How to Decorate Office Desks
Whether you spend 40 hours a week in a drab government cubicle or have a spare room at home that you converted into a home office, how you decorate your work space can have a major influence on your state of well being, your level of productivity, and how you're perceived by coworkers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Identify how much freedom of expression you have to decorate your own work space. If you work at home, you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you work in an office, however--and especially in a space that is visible to the public and to coworkers--there are probably restrictions on what types and what quantity of personal items can be displayed. For the purposes of this article, let's assume that you work for someone else and want to give your work station a little personality that doesn't run contrary to company rules. (The basic principles of design and placement will still apply to a home office.)
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Identify the types of tasks you'll perform. If, for example, you're only going to be answering the telephone and writing down messages, you're going to have lots of open work space on the rest of your desk--as opposed to a work station in which you work at a keyboard, print out documents, send faxes, use a calculator and/or run confidential data through a shredder. In planning your desk decor, you have to first determine the space allocation for the items you need to have to perform your job, followed by the items you simply want to have to make you feel better about being there.
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Visit an office supply store and buy a good-quality desk pad. These come in a variety of colors, styles, thicknesses and sizes. Even the most boring metal or wooden desk surface can look fresh and exciting if you choose a color scheme that either contrasts or complements the rest of the office decor.
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Select accessories such as staplers, pencil holders, letter openers, desk trays and calendar stands that look good with the style of desk pad you've chosen. With some manufacturers, all of these items may be sold as a complete set and can represent a significant cost savings over similar items purchased separately.
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Consider the conceptual traffic flow of the various tasks that you're performing. If, for instance, your primary job is to handle the phones, you don't want to locate the phone at the most distant corner of your desk or in a spot that will require you to have to stand up, reach through a leafy plant and stretch over the top of a printer in order to answer it. Likewise, you don't want to place a paper cutter where the blade is apt to jeopardize the dangling cords of various electrical components.
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Assess your lighting situation. Unless your desk is located near a sunny window, you'll probably need to introduce an artificial light source. Place it so that it gives off sufficient light to see your work product and reading materials, but not so close that it becomes toasty to work there. A banker's lamp is usually a good choice. It's attractive and directs the light directly downward on the documents being reviewed.
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Personalize your desk with favorite framed photos--but not to the point of excessive clutter. If you have limited space for framed pieces, consider using a glass or acrylic desk blotter that allows you to display your photos beneath them.
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Bring the beauty of nature inside with a small, low-maintenance plant or fresh flowers. Or have a display of silk flowers.
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Tips & Warnings
If you work for the CEO of a prestigious financial institution, don't regard your desk as an extension of your kitchen refrigerator. While there's nothing wrong with taking a binder portfolio to show co-workers who are interested in your child's artwork, taping all of his efforts around the edge of your desk or hanging it from the walls is unprofessional. Plastic components sold at office supply stores can hide a messy tangle of electrical cords.
Refrain from having any items displayed on your desk or hanging on cubicle walls that might be construed as offensive or politically incorrect. Such items would include political banners, swimsuit calendars, risque art or cartoons, and religious icons. Unless you work in a secure facility, don't display items of high value on your desk. Likewise, exercise caution with fragile items that could easily break if accidentally bumped.
