Warm weather means outdoor adventures are calling. This also holds true when it comes to adding some flair to your office’s small outdoor space. Adventures and relaxation aren’t just for hikes or sitting on a coffee shop patio. New memories can be made from the comfort of a cozy, decorated small outdoor space at your office too.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that people spend about 90% of their time working inside where pollutants are more likely to build up. If anything positive came from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the renewed importance of flexible, comfortable outdoor spaces. The more open a space, the less restricted the airflow is. Furnishing a small patio as part of your office’s outdoor space can help your employees feel more comfortable while working.
Spruce Up Your Small Outdoor Space
Coming up with small patio ideas for your office outdoor space doesn’t need to be tough. Just use what is already there and spruce it up! The following small patio ideas are easy ways to add appeal to an existing outdoor office setting.
Highlight Entrances and Exits
The doorways of your office leave lasting impressions because they are often the first, and last, part viewed. There are many easy ways to highlight a doorway without overspending or going too over-the-top. A good team-building activity could be getting employees involved in this activity. Staff members could help freshen up the doorways or hardware for hanging decor. This could also include placing planters along the sides of the doorway or outlining the doorway with Edison bulbs or greenery. If your small outdoor space has a pathway of sorts, lining the walkway with flowering plants is a way to bring color to the space and focus to the doorway.
Incorporate Unique Lighting
Though one benefit of outdoor workspaces is the natural light, that doesn’t mean there won’t be shaded areas. Having unique lighting available in small outdoor spaces adds brightness and helps productivity. Adding outdoor lighting to the top of your list of small patio ideas is a good way to create a bright, cozy aesthetic in the space. Incorporating lights can easily be done with string lights–whether they be Edison bulbs or the recently popular fairy lights. String lights can easily be hung flat on a wall or strung over a patio area.
Add Flair to Functional Structures
You don’t want to come up with small patio ideas that just include modern decor and functional lighting. Though those are crucial parts of creating an aesthetically pleasing small outdoor space, there must be functional structures and furniture. If the office patio space is for working or lunch breaks, tables and sitting areas need to be present. Find benches and table settings that are on-brand and use colors that mesh well with the plants and flowers in the space. Rainfall may not stop employees from taking a break outside or changing up their workplace scenery. Incorporate canopies or shaded overhangs into the small outdoor space to make it even more multidimensional.
