Simplify your office design process by establishing a theme from the start. Pull from your company's branding, use an online generator to find the perfect palette, or search for inspiration using articles, blog posts, and catalogs. Find multiple schemes and styles that complement one another so that every room looks fresh and interesting.

2. Draw the Eye

Draw the eye to something special by choosing a focal point for the room. Smaller spaces may benefit from a special painting or print. Tailor these choices to your industry or brand, if possible. Try to add local color for reception areas and community spaces by featuring scenes from your surrounding area.

3. Feature Fabrics

Consider how your fabric choices relate to your office theme when purchasing upholstered seating. Durable, high-traffic fabrics are often available in on-trend, stylish patterns that can stand up to rigorous use while looking great.

4. Don't Forget the Furniture

Office furniture has come a long way from the drab, cookie-cutter desks of yesteryear. Seek stylish pieces with updated laminate finishes, creative hardware, and interesting configurations. Durable construction from high-quality materials will help your pieces stand up to years of use in a commercial setting.

5. Motivate Your Workplace

Uplift your employees and guests with motivational and inspirational pieces. While well-known quotes are always an option, consider commissioning a print that features your company's mission statement or goal. Vinyl decals are an inexpensive option for a quick, easy-to-adjust reminder of why your company is a great place to work.

6. Go Green

Bring a little bit of the outside world into your office. Choose plants that fit your décor, but consider their maintenance needs—from constant watering to finicky sun requirements—and select a plant that works within your capabilities. An artificial plant is a great choice for low-light areas or no-fuss offices.

7. Take a Seat

Chairs come in all shapes and sizes, making it hard to decide which is the best fit. Outfit team spaces with a variety of options that coordinate with your theme so that spaces don't look stale while employees can choose what works best for them. Provide a few options for employees to choose from so that everybody can find the right combination of ergonomics and style at their desks.

8. Set Some Boundaries

If your office features an open floorplan, build in some flexible privacy for employees. Dividers, both semi-permanent and mobile, can be added to wide-open areas to give your staff a bit of privacy while they work. 

9. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Touchdown spaces help take "bored" out of the boardroom and foster organic, off-the-cuff collaboration between team members. From simple group seating configurations to tech-equipped open-air spaces, a workspace without borders is an easy update for an innovative office.

10. Clear the Clutter

Happiness in the workplace is a multifaceted goal, but a few key components can keep your staff smiling. Keeping clutter at bay is a must—many employees say a messy space is a driver of workplace discomfort. Go for fun, inventive, or cool-looking organizational tools and office supplies to add delight to the little details and clear the clutter. Make it your mission to organize your organization.

11. Set It Down

While seating is often at the forefront of design, it's easy to forget about tables. Choose coordinating pieces that can accommodate anything from a coffee cup to a laptop. Laminate tops are ideal for a surface that won't stain or scuff. For a more multifaceted option, choose soft seating options with pieces that can function as tables, ottomans, or stools.

12. Let Some Light In

Maximize access to windows, skylights, and other sources of natural light so employees can enjoy the happiness-boosting benefits of sunlight. When choosing artificial options for the rest of the space, look for daylight-mimicking bulbs and task lighting that doesn't carry the harsh feeling of fluorescent or LED lights.

13. Where Form Meets Function 

Office storage goes beyond a few desk drawers and drab filing cabinets. Incorporate out-of-the-way options by adding a hutch to a desk or credenza to your conference room. Outfit employees' desks with mobile pedestals that double as extra seating or consider ottomans that include built-in storage beneath the lid.

14. Make It Personal

Feature the fun side of your workplace culture with framed photos from employee outings, volunteer opportunities, and other interoffice activities. Remind employees of what makes your company a great place to work outside of the daily grind. Celebrate successes by displaying awards and accolades in a communal place where everybody can appreciate them.

15. Embrace Employees' Individuality

Allow employees to curate their spaces with personal items, such as photos of family or tokens from back home. While a cohesive theme is a powerful tool for making the whole office shine, straying from the norm helps your staff feel comfortable while spending long hours away from the people, places, and things they love.

Area rugs come in a huge range of styles and sizes, so you’ll be able to find a good match for your space. Not only can rugs be used to bring a pop of pattern or color into a room, but they can also serve as a spatial divider, separating an area that may otherwise feel undefined. For example, when used in a large lobby, area rugs can visually separate a guest sitting area from the rest of the room, defining spaces while maintaining an open concept layout.

2. Accent Pillows

Accent pillows are great for making your office feel like home. Like area rugs, these inexpensive pieces of décor also come in myriad colors and styles, allowing you to achieve a look you love, whether funky modern or high-end luxury. Plus, your guests may find that the pillows provide extra comfort in a waiting room if they have to sit for a long time. 

3. Lighting

Good lighting makes a huge difference in an office, and a poorly lit room can damage an employee’s productivity. If you’re looking to shed more light on your workspace, go for a floor or desk lamp with a little style. From sleek and modern to masculine and industrial, there’s plenty to choose from.

4. Artificial Plants

Whether real or fake, adding a plant to your office can have a restorative effect on employees. Simply looking at a nature scene or organic element refreshes the mind, and it can be especially welcome in an office without access to windows or natural light. Best of all, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to bring some greenery into your office, and faux plants are often less expensive and longer lasting than the real thing.

5. Wall Art

If you have wall space to spare, adding artwork is an excellent way to boost your office’s style. Whether it’s a motivational print, a nature scene, or a piece of modern art on canvas, you can choose whatever inspires you.

6. Mirrors

If you can’t decide what type of wall art you want to add to your office, try going with a mirror instead. There are plenty of decorative mirrors to choose from, and the mirror can create the illusion that your office is larger.

7. Decorative Boards

If you like to post notes and memos in your office, why not do it in style? There are plenty of whiteboards and chalkboards with designs so beautiful that you might not know they’re boards upon first glance!

No matter which décor option you choose, upgrading your office is a breeze when you have a clearly defined style in mind. Do you want your office to be simple and modern? Outdoorsy and rustic? Regal and traditional? Once you’ve selected the design elements that define your style of choice, the rest is easy.