You only get one chance to create a first impression. Your office entryway is a chance to impress potential customers or employees. Looks matter, so pay attention to what your office entryway says about you.
A beautiful lobby has unexpected benefits. You can easily convince clients to pay higher prices if your office is tastefully decorated. Stunning lobbies also create a sense of pride in your employees.
They will be glad to show up each morning to a beautiful office.
How Can You Improve Your Office Entryway?
The office entry consists of two areas. Outside the office and inside the office at the reception. These pivotal areas can transform your office if you pay attention to key aspects.
1. Be Deliberate with Your Colour Scheme
Colours have meaning. They create a mood and rhythm in a room. What do you want your entryway to say about you? What does your colour choice reveal about your character?
Since people will judge your office by its cover, take special care of colour in these strategic areas:
a. Brighten Up Your Door
How serious are your day-to-day relations? Consider the degree of seriousness in your business before choosing your office colours. Some companies will work well with traditional corporate colours like blue. Others in creative or service-based businesses need livelier colours.
Choose colours that suit the median age and cultural background of your clientele. Power colours like dark green, navy blue or burgundy evoke a sense of responsibility and confidence. If you’re still unsure, you can never go wrong with installing a glass door.
b. Display Your Logo
How visible is your brand identity? Make sure that your company name and logo are visible. When people are looking for your office, finding your logo will be a relief. Make it prominent by creating a logo wall indoors or outdoors.
c. Customise Your Mats
To protect your office floor from dirt and wear, it is important to have mats. Use these mats both at the door and in the lobby. Customising the mats creates the ambience of your choice.
Get welcome mats with your company logo or a cheeky message from Alsco’s managed rental service. You will always have high quality and professional-looking mats without the hassle of buying them in-house.
d. Choose a Front Desk That Suits Your Company
The colour of the reception desk sets the pace for the office ambience. Use your brand colours or become intentional about creating a mood. The reception desk is your chance to set the pace for the conversations in your office.
When choosing a reception desk, there are three things you should always keep in mind: the style or design of the desk, the space available and functionality. You should ensure that the desk height is appropriate since a high desk can be intimidating.
Stay true to your company’s personality. Don’t be afraid to choose an experimental or unusual desk. It adds a bit of interest to your office and puts your visitors at ease.
2. Create a Great Seating Area
Since the entry is the first point of contact, it’s important to create a great impression at first sight. Strategically choose colours and furniture to create the perfect ambience.
a. Indoor Seating Area
In the indoor reception area, it is critical to create a mood that helps your company achieve its goals. Do this with careful colour and furniture choices.
Add personality to the reception area. If it’s important to make clients feel welcome, a soft colour like peach creates a positive environment. A soft yellow will create a happy and cheerful feeling. A soft blue-green is great when customers use the reception area to make decisions.
Add life and personality to the reception area with lush plants and as much natural light as possible. You can also display your company’s charity work and awards. Choose durable comfortable furniture that will create a great impression.
b. Outdoor Seating Area
If you have wiggle room outside your office, create an outdoor seating area. This can serve as an extra meeting area or a great spot for employees to have a break. Choose all-weather material for the seats and arrange them in a way that encourages conversation.
Have a cheerful welcome mat at your door to make your visitors feel at home while cleaning their shoes. Alsco New Zealand has a range of popular welcome mats. Don’t take our word for it. Try them out for yourself.
3. Keep the Outside Areas Clean and Tidy
Ignoring the outside area of your office is like taking a shower and wearing dirty clothes. If the outside area looks dodgy, it does not matter how clean or polished your office is. Improve the appearance by considering the below:
a. Check the Lighting
Lights bring a sense of security to a home or office. Ensure all public-facing areas are well-lit at all times to help people feel safe. They can also be a deterrent to crime since burglars will be afraid of getting spotted. Start with a security light right outside your office door.
b. Check the Lawn
Is your lawn well-maintained or crawling with weeds? A well-manicured lawn with healthy and thriving plants looks appealing. Keep the garden stunning with regular care.
As a bonus, add colourful and functional seating in the garden area to allow people to enjoy the garden. Add interesting garden decorations like sculptures for a little extra touch of personality.
c. Check the Paved Areas
It’s easy to forget the paved areas outside, like the parking area or sidewalk. Negligence of paved areas increases the cost of fixing a problem that may arise. By the time you notice, the damage may be too much.
You could also get stained floors if you do not pay special attention to the high traffic areas. Use heavy-duty vacuum cleaners and mats to preserve them for longer.
4. Create Accent Walls
An accent wall is of a different colour or material or has different features from the rest of the walls. This is done intentionally to create an area of visual interest. Accent walls could be inbuilt or made by customising an existing wall.
a. Indoors
The ideas for indoor accent walls are endless. You can do it with a mural, wallpaper or by installing a reclaimed wood backdrop on a wall. Wall hanging patterns are popular in creating interesting patterns on an accent wall.
To accentuate the wall, add interesting furniture pieces that match or contrast it. Your best bet would be mono-coloured seats that are simple but stylish. Consider adding a surface rug as an accessory.
b. Outdoors
For outside, you can add interest by modifying the wall right outside your office. You can do this by commissioning a mural. The mural would be great for a company that needs to add some character to their office.
Another great idea could be creating a plant wall. Use stylish planters or grow creeping plants that fill up the wall. This natural wall is calming and a great feature to distinguish your office entry.
Get Started
Every company is different in how they choose to express themselves. Service-centric companies have greater leeway in creating fun spaces. Product-centric businesses value functionality and practicality.
Whatever industry you’re in, these examples from We Work’s global offices will inspire you.
The condition of your floors defines your office entry. Keep them in the best condition possible with a reliable floor care partner like Alsco. With annual rates that translate to about $1 a day, you’ll have an affordable and professional partner. Get a quick quote today.
Photo: Amtec Photos
