When we design our working spaces, we mostly think about function. There’s usually just one question on our minds: what can we do to be as productive as possible within the office?
But designing your office is more than trying to make it the most efficient place to be. It’s also about understanding the way your interior design choices impact your bottom line as well.
After all, branding and decorating an office can have a strong impact on the bills you pay each month. And when it’s costing you an arm and a leg to keep the lights on, your profit margins won’t look very good!
With that in mind, let’s get into three design choices that have the potential of making your office cheaper to run.
A More Open Plan Layout
Open plan layouts aren’t for everyone, and it’s OK not to want a truly open plan space in your office. However, you’ll be better off with having a mixed plan layout that makes use of this negative space.
After all, it’s far easier to expand your team if you haven’t already run out of cubicles! On top of that, both lighting and heating will find it easier to get around the room. You won’t need to whack the thermostat on or get any extra lights installed for the darker and colder patches.
Self-Designed Storage
This is an interior design choice that stops you spending thousands on pre built units, only to run out of space in a year and have to buy more.
Instead, go for a bespoke system you’ve come up with yourself. You can do this with floating shelves and wall space, so it’s very easy to put into place.
You can also decorate these kinds of shelving units in any way you like as you go. There won’t be a need to buy extra pieces or units to fit things like plants and branded items on. Everything can go in the same place for a cohesive storage and decor solution.
Energy Efficient Lighting
The smaller the team, the cheaper the lighting bill, with the average energy bill in a 5 person office costing around £3000. However, that’s still a pretty major cost for a small business to take on, especially in their first year.
So it’s better to get energy efficient lighting installed. You can very easily take down any bulbs you’re using now and replace them with led non corrosive fitting bulbs instead.
These kinds of energy efficient lights last longer, cost less to use, and you’re likely to get a better overall illumination as well. As such, with energy efficient lighting in place, you could knock a few hundred pounds off of your annual bill.
In Conclusion
Do you need a more affordable interior design solution for your office? Then try out the tips above. They’ll help to keep both upfront and long term costs down, and you’ll be able to squeeze more out of the space you’re working in.
