Office space, especially in the city, can be a significant overhead for a start-up or small business which is why it’s absolutely essential to make the best use of the office space available. With the continual downsizing of technology in computers, laptops, printers and a decreasing need to store paperwork you might think that the amount of room available to an office worker would be increasing. However the opposite appears to be true. For example since 2000 office desk density amongst our own serviced office customers has increased by 18.62%, as more desks are being fitted into the space previously filled with filing cabinets and bulky computer hardware. This essentially means that our customers are fitting more people into the office space that they pay for than they did 10 years ago, thus saving significantly on cost.
To help other small businesses make the best use of the limited space available to them either at work or in a home office we have collated a number of space saving ideas and items you may not have considered:
Vertical Space
If square footage is limited then expanding upwards may be the way to go, creative use of vertical space can provide that extra room elsewhere for more important tasks. This can be through use of wall space, overhead cabling or a few more inventive ideas.
Modular Wall storage
Rather just going for regular shelves the silicon blocks that make up this modular wall storage can be repurposed to hold any manner of items while being used as a note board. In addition each block has a light built in.
White Board Paint
An alternative to taking up valuable wall space with a whiteboard is using an overcoat of writeable wall paint, which as the name suggest, allows a wall or door to be written on then wiped clean when needed.
Desk Shelving
As well as wall mounted shelves, the space above desks can have shelves fitted giving each worker enough space for all their own equipment freeing up valuable floor space elsewhere.
Multifunction Business Equipment
A combined printer, fax and copier can help save a significant amount of room however they can be impractical in a large office where multiple jobs often need to be performed at once.
Multipurpose Furniture
If one piece of furniture is taking up too much room for its purpose then maybe it should be doing multiple jobs. There are a number of pieces of office furniture that can perform a double duty but particularly popular are multipurpose stools.
Versatile Stool Storage
This stool can be used as mobile storage or be hung from a table to create an addition shelf.
Stool Bin
Wastepaper bins are entirely necessary but do take up bit more room than is convenient however the following bin has been integrated into a stool.
Laptop Stand Stool
As with the previous stools this one doubles as storage but also has a convenient laptop stand meaning if desperately required it could even be used as a full workstation.
Multiuse Rooms
An eating area that doubles up as a meeting room outside of the lunch hour can make use of a room that is otherwise not in use for the majority of the day. Additionally a meeting area that can also be used as additional workspace should the need arise is equally useful.
Organisation
If your desk is becoming a bit cramped and there is no additional storage then taking a step back and organising what you have may be a good technique to free up some space. As well as simply clearing up clutter and removing unnecessary items there are other actions you can take that when added together can make a big difference.
Labelling Cables
While this will not instantly free up space it makes it a lot easier to avoid ending up with a tangle of cables of unknown function while making the process of rewiring neater and less confusing.
Smaller Items
Using smaller versions of items such as telephones, desk lamps and mugs can all can free up an extra bit of space for the office necessities.
Organisation Accessories
There are a number of accessories that can be used to help keep workstations neat and tidy; the following are a few of our favourites.
Mac Backpack
This little shelf attaches to the back of your monitor and is ideal for keeping charging phones, computer peripherals and office stationery out of the way. Unfortunately they are only available for Apple Macs but we don’t imagine it would be too long before something similar appears for regular monitors.
Drawer Compartments
While this is maybe not the most original of ideas it is still an invaluable way of keeping your things sorted and thus keeping your workspace uncluttered for all the most crucial items.
Innovative Desks
If regular desk simply don’t provide enough space or even take up too much then maybe one of the following desks will do the job.
Fold Out Storage Desk
If a temporary workspace is sometimes needed but there isn’t enough room to dedicate to it a fold out desk that doubles up as storage could well do the job.
Pin Board Desk
Possibly a desk more suited to a creative industry these desks have built in pinboards for keeping important sketches, ideas or calendars close at hand.
Homework Table
If you still do the odd bit of paperwork but and can’t justify a the room filing cabinet or even a paper tray would take up then this accordion like filing system built into the desk may work for you.
If everything else failed…
…you might want to consider leasing a self storage. If your have a London office, you might want to look for self storage in London near to your office premise.
If you are just moving into a new home as a friend of mine did over in Ottawa, it is easier to declutter and start storing from ground zero. Places such as Ottawa Movers, such as Total Move Management are able to store and haul long distances.
Hopefully you will find these ideas useful and inspiring, if you have any further tips or if there are any space saving devices you swear by, please let us know in the comments.