Entyce recently completed the refurbishment of our new office space. It has been a busy few months working alongside all the building and decorating activities but we are thrilled with the final result.
While much of the process has been hard work, redecorating can be great fun and we particularly enjoyed deliberating over the new wallpaper and paint choices.
Choosing the decor for the walls is one of the most important parts of the decorating process, after all it sets the tone for the entire space.
Decorating a business space can sometimes feel like even more pressure than decorating a home. The decor has to not only reflect our own personality but the personality of the business and the brand as a whole. It has to carefully balance professionalism, a welcoming atmosphere and communicate the theme and tone unique to that company.
Since we have recently been through the process ourselves and consider our result a complete success we thought we would share our insights for any other companies embarking on the redecorating adventure.
Options, Options and more Options
As a creative digital agency we feel like we have a special advantage when it comes to getting creative with design but for those less experienced there can almost be too many options.
One design or mix and match?
The first decision you need to make is whether you go with one paint colour or wallpaper throughout your office space or mix it up. For those of you who have seen our new offices you know we are fans of option two but this is naturally a very personal decision. There is a lot to be said for the ease of choosing one wallpaper design but if you choose only one you better be sure you absolutely love it.
If you do follow our example and go for different wallpaper designs and/or paint colours you need to be sure they complement one another. There is a very fine line between edgy and fun and a complete mishmash.
Which colours?
Whether you go with paint, wallpaper or both the question of colour schemes is what most businesses and home owners spend the most time deciding. If you have a small space don’t go for too many dark tones, it will make your office look even smaller, especially if there is a lack of lighting anywhere. On the other end of the spectrum if you have a very large space too much white and pale colours can make it appear cold, empty and stark.
Work with the space you have and remember to consider the lighting. When choosing colours from a sample pack they will look very different over a large space and in different lighting so never rush this decision. A top tip is to use mirrors to add light and a sense of space.
Consider the other elements in your office
In addition to your space, lighting and matching themes when using different wallpaper styles remember to consider the other elements in your office. If you have lots of computers, equipment and furniture you don’t plan to part with make sure the new look works with them to create the right style. You don’t want to have to replace all your furniture if it wasn’t part of the plan.
Textured or flat wallpaper?
We love textured wallpaper. It adds intrigue and an extra dimension to your office space. It can be a bit much if you use vibrant or highly patterned textured wallpaper everywhere but it is great way to hide imperfections in the walls themselves. If your walls have imperfections flat wallpaper may not hide this very well.
Featured walls
Featured walls are extremely popular right now and show no signs of going out of fashion. Rather than have every wall the same or equal amounts of different wallpapers you can add splashes of colour and creativity by choosing certain walls to highlight. We love this approach and it was a big part of Entyce’s design scheme. There are lots of ways to approach featured walls. You can use dynamically patterned wallpaper, mural wallpaper or even just a flash of a different bright coloured paint. If you are considering using a beautiful mural, but can’t find one you like, expert mural creators like Muralswallpaper can do bespoke designs for your business. Whether it is customising an existing design, creating a new design or turning a beautiful photo into wallpaper they can give your office a distinct, dynamic atmosphere. These days the options with featured walls are really limitless.
Order more than you need
This is always good advice. Order an extra roll because you are bound to run out when trying to get wallpaper to meet at wall joins and other fiddly places.
What to avoid
If you are using the same wallpaper throughout or on two walls that meet we recommend avoiding small intricate patterns. It is very hard to get them to line up successfully and it will be very obvious if they don’t.
What Entyce Chose
For those who have not seen our new office we went with white paint in many areas to accentuate our new larger spaces and then went bolder with a deep night blue on specific walls to add depth. We didn’t stop there but added featured walls with wallpaper as well, including a delightfully rustic brick effect and copper textured walls too. You also cannot fail to miss our new signs and wall prints.
You can read more about our new office style and all the suppliers who helped us achieve it here.
Our top tip for how to choose wallpaper for a business is to go big on personality. As a creative agency it was important our space reflected our personality to our clients as well as creating a pleasant inspiring environment for our staff. We are big fans of going bold with patterns and featured walls.
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