Your boardroom is one of the most important areas of your office space. It’s where you meet and make an impression on your clients, communicate information to stakeholders, and facilitate communication among your staff in order to ensure that things run smoothly and effectively. If your boardroom is going to do all that for you, then it has to be properly designed and furnished.
Décor
When decorating your boardroom, it’s best to avoid “trendy” colors. Orange may be the hot new color this year, but that doesn’t mean your boardroom walls should look like you’ve gone crazy decorating for the office Halloween party. By the same token, don’t take the easy way out and paint everything white – this is office space, not a hospital, and besides, it will look horrible on video conference calls.
Muted or neutral tones are best. They’ll give your boardroom a professional look that will never fall victim to changing fashions. Beige is classic, and grey or taupe can offer understated elegance. You could also consider pale greens or blues. The main thing is not to choose anything that’s too distracting, or that could make it difficult to find furniture and accessories that won’t clash.
Furniture
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If you’re working with an unfinished space, that’s great – you can make your boardroom as big as you like, possibly with the idea of adding furniture as your business grows or your staff expands. If, on the other hand, you’re turning an existing room into a boardroom, you’re going to have to do some measuring to figure out exactly how much space you have to work with. Then, you can determine how much furniture you’re going to be able to have, and what the dimensions of that furniture should be. What is the maximum number of people you’ll need to seat in the room at any given time? That will give you an idea of how big your boardroom table has to be, and obviously, how many chairs you’re going to need.
When you’re considering additional furniture, if you’re not sure how much you’re going to need, go with too little rather than too much. You can always add a credenza or some shelves later. You don’t want people to feel as though they’re fighting the furniture for space. Remember, too, that if you’re going to be using the room for training purposes, you’ll likely want to make sure that the furniture can be moved easily so that everyone can face the trainer, or see a video screen.
Lighting and Power
Once you’ve chosen a color scheme, and found furniture that works well with it, you’ll want to consider where you should position the lighting. Obviously, you don’t want it shining into people’s eyes, so overhead lighting may be the most effective. With the installation of dimmer switches, it can be as subtle or as bright as you need it to be. You may also wish to have different “banks” of lights on different switches, so that you can avoid having lights reflecting off video screens or projectors.
The position of the power outlets in the room can influence where you place furniture and equipment. Most modern buildings have plenty of power sources for things like computers, projectors, printers, and so on. However, if you’re moving into an older building, you may find it necessary to have other power points installed so that nothing essential ends up being unplugged.
Conclusion
When you’re designing a boardroom, planning is everything. With a little thought, a modicum of good taste, and attention to detail, your boardroom design should serve you well for many years.
President at Office Chairs Unlimited – I have been in the furniture industry for over 20 years, and I’m an expert (just ask me) on all things furniture. I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.
