You know when your office space isn’t working for you anymore. It may happen gradually or your business may experience rapid change or growth, but there comes a point when you know something’s gotta give.
Deciding whether to stay in your current office space or leave and find a shiny new location is a tricky one that’s a struggle for any business. There are pros and cons to both options:
Reasons you might want to leave and look for a new office might include:
- Your current space doesn’t work anymore
- It might be overcrowded if you’ve grown your team
- Your business may have changed so your workflow is different
- The office is getting old and needs substantial renovation
- Your lease is coming up for renewal
Reasons you may decide to stay in your current office:
- Your location is great and your business is established and known in that area
- You don’t want the hassle of changing your office address (on everything from business cards to Google Maps)
- You don’t want the hassle of physically moving your office
- Your landlord is reasonable and your rent acceptable
- You have a space with some character so you like it and want to stay
The truth is, finding that perfect space is nearly impossible, and you will have to put some work in whether staying put or starting fresh. If you move into a new space, you’ll need to either move and reconfigure your existing furniture or buy new and adapt the space to reflect your brand.
Transforming your existing office
Since you’ll be making changes, either way, you may choose to save on the costs of a move and put that budget into looking at your existing office and see if it can be transformed into your dream office.
When you look at your space try to visualize it as an open floor plan, and you may find that your creativity starts to flow. Not sure how to do this? Fortunately, interior designers know how to look at spaces as a blank slate and create a floor plan that sees beyond what is to what is possible, while still considering practical realities that need to remain where they are, such as the plumbing system.
We recreate your space digitally in AutoCAD which gives us the ability to do whatever is required to plan it out to perfection. In any office space, there are always restrictions that we take into consideration during the layout process. Perhaps there is a support post that just doesn’t make sense to remove, or the ceiling is lower in one section than another. These are not deal-breakers, they are challenges. These challenges are what end up making your space that unique and creative space that functions as you want and need it to.
Once you see the potential of how your existing space be optimized for your business, you’ll have more information to help you decide if you should stay or go.
Often just by re-thinking the way your space is laid out, re-thinking the furniture within the space and even putting some thought into how you may be able to optimize your working habits is enough to allow you to stay in the same office for several more years.
Planning a new office
Sometimes the growth of the business means there just isn’t enough room regardless of what you do and moving is the only option. It’s an excellent idea to have a designer go with you to see the spaces you are considering before you commit.
Start by making a list of your requirements, something like this:
- 5 private offices with guest seating
- 1 large boardroom
- Several smaller meeting rooms for 2 to 4 people
- Quiet spaces for phone calls or focused work
- Areas for creative collaboration and ideation
- Open work areas
- Lunchroom
- Storage for equipment, cleaning supplies, office supplies
- Training room for up to 40 people
Your designer can take a list like this and have a sense of whether a prospective space will work for you or not. You can also acquire the floor plans and then have a designer lay out the space as you want it.
Should I stay or should I go?
Business owners have too many decisions to make and deciding to stay in your office or find a new one is a significant choice. Involving a designer right from the start can help make it easier.
They can help you to find space where you do not expect it in your existing office, kicking off a renovation that will be a perfect solution for the perfect office.
If you decide you need to move into a new space, a designer can help you to make sure that it works better than one you already have and to make it your own.