You might have heard this minimalist's motto "Less is more", saw those incredibly aesthetic social media profiles with minimalist interior designs and noticed that clean and airy offices became a trademark of the modern cutting-edge business community.
But is the idea of minimalistic workspaces realistic? When you have to process tons of documents and meet dozens of people every day, is it really possible to contain those clean, minimalistic offices with only essential furniture and storage?
In this article, we shall talk about the concept of minimalism in an office space, how realistic it is and how you and your business can benefit from this seemingly utopic idea.
What is minimalism in the office?
Minimalism has been around for decades. Although it is usually associated with western European and particularly Scandinavian aesthetics, minimalism originates from far eastern cultures and particularly Chinese Taoism.
The main idea of minimalism is that the fewer physical items you have in your house, wardrobe, or workplace, the more space for creativity and imagination you get.
Applied to a workplace, minimalism is supposed to encourage you to think out of the box and focus on important things instead of wasting time looking for a particular pen or document on your office desk.
In other words, minimalism in the office means less furniture, fewer items on the desktop, and fewer shelves and cupboards along the walls. Now look around your own office and think how applicable this idea may be to your workspace.
Benefits of minimalistic office setup.
The "adepts" of minimalism name several initial benefits of minimalism at a workplace, which are actually supported by some research and experts` opinions:
- The absence of distractions on your office desk and around you increases your focus and productivity by 40%;
- People who work in minimalistic, purely functional offices have 25% less chance of making a mistake in the process;
- Minimalistic offices are more sanitary since cleaning takes much less time and effort;
- Working at a minimalistic office, you are less likely to clutter it and collect unnecessary papers, folders, stationery and tools as all the "extras" are instantly visible;
- A minimalistic work environment encourages you to recycle and repurpose, which is not only eco-friendly but helps to save a lot of money for the business.
Do you want to give a chance to minimalism in your own office? Here is how to do it.
Office furniture for a minimalistic workplace.
A minimalistic office is a combination of clean, modern aesthetics, comfort and functionality. But unlike the old depressing office furniture, which was supposed to be functional, but in fact, was ugly and soulless, modern minimalistic office desks and storage solutions are lightweight, airy and attractive.
The best way to embrace minimalism in your office is to choose white office furniture. A white desk with drawers will always look much neater and less heavy than its brown or black brethren. Even if you cannot reduce the number of tools, stationery and papers you need during the day and have to keep lots of things at hand, a white office desk with drawers will contain all those items elegantly without cluttering your office.
If you don't need to place several screens on your desktop or work with large-scale blueprints as designers and architects do, you may not need a big office desk with drawers. A small white desk will do the job perfectly and help you keep the workplace clean as you simply won't be able to place anything except for a laptop, a pen and your cell phone next to you when you work.
Are you still worried about the lack of storage space? Discover modern mobile stands and under-desk storage units. They have enough drawers and space to contain all the necessary papers and items and remain invisible in the office once tucked under the desk.
The main benefit of minimalism in the office is that by getting rid of extra things and adopting modern white office furniture and ergonomic designs, you learn to adjust your whole work process. You discover cloud storage technologies that help you minimize paperwork and save the planet. You get used to cleaning your work regularly as it takes so little time and effort, and you learn to concentrate on important things instead of procrastinating and getting destructed all the time.
The offline and online office furniture market is full of smart modern solutions. You can find and assemble the perfect set of office furniture near you in a matter of several hours and start enjoying all the benefits of minimalistic designs and work style sooner and easier than you think!
