The office is the focal point for your team, vendors, and clients. Making your startup office pop is a must, especially in today’s work culture. Plus it is proven that your surrounding have a direct effect on performance and team energy levels. Is your startup office space awesome? Awesome enough to wow clients and attract top talent?

Your office serves a purpose that can take your startup to the next level. A few important reasons to have an aesthetically stunning office are:

• A powerful presence creates powerful productivity
• It serves as an extension of your startup’s culture, mission, and values
• Your crew spends one-third of their week there
• An amazing office space gives current and future clients confidence
• Top candidates have options, so you need to put your best foot forward

“Office design matters,” Zach Robbins explained in Inc. “You may not need to install a pirate ship next to your reception desk, but you do need to think about how you want to be perceived, what messages you want to convey and how you want your staff to feel when they’re at work.”

To help you create an awesome startup office space that speaks to all the above reasons listed, we compiled the following design tips.

1- Ensure Your Designers Are Creative And Credible

The first step to having an awesome startup office is to work with creative designers that have plenty of experience turning cubicle land into an open and inviting space. Quality designers will also get the job done right the first time, which can save you time and reduce stress down the road.

You need to spend time running your startup, not playing contractor. There are a lot of aspects to consider when creating an office space that pops. From painters to electricians, be sure your vendors and designers are up to the tasks, so you don’t have to be.

2- Have A Look Around With A Sledgehammer

This may seem a bit destructive, but rest assured that this is a tip worth employing when it comes to making your startup office awesome. Armed with sledgehammer, smash away those white walls and cardboard ceiling tiles to see what urban living treasures are hiding. This is a must if your office space is in an older building.

Doing this may result in uncovering aesthetically awesome brick walls and ceiling piping that can give your office that trending urban look. Be sure to rip up a patch of carpet as well, since older building may have beautiful wood flooring underfoot. Go here: http://ozarch.com/practice-areas/urban-living/ for more information.

3- Let There Be Natural Lighting

Lighting is a very important aspect of any office design, especially when it comes to startups. The fluorescent eye burning lights of yesteryear is no longer appealing to the new workforce.

In fact, if you can figure out a way to bring natural lighting into the office space, it is a big win. Research has found that implementing natural light into the workplace has a powerful impact on employee performance, as well as improved quality of life outside the office.

If you have big beautiful windows that emit natural lighting, position desks accordingly. Ensure natural light is inviting, but not creating screen glare or giving your team a suntan.

Light fixtures apply, but should be put together in different ways and at different angles. Lamps and track lighting can be useful for creating a soothing environment that sparks serenity and productivity.

4- Make Sure You Have Plenty Of Open Space

When pondering your future awesome startup office, think about open space. Nobody likes to work in an office with small cubicle upon small cubicle atop each other. The same goes for walkways and meeting areas. It builds team anxiety and looks too cluttered for visiting clients and future new hires.

Instead have a more open floor plan with plenty of space to move around and work. Remember smashing those ceiling tiles down? You can potentially add a few feet of length to the office by getting rid of the ceiling tiles. Keep it open and fresh for optimum performance.

Wrapping Up . . .

The startup office has become the floor plan for future companies. The office has become more than just a place to clock in and out each day. It is now a space of creativity and efficiency that attracts clients, keeps talent, and builds team moral. Does your startup office need a makeover? Do you have an awesome startup space? We want to hear about it.