6 Design Tips for Making Your Office Reception Area More Inviting

Whether you are setting up your office space from scratch or you are thinking of refurbishing, your reception area deserves extra attention to detail.

Every design choice you make in the reception zone exerts a powerful influence on customers, associates, and other visitors who walk into your office.

A poorly designed reception area can send the wrong message about your business, and even make visitors feel unwelcome, antsy, and anxious to leave.

But a beautifully designed reception area draws visitors in, helping them feel comfortable doing business with you.

Following are a few simple design tips which can help you make the most of your office reception space.

• 1. ILLUMINATE YOUR SPACE WITH WARM, NATURAL LIGHT.
• Think how you feel when you sit to wait in a reception area which is illuminated by cold fluorescent lights. The space feels clinical, sterile, unimaginative. This can make the company itself seem detached and aloof, indifferent to your needs.
• The remedy is to replace cold lighting with warm, gentle, yellow-toned light that is reminiscent of sunlight. Better yet, if you can bring actual natural light into your reception area, do that—just make sure that windows are not positioned in such a way that the sun will glare into peoples’ eyes as they wait.
• 2. INCORPORATE WARM, NATURAL MATERIALS.
• Just as warm, natural light can create an accommodating ambiance, the same is true of warm, natural materials. Again, think how you feel when you are surrounded by cold metal and plastic, and contrast that with how you feel surrounded by wood and other homier materials.
• 3. KEEP MATERIALS AND COLORS CONSISTENT AND COORDINATED THROUGHOUT THE RECEPTION AREA.
• Your reception area should personify your business. That means that along with warm, appealing lighting and materials, it should feature consistent décor and a coordinated color scheme that fits with your company branding.
• What colors are appropriate for office reception? Traditionally, many offices have opted for cool, neutral tones, as these have long been considered soothing and professional. But nowadays, warmer colors are becoming more of a trend. Whether you go with warm or cool tones, keeping the colors muted usually will create a calmer setting. Whatever you do, avoid colors which clash.
• 4. CONSIDER A LOWER DESK OR COUNTER.
• Do you have a high reception desk or counter? If so, you are erecting a literal barrier between your company and your visitors. Psychologically, that barrier makes your company feel impersonal, distant, and inaccessible.
• While there are professions where such a barrier may have functional utility, in many office environments, a lower desk or counter is a more suitable, welcoming choice. It allows for a more direct connection between the receptionist, who is the face of your business, and your customers and associates.
• 5. KEEP THE SPACE WIDE OPEN.
• When a reception area is tight and cramped, it can make visitors waiting feel trapped and uneasy, increasing their desire to get out of your office.
• So, regardless of the space you have to work with, your goal is a layout which features an open flow of space. Such an environment is peaceful and relaxing, inviting possibilities and facilitating connections.
• 6. THINK ABOUT COMMISSIONING A CUSTOM RECEPTION DESK MADE FROM BEAUTIFUL, STURDY WOOD.
• The furnishing which is the centerpiece for your reception area is the desk. Ask yourself, “What does our reception desk currently say about our business?”
• A custom reception desk can make a bold, captivating statement, one which is personalized to your business. Everything from the shape and size of the desk to the type of wood and the finish can all incorporate aspects of your branding and coordinate perfectly with your décor.
• When you commission a custom reception counter for your business, you also can look forward to the advantages of quality craftsmanship. The finished desk can stand the test of time, retaining its beautiful finish and resisting damage over the years ahead.
• Brooklyn Millwork Can Help You Create a Reception Area Where Visitors to Your Business Feel Welcome
• At Brooklyn Millwork, we’re able to craft custom wood designs to transform your office reception area so that it fully expresses the spirit of your business.
• Whether you are looking to commission a custom desk or other woodworking, we can help you optimize the layout of your reception zone while infusing the space with warm, vibrant materials that will make visitors to your business feel right at home.
• To schedule your consultation, please call us today at (718) 676-0328 or email info@brooklynmillwork.com

‍