Redecorating Your Office
By: Domitilla Lepri
Whether you’ve just arrived in Shanghai or are just looking to spruce up your office digs, there are many ways to redecorate your workspace without breaking the bank. With these simple tips, you’ll find easy ways to create an office environment that will impress your clients.
Whether your style is modern or classical, the key to a good renovation is to give the space some character. After all, your office is the starting point of a successful business.
If your office is in a new high rise building, you will definitely need to add some charm. Try using warm hues and materials, such as natural timbre flooring and wood furniture mixed with coloured laminate or bright paintings. Instead of choosing your run-of-the-mill IKEA furniture, opt for some old art deco style wooden desks. Shanghai is full of antique shops that sell unique pieces. For a little flair, match an art deco lamp with a green glass lampshade and a timeless swivel chair. Not only does this give the space an immediate injection of character, this type of furniture ages well, and you won’t get easily bored by fleetingly trendy picks.
If your workspace is a bit crowded, divide it with a glass partition – this creates the illusion of more space. Instead of using an aluminum frame, select a black homemade iron frame. This throwback to yesteryear will create a sleek, enduring edge to your office.
To keep well within your budget, choose simple shelves rather than cabinets. When selecting the wood for your shelves, keep in mind that the less the wood is treated, the nicer it will be. To keep everything illuminated, use iron custom-made lamps mixed with normal spotlights. Finally, try to avoid the typical office dropped ceiling. If you can, replace it with a flat white gypsum board ceiling.
If you are lucky enough to find office space located in an older building that comes equipped with character, keep your decorations as simple as possible; after all, your space is already filled with the old-timey allure of wooden floors and doors and original framed windows. By sticking to plain black and white furniture in simple shapes and only adding trimmings that are indispensible, you allow the space to speak for itself. Custom-make your desk with a white glass base laid on simple white or black trestles to really complete the effect.
Modern, well-designed lamps will be the finishing touch on your office. Choose from beautiful architectural models like the Artemide collection. And don’t forget your chair – after all, that’s where you’ll spend most of your time. You can’t go wrong with a model from Panton, Eames or Y. Remember – if your dominant palette is white, black or neutral, you can try coloured leather chairs to give the room a bit more versatility.
Domitilla Lepri is the owner of Shanghai-based DL Architecture, a firm specialising in renovation and interior decoration. If you have an interior design question you’d like her to answer in a future column, please email her at [email protected].
