All offices need occasional updates. The last thing you want is an office that looks shabby or out of date. This will give customers the impression that your skills, services and products are out of date. Your reception room is more than just a room. It’s a place to make first impressions and show customers what your company is all about. It’s an opportunity to help customers form positive opinions right from the start.
When you are re-envisioning your reception room, there are several things you need to think about. One of the most important is branding. The reception room should reflect the attitude and spirit of your brand. A reception room for a trendy advertising company should look very different than the reception room of a legal firm. You want to convey a message through colors, styles of furniture and the design of the room. Combinations of bright colors and white give a room an exciting and youthful appeal. Sedate and soft colors accompanied by traditional but comfortable furniture make a room feel comforting and safe. This type of color scheme works well for doctor’s offices, legal and financial firms.
Consider the purpose of your reception room. In some companies, security is tight. Vendors and customers may have to wait in the reception room for employees to meet them before they can go inside. If they show up early, the employee may not be available. In a doctor’s office, sometimes waiting is inevitable. You want to provide a pleasant space people to wait. It’s critical to have a comfortable place for individuals to sit. Some companies have turned away from more severe chairs to seats designed for comfort. These include couches and large, soft chairs. The more comfortable people are, the less impatient they will get.
Some people like to work while they’re waiting. You can provide tables in the reception area for people to use their computers or spread out papers. Some tables have built-in grommets for power chargers. This means people can charge their laptops or mobile devices while they’re waiting. People appreciate this opportunity, especially if they are going to several meetings and are worried about keeping their technology charged.
You don’t have to break the bank to refinish your reception area. You can find beautiful, well-made furniture from great designers at reasonable prices. Consider working with a furniture liquidator. These aren’t warehouses that are stocked with unwanted, out-of-date or shabby furniture. Instead, they offer second-hand furniture that is in excellent condition and up-to-date with the newest styles. Furniture liquidators clean items and make small repairs before selling them. The liquidator will be up-front with you about the condition of the furniture before you make a purchase. You can find items with little or no signs of wear. Because you are buying second-hand items, the cost savings will be significant. You’ll be able to buy more items or more upgraded styles than you might have imagined. You’ll also have extra funds to spend on other improvements.
There any many aspects of the reception room you can change in addition to the furniture. You can paint the area for a reasonable price, even if you need to hire professional painters. Color changes have a huge impact on the atmosphere of the room. Replacing flooring may or may not be necessary. If you have wood floors, look into having them refinished instead of replaced. Area rugs can add a stylish touch to wood and laminate flooring. If the carpeting is still stylish, have it cleaned instead of replaced. Don’t leave shabby or old carpet. It’s worth the money to replace it.
Lighting is an important feature in any room. The reception room should have enough lighting so that people can comfortably read in the room. Softer lighting is soothing which is appropriate for people who are likely to be tense, such as doctor’s patients, people with legal concerns, those with financial issues and anyone else who is likely to be worried. Bright lighting provides an upbeat to the room. It sends the message the company is generating ideas and moving forward. If you are a startup or a company that thrives on providing customers with exciting products, services and ideas, this could be the right style for your office.
