Your Small Office Can Have Big Storage

From renting to owning, every square foot of real estate represents a real cost to your business. The last thing you want to do is feel you need more footage–and expense–just to store stuff.

In a home environment, you might call all that stuff by the name of clutter. In your office, it is most likely necessities. This means you need to find big storage solutions in your small space. Following some professional organizer advice can help you maximize storage potential in your office. Try some of these changes before considering acquiring more space.

1.   Go Vertical

Look upwards and see how you might use your eight feet or more of vertical space. Furniture options range from tall bookcases to storage cabinets or shelving. Consider swapping out a waist-high piece of furniture with a taller one to get more storage. Use all of your wall space for whiteboards, pegboards or tall storage units.

2.  Swap for Storage

Modern style furniture trends look minimalistic, but that look comes at a price. If you have a table desk that offers no drawers or shelves beneath it, you sacrifice potential storage space. Adapt your table desk by adding two-drawer file cabinets or short rolling carts under the table. Or, consider replacing your table with a desk that offers file drawers or shelves for file folders and baskets.

Look for other areas where you can sneak in storage. If you have two occasional chairs for visitors or other seating area, use an attractive storage container between the seats as a table, or use a trunk for a coffee table.

3.  Be Open to Rearranging

Are you still working with your first office furniture arrangement? Maybe you need to rearrange your office in order to work in more storage. Perhaps you can line one wall with bookshelves to create a focal point that’s full of storage. It is also possible to replace a table behind your desk with a credenza that offers tons of space for things.

Before choosing different furniture, make sure to measure your space. Next, make a list of the things you need room to store so you can select the right type of storage. Declutter as you make a list of things to store by getting rid of broken items and outdated materials

4.  Sort It Out

Just because you need to keep something doesn’t mean you need to keep it front and center. In your small office space, store the things you need to access and current projects. Store finished projects or old documents in labeled containers out of your office in a basement, attic, closet or even with a document storage company.

Colors are a great tool for organizing a space. Assigning a certain color to projects or client materials makes it easy to find what you seek.

5. Contain It All

Maximize storage by putting like items together. This way, you can pull one container for a task and have everything you need. You are not limited to plastic tubs for containers. Take a look at decor containers such as wicker or leather bins that are professional enough to be displayed on shelves or in cube furniture. Keeping things out of sight doesn’t mean you‘ve made it harder to find what you need—organized containers actually make it easy to find what you need faster.

Be sure to plan for growth as you add storage pieces to your office. It’s not likely that your storage needs will stay the same. Either your business will grow or you’ll accumulate more files as time goes by. Make sure that you add more storage than you need at the moment.

Creating more storage in your existing space has some side benefits. Having everything organized saves time and allows you to work faster. There is less waste because you won’t duplicate supplies you already have on hand but just can’t find. Finally, your organized storage says a lot about your pride and attention to detail, something clients and employers are certain to notice.