Your office says a lot about you. When you bring in clients or have meetings with employees, you want to project a certain image. Setting up your office a certain way can lend you more authority and help you to close more sales. With that in mind, here are some ways you can fix up your office and make it look more impressive.
Change Up the Furniture
One of the first things you’ll want to think about is the furniture within your office. The centerpiece of your office should be your desk, so consider this first. You want a desk that is big, without it making your office seemed cramped. Find something that is simple, but that also looks sophisticated. Polished wooden desks are a great way to go, provided you keep them clean. Here is a quick guide to help you pick the right desk for your office if you need some advice.
Besides that, you should also look to improve things like your chairs, other seating, filing cabinets, and tables. What furniture you need in your office will depend on the types of meetings you are having and how big of a space you have. Some offices look good with a comfortable couch to sit on, while others just need a few chairs. When shopping for furniture, remember that you want your pieces to not only be functional but to look great too.
Add Some Expensive Touches
If you’re unable to afford brand new furniture in your office, you can still make the place look more impressive with just a few simple touches. For example, if you don’t have the nicest end table in the corner, you can cover it up with an expensive-looking lamp. Or you can hang some nice artwork on the walls to pull the focus away from your floors. A few small touches around the office can go a long way towards making the room seem more impressive, and you don’t have to spend a lot to do this. Think about which areas of your office are lacking in style, then find a few touches you can implement to draw focus away from them.
Hang Up Your Diploma
If you have a post-secondary degree, a great thing you can do is hang up the diploma on the wall. This lets everyone know your qualifications when they walk into the room and is a reminder of your experience. Make sure that you find a nice frame for your diploma and that you hang it in a noticeable spot, without it being distracting. If you don’t have your original diploma, you can always buy a fake diploma for a cheaper price.
Reduce Clutter
One way to quickly make an office look less impressive is clutter. If there are papers all over your desk, things stacked up in the corner, or too many notes hanging on your wall, it can give a sense of disorganization. You want people who come into your office to get the feeling that you have everything under control. Make it a point to regularly clear off your desk, especially before meetings. If you have reminders hanging on your wall, you can leave them there, as this shows you are a busy and productive person. However, make sure they are hanging in an organized manner. The less stuff you have in your office, the bigger and more impressive it will seem, so work on removing clutter whenever you can.
Dress the Part
Having the most impressive office in the world won’t do much good if you don’t dress the part. You need to work on your own appearance as well if you want to impress people. When people come into your office most of their attention will be on you. Therefore, you want to dress as well as you can and take care to always groom yourself well. Find clothes that fit your personal style, but still give off a sense of professionalism. A well-dressed person can make even the drabbest of offices look better.
Have an Assistant Outside the Office
Finally, you should also look to improve the area right outside the office. If you can, try to have an assistant stationed right outside your door. This is the person who will forward calls to you or let people know when they can go in to see you. Having a gatekeeper says that you are a busy person, with enough status that you need an assistant. Not everyone can afford the extra help, but if you can, it can make your office a lot more impressive.
Aim to Impress
Impressing people with your office isn’t too difficult. It’s just a matter of fixing things up a bit, maintaining some order, and working on appearances. If you can do things like that, you should have no trouble displaying a stronger image to everyone who walks through the door.