The Road towards a Sweet Office Remodelling Success

 

Home and office design trends come and go every year and can be a great guide and inspiration to achieve what you desire. When it comes to remodeling your office, tastes, preferences, and styles differ greatly, and so does the disposable budget that will dictate just how much can be done.

You might be able to afford a brand new, move-in ready, custom designed office, or you might prefer to make it your own project that will enable you to get out of the box, go unconventional and save money along the way by doing a fixer-upper. If the latter is your choice, this is the road to take.

Prepare well

Good preparation and organisation are the keys to any successful project. When you plan your budget, it’s very useful to allow 10% wiggle room since there are always some emergencies and unforeseen expenses.

It’s advisable to start with a detailed inspection before you rush into demolition head-on, as it will reveal any potential construction issues. This is often the case with older buildings, so do your research of the time period it was built in. See if any previous renovations had been done, what material was used (if there are traces of asbestos and lead paint) or if there were any other typical building practices of that time that might interfere with your project realisation.

Also, be prepared for the fact that renovations take time and learn to be patient. Turning your office into a safe, practical, useful and comfortable space takes time and it might take longer than you expected.

Use what you have and sell what you can

Demolition can be fun and liberating but think twice before you do it. There might be certain things you can still use, such as some unique features and specific design elements. Mixing the old with the new has always been one of the lasting design trends, so before you pay a lot to remove or cover up the exposed brick, you could clean it up and incorporate it into the modern office design as a special and charming focal point.

The same goes for exposed pipes and ductwork – if cleaned and polished, they can give your office that industrial vibe and go well with other features, such as suspended lights and metal railings.

When you finish with eliminating all the old stuff you don’t need, don’t go running to the dumpster. Plan in advance as there might still be some cash hiding in there. A lot of the old, well-preserved appliances, tiles, stonework, pipes or fixtures can be sold to local scrap businesses, which can bring you extra cash to invest back into your project.

Decide on your style

Your preferred style will be at the core of your project. Having a clear vision will make all the decision-making much easier and you won’t have to waste time going back and redoing parts of the renovation that you end up not liking.

There’s a variety of styles: modern, rustic, eclectic, shabby chic, industrial or a mix of any of those to create your unique look. There are many fine examples of contemporary office interior design to give you some inspiration. Just bear in mind that if you’re in a historic building, there may be some restrictions to changing its exterior so it stays true to its original time period.

Also, be picky and original. Not every single segment of your office space needs to scream for attention. You can choose certain elements and make them stand out as a special feature, such as painting fixtures and pieces of furniture in vibrant colours or doing a whole feature wall as a huge mural.

Learn from others

With so many inspiring stories and experiences online, there’s no need to do your project completely alone. Many people have already been there and done that, so you can draw on their experience, tips, advice and learn from their mistakes and designing disasters. The story is yours to write it and make it a happy ending.