How do I Start a Minimalist Office?

A minimalist office makes a lot of sense. Minimalism is about lack of clutter and reducing mess, and also about practical and efficient use of space. Your office should be minimalist. The less surface area the better, and the more space is used to the maximum also, especially if we are talking about a home office which is rapidly becoming more commonplace. How do you start designing a minimalist office? That’s what we’re going to talk about in the article that follows, so let’s get started.

Modern Office Furnishing

The starting point for a minimalist office is assessing the space, and then thinking about the furniture you need. Need is the operative word here. You might want certain things, but they may not be necessary. Only necessities can go into the minimalist office, and even then, they have to be the most practical.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have an office that is both beautiful and minimalist, because modern furniture designers have recognised that this is a design theme that suits the office perfectly. Desks for example, you can find a wonderfully simple yet effective desk in metal and wood that takes up little space and serves the purpose. Or a simple wooden desk with a drawer and compartment that fits neatly in a corner.

Designing an office well is about making use of the space and putting things where they need to be. Another example is this: people tend to plan a space for a printer. But do you really need one in this day and age of paperless business? Why not look at ways of working your office that does not need such peripherals? You’ll be surprised how much of the ‘less is more’ ethos you can incorporate into a workable office space.

Hidden Storage Ideas

One of the most interesting office design trends of the moment is that of using hidden storage methods. Gone are the usual filing cabinets – which will not be needed when you go paperless – and other items that need to be stored can be put away in cleverly designed cabinets that are not obviously what they seem to be. There’s a lot of choice in innovative hidden storage for offices, and much of it is impressive as well as being neat and trendy.

Hidden storage is also about utilising space to the full. Think up high rather than down low for items that are rarely used, and also keep shelves to a minimum as they encourage clutter. Start with an empty room and create your office visually and you will come up with the best ideas. 

Plain and Simple Décor

Have you considered the colours and décor of your office space? Here’s the thing: an office needs to provide as little distraction as possible. You want to be able to concentrate on your job and getting through what needs to be done. This is why most corporate offices you will experience are plain and simple in terms of décor.

We strongly recommend you take the same approach with your minimalist office, as there is no room for patterns or distractions. You can add an accent here and there in terms of a picture or block of colour, to brighten things up and create a focal point, but overall, you should steer clear of bright colours. We would suggest a pale green or blue, perhaps, or even a pale yellow for a summery feel to the office. Avoid white as it is too bright, and steer away from dull and corporate grey.

Neat, Tidy and Practical

Minimalist equates to neat, tidy and clean which is precisely what you want and need in an office space. There’s a lot to be said for walking into an office to begin a days work and finding everything in order and where it should be. This is the relaxing aspect of minimalism – you know where everything is all of the time. 

Minimalism is all about order, so whether you are designing your home office or one for corporate use make sure it is designed with a ‘clean desk’ policy in mind. All you need is one drawer per desk into which to put a diary, pens and other office items at the end of the working day. A tidy office will also impress visitors which is an important part of running a business.

Whether it’s for yourself, for home use, or a general office design there is no doubt that a minimalist design will work. This plain, simple and uncluttered ethos makes for the perfect office environment and a pleasant and relaxing place to work. Start by looking at the space you have to work with and then by looking at modern office furniture and you’ll soon start to piece things together for the best result.