How To Make Mismatched Furniture Look Professional
Quality office furniture can be expensive. Buying used furniture can lessen the financial impact of replacing your current furniture, expanding your office, or opening a new branch. But if you are only replacing part of your office, or cannot find all of your needs in a used set that matches, your office can end up looking mismatched and unprofessional. The key to making mismatched office furniture look like it wasn't carelessly thrown together is to create an intentional atmosphere with the pieces you purchase. Here are a few tips to do that.
Consider New Paint or Carpeting
One of the main concerns about mismatched office furniture is that it can make your business look like it is struggling financially. While purchasing the best priced furniture for your office, regardless of matching, is a fiscally responsible decision, you do not want to send the message to your clients or employees that you had no other choice. Having dingy carpet or graying walls will definitely send the message that your company is not doing well.
A fresh coat of high-quality paint on your walls or new carpeting can freshen up your office and make your mismatched furniture look quirky as opposed to desperate. Depending on the image you want to create for your company, you may consider adding a splash of bright color to your walls to make your mismatched furniture take on an edgy, modern look. However, adding too much background texture can make a mismatched space look cluttered.
Group Similar Furniture Into Work Spaces
If you have an open floor plan in your office, mismatched furniture sets can actually help you create psychological barriers between work spaces. For example, keep your old furniture set together in one half of your office and purchase a slightly different set for the second half of your office. Then assign teams or departments to each half. The space remains open to encourage collaboration but also allows for easy differentiation between employees. You can easily continue this idea with three or four office sections.
Stick With Complementary Colors and Designs
Many office managers make the mistake of trying to get their new furniture as similar to their old furniture as possible, with the hopes that it will blend well. However, if the furniture is not from the same set, it can create a slight dissonance in your office. This happens when wood furniture is just a shade off, or the shape of one desk is only slightly different than the others.
To avoid this, select complimentary furniture. For example, if you already have light brown furniture, select black for your new furniture. If you have dark brown you might select a brighter color such as blue or green. This makes your furniture selection look more intentional and shows you are not afraid to commit to your choices.
Don't Forget Workspace Flow
The most important thing about your office furniture is not whether the color matches but how useful your employees and clients find the layout of your office. You should use your furniture to encourage workflow and communication between employees. This is done by making sure your employees can easily navigate your office without any unintentional barriers.
At the same time, you can use your furniture to create barriers between work spaces and storage spaces, personalizing a generic office to your company's needs. Integrating new furniture with your old office furniture helps save you money and can even showcase the creative side of your business.
If you think you are not up to the challenge, you can hire a professional or consider selling your old office furniture and purchasing complete used sets.
Share