7 Things you should NOT decorate your office with:
Whether you just got your first office, looking to give your office a new look or are wondering why no one wants to meet in your office, this post is right for you. Having a tastefully decorated office says a lot about the person you are and makes your time away from home a little more pleasant. In some ways your office is your second home given how much time you spend there. The one key difference is people have to come to your office at times, so you need to set the bar even higher than you would for your home. To help you, we have pulled together a list of 7 things you should NOT decorate your office with.
- Food – This may sound silly to you, but those smelly eggs you had in the morning or that burger for lunch carries a ripe smell that will make your coworkers cringe. Try avoid eating smelly things in your office when possible and at the very least don’t throw the left over food in your office trash. Take it to the bathroom or kitchen area. I hope this goes without saying, but don’t leave it on your desk for the day either.
- Messy Stacks of Paper – Are you one of those people with piles and piles of paper all over your desk and floor. Not only does this make you less efficient, but it makes you seem disorganized and your office less inviting.
- Pictures of you in a bathing suit – Even if you’re a supermodel and especially if you have a big beer belly, no one needs to see pictures of you from your beach vacation every time they come to your office.
- Clothes – Its smart to have a spare shirt, jacket or other piece of clothing in your office incase you need it for that big meeting or have a lunch time catastrophe, but the last thing you should do is have your office look like a college dorm room with clothes hanging all over the place. Keep pieces of clothing discretely put away or hanging in an organized manner out of plain site.
- Dead/Dying Plants – Plants add a nice touch to your office, but with them comes added responsibility to care for them. If you have plants in your office be sure to keep them watered (not over watered) and prune as needed. When selecting plants pick ones that require little maintenance.
- Pets – Pets can be a fun addition to the office. Like plants, they also need to be cared for. Whether you have fish, cats or dogs be sure to keep the things clean and odor free. Remember, other people have to join you in your office. Be considerate to those that work around you for things like allergies or your friendly golden retriever that jumps over every person he sees.
- Distasteful Artwork – We would be remise to not talk about peoples poor taste in office wall art as our passion is designing tasteful prints for anywhere in your home or office. Lets first address what’s off the table. Avoid prints with offense language or sayings. Yes, it may sound cool, but people offend easily in the workplace. The same goes for posters or pictures with boobs hanging out. Save those for your man cave. Lastly don’t hang full size posters of Tom Brady or Lebron James. You are a grown up not a teenager.
Prints can add a nice touch to your office when done right. Remember this is an office not your home or college dorm room. Showing your college pride featuring prints from your alma matter is a great way to decorate your office and can stir up conversation with coworkers and clients. The same goes for prints showing your hometown, state, sports team or favorite vacation spot. Be sure to get them framed rather than hanging them with a few pieces of tape and take the time to measure the right spot to hang. Your office is a representation of you so don’t make it look sloppy. We consider this post a public service announcement and a shameless plug for our prints in one. If we can clean up a few offices and sell some prints we consider it a success. If you have other tips or suggestions on how to clean up peoples offices, join the cause by posting comments below.