despite being smaller spaces.

Shared workspaces

If your office is on the small side, shared desks are a great idea; as multiple people can work on them at different times, reducing the need for individual desks. With more people now working remotely, introducing hotdesking will make limited room more efficient, as businesses won’t necessarily need to provide a desk per employee.

In coworking spaces like LABS, maximising the potential functions of the space available means that visitors have the flexibility to work in the way that best suits them, no matter how many people are working in the same area.

Smarter tech

Smaller offices look more cramped when the equipment overpowers the desks. Smaller spaces should therefore look to swap large PCs for laptops to streamline space and create more room. Alternatively, the rise of the smart office has given employees the ability to use whichever form of tech they most prefer; whether that’s tablet, laptop or mobile. Some monitors can even be mounted on a movable arm or folded into desks when not in use. Instead of post-it notes and flipcharts cluttering up the office, smart tech such as digital whiteboards and online tools can be swapped in to free up space.

Light and depth

In smaller office spaces, clever tricks can be used to make rooms seem bigger using light and glass. For example, glass partitions between rooms or desks and large windows to let in natural light will make small spaces look larger. Mirrors also help to add depth to rooms and create the illusion of a bigger space. Further, painting walls light colours adds to this illusion, as dark colours tend to make offices look smaller.

Decluttering and smart storage

It goes without saying that mess and clutter are a nightmare in a smaller office. To make rooms look bigger, smart storage units are available to tidy away files and documents – they can even be mounted on walls to save on floor space. Physical storage can also be reduced by using Cloud computing services or hiring external storage units. Tangled bundles of cables always look messy, so keep them neat by labelling each one and using cable tidies.

Although small offices can be frustrating at times, by using these handy tips you should be able to maximise the space available and make more room, helping to create a more productive and clutter-free workplace.