Being responsible for the management and upkeep of an office is no easy task, and it can often be a big deal when it’s time to introduce some updates. Here at ETO Doors, a significant portion of our clientele are business owners, commercial building owners or landlords, including offices, industrial space, apartments, condos, and retail space. Whether you are a business owner or a commercial landlord, there will eventually come a time that you will see the value in sprucing up your office for the sake of your team and clientele. There are many ways to make things fresh, new, and palatable, but here are some ideas to get you thinking in the right direction. Regardless of your specific needs, the following ideas are sure to be helpful. 

Replace Doors

Many of our commercial clients are renovating office or multi-unit residential buildings; replacing the doors is a common improvement.  It’s fair to say that residential doors get quite a bit more coverage than commercial doors. However, it’s important to note that pretty much every door you’ve ever touched, that wasn’t inside a home, can basically be considered a commercial door. With that being said, the significance of these doors shouldn’t be underestimated. 

Commercial doors are often high quality and highly durable. They are also often outfitted with certain unique attributes that you may not see in many homes, such as automatic door closers, heavy-duty door stops, and vertical windows. 

One drawback of commercial doors, however, is that many of them currently in use have been in use for many years. It’s safe to say that they could all probably use an update. 

Newer commercial doors are more modern and stylish. Installing new, high-quality commercial doors will greatly freshen the experience people will have in your office. This is because every single person in your office interacts with the doors at one point or another. 

Whether they’re walking into work, or simply going to use the bathroom, doors are an important part of how people interact with the office, even if they basically go unnoticed. Even if people don’t immediately notice the newer doors (which is unlikely), the doors will contribute to the overall impression of an office that is newer, cleaner, and more respectable. 

Doors are especially important in doctor’s offices, hospitals, schools, and administrative offices because, for better or for worse, they are very often kept closed in these spaces (before the guest is allowed through them) and thus more visible. Doors that automatically close are also typically a code requirement, as are fire-rated doors.

Don’t underestimate how significant doors can be in an office, and you should certainly consider them as a great place to start when it comes to making improvements to your office space. 

Update Furniture

Chances are, you’ve been to at least one office or workplace where the chairs had obviously not been swapped out for at least two decades. Lobbies, waiting rooms, patient rooms, workplace kitchens, and break areas: they’re always full of old furniture! 

What better way to make customers feel welcome, and employees feel valued, than by making sure that the furniture they interact with on a regular basis is clean, updated, and functional? 

Furniture is important because, similarly to doors, people touch it and interact with it. In many senses, a great way to prioritize the updates you make to an office location is to think about the things that people touch. 

If everything they feel, with their hands and bodies, feels clean and comfortable, then their overall impression of the space will likely be positive. It’s fair to say that they may be more likely to cooperate or collaborate in an environment they’re more comfortable in.

Furniture is one of the best upgrades you can make to help spruce up your office because of the fact that furniture is what people use to work, rest, and wait. Furniture is almost always worth the investment in an office. 

Opt For Hard Floors

Many commercial spaces and offices still have carpet as their flooring. While carpet was once an extremely popular choice for workspace flooring, due to both affordability and aesthetics, one cannot ignore the fact that carpet is vastly outdated compared to hard floors. 

Carpets have the tendency to become seemingly old and dilapidated, absorbing and retaining dirt and soil. Carpet is difficult to thoroughly clean and can struggle to promote a polished, clean impression in a workplace. 

Hard floors have become the norm in offices and commercial spaces due to their durability, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics. Additionally, there are many different kinds of hard floors to choose from, with each having its own assortment of pros and cons. A hard floor will provide a modern and streamlined aesthetic to your office, keeping the air cleaner, the feeling more open, and the whole place fresher, overall. 

Have Walls Painted (Creatively)

It goes without saying that one great way to freshen up any interior space is to paint its walls–you probably already thought of that. However, it’s important to consider that everyone else probably thinks of this option, too. 

So, how can you possibly stand out amongst the crowd? How can you repaint your office’s walls in a way that makes them truly convey the valuable intentions you have in sprucing up the space? Well, you can paint them creatively. 

Implement a graphic or geometrical accent wall. Opt for some moody colors in one spot or another, bringing some boldness and playfulness into the space. Keep things interesting.

Everybody is familiar with monochromatic walls, but you can revive someone’s experience of your own workplace by introducing some creativity into the mix. 

You can consider hiring an artist or faux finisher to make the wall truly beautiful and interesting to look at, or, better yet, have a mural painted that conveys some of the values or objectives of your workplace. 

This type of office design element can make the visitor experience more welcoming, and potentially help to unify your team in their mission and purpose in being in the workplace. 

Investing in the appearance of the walls in your office is a great way to add value to it and bring more life to the space as you go about updating it. 

Invest In Amenities and Facilities

A great part of updating your office is the fact that you can truly make it a better place to be in. Investing in the facilities that are in the space is one of the best ways to improve your team’s experience. 

By facilities and amenities, we’re referring to infrastructural functions and perks of the space, respectively. Here are some ideas: 

• Upgrade the break room with new forms of entertainment, such as Bluetooth speakers or flatscreen TVs with streaming capabilities. 
• Stick a ping pong table in the spare office. 
• Stock the office kitchen with some snacks and beverages. 
• Implement some collaborative workspaces where the team can focus on projects in a comfortable environment, and also socialize. 
• Experiment with lounge areas, such as bean bag chairs or couches, where coworkers can have discussions and meetings. 
• Make the office more vivacious with a fish tank, terrarium, or potted plants. 

In Conclusion: 

Regardless of what you’re looking for in your future or current office space, there will always be some form of beneficial improvement you could pursue. From doors to furniture, or from amenities to painted walls, the solution you implement will depend on several factors including your budget, the needs of your business and clientele, and your personal tastes as a decision-maker. However, the potential of updating the space and striving to keep it comfortable for everyone who spends time in it is certainly worthwhile.