Office Interior Design Tips from “Joyful” by Ingrid Fetell Lee

In Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, Ingrid Fetell Lee talks about how you can incorporate certain elements in your interior design in order to make your environment more pleasant to live in. Although her references are mostly residential, you’ll find that a number of them can be adapted to work environments as well.

Relieving Stress at Work

In some ways, creating a joyful work environment is even more important than creating a joyful home environment because people are so stressed at work. At home, they’re usually more relaxed. Imagine an environment which would not just help to mitigate this feeling of stress, but also make you feel more active and more creative at the same time. You can take some tips from Lee’s book to create this type of feeling.

Colors: Bright vs. Pastel

As any interior decorator knows, colors can change your entire mood. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go with extremely bright colors. These might be energizing, but there are some lovely pastel tints that will make you feel relaxed but active at the same time.

Shapes: Angular vs. Circular

Lee recommends that the shapes surrounding you should be less angular and more rounded. You may not always be able to incorporate this in everything. After all, a cubicle has to be cube-shaped. But if you can at least round out the corners, throw in some circular rugs or some soft throw pillows, you’ll find that the atmosphere of your office will become more congenial.

Abundance: Grouping Things Together

There’s something joyful about bunches of balloons, confetti, or anything which is grouped together, such as a bunch of throw pillows. You may not be able to bring in balloons or confetti in your offices, but you can introduce bunches of flowers or put groups of paintings/photos on the wall to create a sense of abundance. Shelves of books also create the same effect.

Plants: Bring in a Bit of Nature

There’s nothing like plants to create a sense of relaxation and relieve stress. Why not place these at strategic points around the office? Even a little waterfall in your waiting area will create a feeling of being out amidst nature- and that’s the feeling you’re going for.

Contact us for more great tips to introduce a feeling of joy in your work surroundings.