Putting a New Face on Your Space.

Office Pizzazz on a Budget

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then "picture" the impression your office makes on prospective and current clients. Are you conveying the image you want, one that is appropriate to your type of business? If you can honestly answer "yes," good for you. But if your space needs a new face, it might be time to make some changes. It's amazing the difference a little paint, some plants, imaginative lighting, and distinctive furniture can make to your office image, and yes, even to your bottom line.

The fact is, you needn't spend a lot of time or money to obtain visual impact and appeal. "You can accomplish a great deal in an hour," says Lee Last, professional interior designer with Forsey's Furniture Galleries in Salt Lake City. In just 60 minutes, Last says, a good designer can suggest furniture layout, lighting, artwork and color ideas -- and the cost for this professional advice?

According to Last, the range falls from $65 to $120. In addition, the designer can offer tips for places to shop -- for paint, furniture or whatever is needed to get started.

Decide what image you want to project -- conservative or perhaps creative. Then, develop a plan of attack yourself, or hire an interior designer for advice. Whether you decide to work with a professional or not, following are some basics for creating maximum impact with minimal expense.

Color and Space

"Wall color will create a mood more quickly than anything else," Last says. If you want to create "assertive energy," try using active colors like tangerine oranges, lemons, or shades of red or yellow-red.

To connote strength and solidity, rich jewel tones -- eggplant, navy, burgundy, heather gray with cream and taupe or warm browns -- will do the trick. If serenity and calm are what you want, soft blues, greens, and flesh-pink hues will help set the tone of your office.

"One of the things you can do is access theatrical tricks that people who do stage sets use to change the apparent shape of a room," says Last. "For instance, if you have a long narrow space, put a dark color on one of the narrow walls. This tends to 'pop out' the other walls. It makes the room look like a less-elongated rectangle."

Also, where you place furniture or accessories can change the perceived size of the space. "If it's a long, narrow room, and you want to create separate activity areas, you would do that by angling furniture perpendicular from the long wall or by using accessories on the wall," explains Last. "Paintings, a tall plant next to the wall that creates a stopping point for the eye, maybe a rug hanging on a wall, or a small collection of artifacts will all create an illusion of greater space."

Lighting

Andrea Johanos is an interior designer who works at Salt Lake City-based Linda's Furniture, home of new and "gently used" furnishings for the home and office. "Lighting is a relatively simple thing you can do to create a mood and a feel," she says. "For example, say you're an attorney, and want your office to be comfortable and inviting with a rich, warm feeling. You might place a lamp on a credenza behind your desk or place a spotlight on a wall so it shines on a painting."

Last suggests fixtures that sit on the floor and shine light upwards. Place them beneath plants so the light filters up through the foliage. Or just point the light toward the ceiling -- it then reflects off the ceiling and creates a pleasant effect. Beware of typical fluorescent lighting; it can cast a harsh glare that is unflattering to people and objects and creates a stark mood.

"Most offices are done with fluorescent lighting; the least expensive are the cool whites, which don't allow for a full-color spectrum," Last says. "You need a full-spectrum 'color corrected' fluorescent light to get a more natural result. Consider track lighting as well. Place it so it illuminates things like plants, art objects, framed certificates and press clippings."

Furniture

New, well-made furniture can be very costly. Fortunately, there are some great, low-cost alternatives. Last recommends straight-line, contemporary design furniture that can be found at Scandinavian furniture stores and most major furniture galleries. Another option is to head to a consignment shop, many of which are located in the Sugarhouse area. Stop in frequently, as "new" furniture comes in regularly.

If you're in the market for modular workstations, you can save a lot of money by purchasing reconditioned units. One store that focuses on this market is Salt Lake City-based New Life Office. "Small businesses on a budget -- that's our main clientele," says New Life owner Alan Fox. "We buy used products, and remanufacture them so they look like new. Then we sell them for a 45 to 50 percent cost savings."

Fox says that typical new 6 x 7-foot workstations cost about $2,000. He sells remanufactured units for $900 to $1,200 and used units for $600 to $700.

Accessories

"The difference between a stark, barren-looking office and an inviting, interesting one lies in personalizing it," Johanos says. "Go to an import store and grab a few brass pieces. Make use of plants."

Last also recommends stores like Pier 1. "You can get those flat woven rugs that take up a lot of space and provide a lot of design used as a large wall hanging, for instance." She also suggests buying inexpensive framed art prints and posters at stores such as WalMart or framing shops like Alpine Art. "Stores like Home Again or the consignment shops on Pierpont Street in Salt Lake City are great places to find everything," says Last, "because they are outlets for people who are redecorating and want to sell their furniture, rugs, carpets and lamps."

A Few Final Tips

Pay particular attention to your entry or reception area. It provides your clients the first glimpse of your business and forms an immediate and lasting impression. "Whatever customers see should provide a very direct statement of what you can do for them," Last says. "Anything pictorially or atmospherically that you can create is what you want to do. I go by emotion and feeling. And I think most people do. If I go into a bookstore or library or bank lobby, just that feeling of strength or reliability is important. You might have a very tasteful mirror and console table with brochures spread out on it, done tastefully, as if it were part of an elegant home," Last concludes.

Above all, remember your office should reflect your company's personality. Let your skills and professional values shine through.

Marsha Boutelle is a Salt Lake City freelancer who writes locally and nationally.