Add Space to Your Commercial Real Estate in NJ with These Decor Tips
Not everyone has the good fortune of having a large commercial space or office. If your commercial real estate in NJ is a bit cramped, you needn’t let that get your spirits down. Make your office feel bigger by cleverly designing the space. In today’s blog post, your favorite real estate agents are back with tips on how to make any office look and feel bigger. Thank us later!
12 tips to make your commercial real estate in NJ look more spacious
Without further ado, here are some of our best tips for making your office space look bigger:
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Paint your walls a light color
Let’s start with the basics, assuming you’ve either just moved in, or you’re doing a full renovation. Light colors make a space feel bigger and airier, while dark colors make it feel smaller. The only notable exception is if your office space doesn’t have access to natural light, in which case painting the walls white (or similar) can make the room look a bit dead.
From Savoy Stewart: “Painting the office in a bright colour such as white, beige, light green or yellow is one of the easiest and most effective ways to create the illusion of larger space. Also, most people tend to perceive bright colours as positive, energising and motivating.”
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Keep the color palette simple
To make an office space look bigger, keep the color palette simple. That means your eyes won’t be too distracted, and won’t really take in the size of the room, making it feel bigger.
Go with white, blues, greens, or if you prefer warm colors go with orange, yellow, cream and similar options. Keep it simple – just have two main colors, and one or two colors for highlights – for example, in the furniture. If you’ll have plants in the office space, keep their green color in mind as well.
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Choose your office furniture carefully
Savoy Stewart suggests: “If you want to make the most out of the space available, it is pivotal to be very careful when choosing and arranging the office furniture. It’s of utmost importance for it to be comfortable and functional but it’s just as important for it not to take up too much space. If you can’t find the right size furniture, consider having it custom made. Every inch matters when you’re tight on space.”
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Arrange your office furniture wisely
Although you might want to focus on choosing your furniture so it occupies less space, arranging it properly is just as important. You don’t want something getting in the way or occupying a place some other piece of furniture would occupy better. Make sure everything fits its spot comfortably, and that nothing gets in the way, or seems out of place.
The furniture should be fluid and seamless overall, so you don’t find yourself wedged between furniture and complaining about the lack of space. All it takes is a little planning at the beginning.
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Use vertical space for storage
Instead of using up precious floor space, think vertical when looking for storage space. We’ve talked at length on this subject in our posts about vertical storage in warehouses. If you own a warehouse, use steel mezzanines to use the vertical space. It’s more cost-effective, easier, and better for the environment.
Savoy Stewart says: “When choosing storage units and cabinets, think vertically. Up to the ceiling if necessary. In addition to helping you keep the office tidy and organized, storage units and cabinets that extend to the ceiling will also help you keep the office clear as they can accommodate more documents and other office materials than the conventional office storage solutions. And by doing so, they will create the illusion of larger space.”
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Go paperless
Going paperless will not only save you money and be better for the environment, but it’ll also use up less space at your commercial real estate in NJ. With many cloud-based solutions available today, you can take your pick and find software that meets your business needs. In fact, it will probably turn out to be more time-efficient once your staff gets used to the process!
From Savoy Stewart: “You don’t need to keep all the files in a paper form. Instead, you can keep them in the cloud – just as securely and easily available, if not even more so. More importantly, by reducing the amount of paper files, you will also reduce the need for storage units and cabinets. And by doing so, you will get more space for other office essentials or simply keep it clear and make your office look bigger.”
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Organize cables
Reducing clutter is important, but the problem with this piece of advice is that it includes such an awful lot of things. Clutter includes everything from files to furniture, décor, and minutiae like cables. All of these, when strewn about the place, add to the sense of smallness and claustrophobia by adding visual clutter. So, spare a few hours on a weekend, and tackle this job.
Cables don’t just look messy, they also present a tripping hazard, which you don’t want in an office space – it is a serious liability for employers. So, tidy up those cables for a neater, safer, and more spacious looking office.
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Choose symmetric furniture
From Emily Henderson: “Symmetry is just so calming. Your eye doesn’t need to bounce around to see everything because everything is really simple to understand immediately. It reduces the chaos in an instant. You can keep personality in by mixing styles and finishes, but keep the furniture very same-sy if you want your space to feel bigger and cleaner.”
It makes sense. The less contrast your furniture has, the less your eye darts around. By keeping your furniture symmetrical and more-or-less the same (avoid eclectic desks and vintage chairs), you’ll have an office space that feels much more airy and spacious.
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Use simple light fixtures
You don’t want dangly ceiling lights or lamps, because not only do they add clutter, but they take up more space than their actual physical dimensions. If your commercial real estate in NJ is small and cramped, you don’t want ceiling lights hanging down and taking up overhead space as well. It makes the overhead space feel “busy”, and takes away from the spaciousness you’ve worked so hard to create.
Table lamps are worse, because they have a cable, and they take up precious real estate on tables. The space on your tabletop is precious – it’s where you work, and you need all the space you can get to spread out papers, keep the laptop or computer on the surface, and generally go about your business.
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Get shades instead of curtains
Many office spaces don’t bother with either, and that’s fine. Curtains aren’t strictly necessary at an office space. However, if you already have them, or want something covering the windows from an aesthetic standpoint, opt for shades.
Emily Henderson says, on her website: “Curtains/drapes are great in living rooms and bedrooms, where you want a lot of softness and texture and dare I say romance and glamour. BUT in the office, you want it to feel really organized and clean and curtains can add a lot of movement and distraction, especially if you have so many windows like I do. So having shades kept it so much cleaner and made it feel so much bigger.”
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Let there be light!
We’ve often talked about the importance of having enough light in an office, and if you want to create the illusion of space, having light is especially important.
Savoy Stewart says: “Poor light has a very similar effect as dark colors – it makes a small space appear even smaller. If you want your office to look bigger, you should therefore ensure that there is plenty of light – either natural or artificial. If installing additional lighting, however, be sure to choose ceiling and wall lights. While floor lamps can look very decorative, they also take up space which is something you don’t want if your office space is limited.”
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Say no to clutter!
From Savoy Stewart: “Get rid of things you don’t need. Immediately! Also, keep the office materials in their place – ideally out of sight. And urge your employees to do the same. By keeping the clutter at bay, your office will not only look more organized and appealing but it will also appear more spacious.”
Clutter makes you feel anxious and stressed, because it is a constant reminder of things to do. So, use furniture and storage solutions to manage your clutter. Don’t create paperwork that’s not needed. Use our tips above (for instance, hiding away cables and having recessed lighting) to avoid a cluttered design.
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Since its inception in 1932, The Blau & Berg Company has held a leading position in the New Jersey and Tri-State commercial real estate market. Headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, Blau & Berg is an independent, full- service commercial real estate brokerage firm providing services in the industrial, retail and office spaces, including: site selection, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, tenant representation, portfolio sales, asset repositioning, and property & construction consulting.
