Law Office Decorating Ideas

Decorating your law office can be a rewarding experience.

Decorating a law office can be a challenge, requiring you to balance what works and what doesn't with what the boss will allow. When decorating a law office, keep in mind that many decorating styles that might work in other office settings may not be the best choices for a law office, where it's important to express an air of dignity and professionalism.

Furniture

While furniture is fundamental for any office, it also doubles as decoration and can significantly enhance or detract from the overall feel and message your decorations convey. High-quality wooden desks with leather chairs project a professional image, essential to the law office. How light or dark the wood is depends on your tastes, but try to select a shade that can be easily matched with future furniture purchases. According to WhiteWalls, wooden and leather furniture leave many options open when choosing art, as most artistic styles will offer something to match your furniture.

Art

Art displayed throughout the office can help keep visitors and employees in high spirits. For law offices with wooden and leather furniture, WhiteWalls recommends acrylic and oil paintings. If your furniture is light in color you'll typically want bright artwork, while darker furniture works best with muted tones, dark paintings and black-and-white photography. Hang your best pieces where the most people will see them. If any specific pieces tend to cheer you up, hang them where they are visible from your desk. Don't overdo it: hang no more than one or two large pieces per wall. A single wall can support more than two pieces if the individual items are smaller.

Personal Flair

When decorating your law office, be careful about what personal items you display. Personal items in the office, such as family pictures, decorations from home or academic diplomas, can provide a subtle means for displaying personal values and status. Exercise moderation here to avoid giving clients the feeling that they've just walked into your bedroom. A Forbes article suggests that a heavily stocked bookcase could give the impression that you're smart and well-educated, which is surely something you want your clients to think.

References

• Forbes: Got the Right Stuff?
• WhiteWalls: Office Decor - Office Decorating Ideas
• PhiLAWdelphia: Law Office Decor