How do I make my office seem bigger or any office decorating tips in general?


office
mrb1017 asked:


I live in an apartment and I’m in the mood for some redecorating, but I can’t paint the walls. I want to redecorate my office but the room is shaped oddly and it bothers me…It has five smaller walls instead of four walls and one wall is completely taken up by closet doors. Anything to make the room seem bigger? Or any other good home office decorating tips?
I just can’t paint…it’s in the lease. The walls are like antique white. I can stick all the holes in the wall I want to hang things…Just no paint.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Decorating & Remodeling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

8 Responses to “How do I make my office seem bigger or any office decorating tips in general?”

  1. tabatagraham Says:
    November 16th, 2009 at 9:53 am

    well if you can paint what can you do/
    light colors will make a room lookbigger and a mirrored tile stick on type will also do this tabatagraham

  2. mommanuke Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am

    A large mirror can help, but there are a lot of things you can put up with staples which can be easily taken down if you move. Check out a fabric store and look for lighter colored fabrics and fabrics with a weave, like grass cloth. A rug set on the diagonal might help, although I can’t envision what the diagonal would be in the room you describe. When I had a small office, I put up one of those posters that look like a window looking out onto a scene, mine was a forest, but you can get beaches, mountains, etc. mommanuke

  3. c_leoo Says:
    November 19th, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    Well it does seem like a challenge. Do you have windows? Or a large window? I tried this technique with mirrors. I got a Rectuangular shaped piece of wood or plywood. I used a dimension that would accomodate 1×1 “tiles” of mirrors and some molding or stripping. Arranging the mirrors I used 5 across and 4 down with the molding seprating the mirrors. Using a strong adhesive to have the mirrors stick. When you are done it bascially looks like a WINDOW with smaller panes. I hung it across from my big window. it relflects light , making the room brighter and gives it depth.
    Secondly , what can I say but STORAGE< STORAGE STORAGE!!
    Use the walls for storage , meaning put up more shelves, re-organize your closet to hold your office things in bins and containers. SIMPLIFY!! Taking out the clutter makes a space look much bigger as well. An area rug can define a specific area , like your desk/working area. You also can install shelving on the walls above desk or other areas to store things as well. Maybe above the closet doors shelves can be in place to hold books... etc. Also a lamp with a diffrent colored bulb can bring an ambience of color if you cannout paint. So instead of cluttering up you walking space, you are using storage on wall space instead. Maybe rearrange what furniture is left and you might just feel like you are in a diffrent room! c_leoo

  4. Jason W Says:
    November 19th, 2009 at 3:40 pm

    Crowding the entrance, crowds the room.
    By simply moving desks, bookshelves, or whatever away from the entrance to give you more space as you enter, gives you a sense of openness. Also, obviously, keep things close to the walls, not out in the middle of the room.
    Try putting you desk at the opposite wall of the entrance, and make this the center point, lining the walls to the left and right with whatever other furniture you have, to make an “L” shape. This way nothing is in the middle obstructing the view of the room as well as the walking space. Oh, yeah, take out any items taking up space that you can do without.

    Good luck. Jason W

  5. Kathy P Says:
    November 22nd, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    I would think about making the closet doors into a memo board or cork board. This will help hold all those little papers, we all tend to have. Organization will be key for you. Look for some nice decorative storage boxes, something you can stack neatly on shelves or under your desk. Use magazine holders that sit on shelves for magazines, catalogs, etc. I also think that if you can keep the majority of things off the floor it will not feel as small.

    Check out other organizational desk items to help you keep papers in order, pens/pencils together, paper, etc. Depending on your budget, you can check out places like Target, Pier 1, Walmart, Ballard Designs (they all have websites).

    Also, depending on what’s in the closet, you could also utilize it for some of your office equipment and storage. If you are able to use it that way, a filing cabinet inside will free up your actual office and you can use the top for fax/copy machine or books you refer to often. Kathy P

  6. Ginny Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 am

    Since you can’t paint, stick with lighter colored furniture and accessories to minimize contrast, which makes the room appear larger. Try to make the window a focal point (hopefully you have a decent view) or use mirrors (sparingly or it’ll look forced and tacky) and glass (like for an end table or shelving) to make the room look as open as possible. Without seeing how a fifth wall fits in, it’s not easy to figure how to solve that problem. Do you need to closet for storage or can you pull the doors off and use it as a nook for your desk or office equipment? Good luck and I hope I was of some help. Ginny

  7. Deborah G Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    Mirrors are the answer–they make any room look larger. Deborah G

  8. orange_slice Says:
    November 24th, 2009 at 11:45 am

    Step 1:Remove all the clutter (an office can get out of control with clutter) and stay organized.

    Step 2: Rearrange furniture to make the room look big orange_slice

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