An organized desk is an invitation to do your most productive work. Clutter is a stressor. Shuffling piles of paper to find the stapler or digging through a box of paper clips to reach the thumbtacks is a frustrating time waster. Apply desk organization strategies to create an orderly workstation.

1. Use Wall Space

Take advantage of the wall above the desk or around a cubicle. Hang organizers on the wall to add functional desk space. Tack a to-do list on a corkboard. A wall organizer may hold mason jars, into which you can toss miscellaneous supplies, like paper clips and pens.

Buying new storage compartments is unnecessary when you can create your own hanging storage bins. Upcycle empty disinfectant containers by hanging them on knobs attached to a strip of wood. Unhang the filled bins from the wall to use elsewhere, if needed.

A pegboard backdrop can be efficiently used. While hanging décor gives your desk space unique personality, also mix in wire baskets, shelves and cup holders for maximum organization of supplies. Sitting neatly above the desk or along the cubicle wall, the pegboard is within easy reach.

Wall space is also shelf space. So any extra space behind your computer can easily be used for little office decorations, artwork, or plants that can't be mounted on the wall. Simply hammer in the brackets, place the shelf on top and you're good to go!

2. Create an Organization Station

It's important to have enough space on your desk for your laptop, mouse, monitor and keyboard. Again, use the wall space to incorporate additional productivity, adding a cork board with a to do list, calendar with mason jars right next to it to use as pen and marker holders.

3. Color Coordinate Your Supplies

This may not apply to everyone's work space, but for those who love to sew, knit or crochet for instance, materials can be easily color coordinated for easy find. Simply arrange them by color in a drawer or basket where they can be easily found and used for convenience. They will also make your working space much more colorful!

4. Mix in Supplies with Decorations

Whoever said you couldn't mix productivity with decorations? So you can have your pictures, plants and lights mixed in with your pens, clock and books. This is also another modern look of many office spaces and cubicles today. Organized office supplies can also be used as decoration!

5. Write on Chalkboard Tape

Avid notetakers will find chalkboard tape extremely useful. Chalkboard tape is a removable, peel and stick tape that can be cut into any sized shapes. Users can write on its chalkboard surface with a dry erase marker and wipe away once new ideas need to be jotted down.

6. Add Storage Under the Desk

The area under the desk can serve a number of storage needs. Tuck a storage caddy beneath the desk, along its legs, for added storage space. Add a small bookshelf or storage cabinet if space permits. Every inch counts when it comes to maximizing office space!

7. Create a Pegboard Bookshelf

Using a simple elastic band, tie the ends to the edges of a pegboard. Place magazines and books within the elastic bands for easy viewability and reach. A pegboard bookshelf is a great alternative to a traditional, heavy bookshelf. Plus, being flat, it hardly takes up valuable office space.

8. Keep All Accessories to One Side

Depending on the size and set up of your working space, you may not have that much room for accessories. But the first priority should always be having enough room for your supplies, like your computer, keyboard, and maybe some pens and a lamp. But keeping your accessories to one side instead of having them strewn in front of you might be a better idea. you'll have to play around with the setup.

9. Utilize DIY Organizers

Make it personal with DIY organizers, where you can fit all your supplies into little compartments of a standing organizer on your desks. These work especially if you prefer not to use mason jars or shelves, but have a lot of standing desk items.

10. Install Your Own Keyboard Tray

Many desks may not already come with one, but you can definitely install your own keyboard tray if there's room under your desk. That way you'll have more room to put down some paperwork as you work. Also consider putting the mouse and mouse pad down there if they fit.

11. Establish and Follow a "One In, One Out Rule"

Again, for those with less space, such as apartment-dwellers, less is more. So if you see something online that you just got to have, follow a one in, one out rule and figure out what you will be replacing it with before you hit that "buy" button. Even if you decide there's nothing you want to remove, you'll be saving yourself money by not adding another item to your desk space.

12. Use Drawer Dividers

On the other hand, if you have a larger desk with drawers, you've got some extra space for office supplies. But little things like paper clips, staples, pens, highlighters and business cards can all wind up in a giant mess and clutter up the drawer space. But simply adding a few drawer dividers to hold the little things in place can make everything a whole lot easier, especially when you're searching for what you need.

13. Declutter Cords

Electrical cords are a necessity, but the resulting mess is not. Position a cable box near the desk to keep the tangle of cords out of view, while allowing them to serve their purpose. Binder clips can also be used to keep the cords organized and out of sight.

Another trick to organize each of the monitor, light, telephone and miscellaneous cords is to label each of them with different colored tape. Write “phone,” “computer,” or “lamp” on each piece of tape and adhere. This clever hack will help distinguish your electrical cords from those of a colleague.

14. Roll in a Rolling Cart

Position a rolling cart next to your desk for additional storage space. Fill the rolling cart with jars or bottles, into which may be placed supplies, like pens, markers or paper clips. When your work takes you to an adjacent office, simply roll the portable cart to its next destination.

15. Mount a Coat Rack

An alternate use for a coat rack is to hang technology, like headphones, cables and cords. Mount the coat rack on the wall above the desk for easy reach. Add intrigue to a drab workspace by choosing a trendy coat rack featuring a colorful, contemporary design.

16. Try Kitchen Organizers

Rather than stick to conventional office organization bins, venture into using bathroom and kitchen organizers at your office desk. Storage bins cheaply purchased from retail stores’ kitchen and bathroom aisles can lend cost-effective convenience and practicality to the office realm.

Silicone cupcake liners, for instance, can be used to hold small office supplies, like paper clips and push pins. Colorful and eye-catching, silicone cupcake liners add a burst of color to the desk environment, while keeping the office supplies tastefully organized.

Likewise, recycle coffee pods for use as office desk organizers. The little plastic cups hold a variety of small supplies, from staples to safety pins. Diminutive in size, the cleaned K-cups can be placed throughout the desk to keep a range of office supplies at your fingertips.

17. Attach Clamp-on Lights

Extra lighting is a must-have in the office. But floor and desk lamps take up valuable real estate. Instead, opt to clamp lights to the edge of the desk. The clamping feature will take up less space, while providing sufficient lighting—so that you can get your best work done.

A well-organized office desk has been known to reduce stress levels in personnel. The presence of clutter overwhelms the brain, triggering a stress response. Desk organization tends to diminish this stress and gives office employees a feeling of being in control.

Plus, efficiency noticeably increases in staff who work at organized office desks. These personnel simply do not waste energy searching for supplies or paperwork amidst unnecessary clutter. An organized workstation also gives a positive impression to higher-ups and other colleagues.

Office Renovation Assistance

Setting up a desk space so that it is organized is easily done right after an office renovation. Employees have a clean slate with which to work. But office managers will need help to shift office furniture in preparation for a renovation—which is where Chicago Office Movers comes in.

Chicago Office Movers crews are experienced and dedicated to making an office renovation or remodel happen seamlessly. We pack and label boxes, disassemble all types of furniture and move large equipment to a storage area so that the remodeling can take place.

Once the remodeling is complete, our office movers will assemble new furniture or appliances and help with installation. We take care of the heavy lifting, so that your employees can take care of organizing their new space. Unpacking small items is also a responsibility we undertake.

When you are planning an office renovation or remodel, consult Chicago Office Movers. Given the current coronavirus health crisis, we take all precautionary measures to protect our customers and crews.

Contact Us

Call our friendly representatives at 312-244-2246 for a free estimate to get started.

Bringing style to a cubicle is a DIY task. No hard and fast rules come into play when uplifting the mood of an office cubicle. The best part of designing the interior of a cubicle is that your personality takes center stage. Add a splash of color, throw in a few accessories, and end up with a comfortable, lively work space into which you can retreat for the entire workday.

1. Embellish a Cubicle Wall

You are surrounded by three walls when working inside a cubicle. As a first tip, these panels deserve the most attention. Decorating the walls is super easy, especially given the cushion-like texture of standard cubicle walls. Tack up calendars, favorite photos, and framed art in a cinch.

Feeling dramatic? Take the cubicle wall panels to new heights. Cover the entire expanse of the panels with colored fabric or wallpaper, like shimmery aqua blue for a tropical feel, bright yellow to evoke the cheeriest of temperaments or even camouflage for the occasions when you feel like hiding out.

When you fancy a new look, the existing wallpaper or fabric can be easily switched up. The temporary nature of hanging wallpaper onto cubicle panels makes altering the ambiance of your cubicle simple and quick. Change out the panel décor as often as you fancy!

2. Perk Up the Floor

The dull carpeting of the cubicle floor is no match for the vividness of a spectacular floor rug. Add a hefty dose of personality to your office cubicle by laying an eye-catching rug along the floor. If you kick off your shoes during the daily grind, the soft rug will keep your feet cozy.

3. Add Plants for Vibrancy

Nature may not thrive in the well-contained atmosphere of an office. But you don’t need trees to experience nature from nine to five. Several plants flourish in the bright, white lights and cool temperatures of an office environment. Just remember to water the plants so they stay hydrated.

Known for growing in limited natural light, the fern is an ideal plant for cubicles. If your cubicle features a window, set an Aloe Vera plant along the windowsill. The trellises of the English Ivy plant accentuate the desks of any cubicle. Little time for care? Bamboo plants are low-maintenance.

4. Add Some Light to Influence the Ambiance

Lamps come in all sorts of sizes and designs, from liquor bottle lamps to rustic design lamps to comical vintage lamps. Unique floor lamps, custom table lamps, bookend lamps and hanging lamps add massive flair. A mandala lamp shade, for instance, is a perfect conversation starter with colleagues.

Bring a lamp into your cubicle and plug it in for warm, subtle lighting. The golden light of a lamp boosts an officer worker’s mood and streams a cozy ambiance throughout the cubicle atmosphere. Say goodbye to harsh office ceiling lights with the placement of a desirable, functional lamp.

5. Add Little Furniture

While hauling in a sofa will not pass in a cubicle space, bringing in shelving might. Cubicle panels are ideal places to install shelving or vertical bins. Shelves can be painted to your preferred color. Supplemental shelves add a personal touch while serving the functional purpose of refining organization.

Office workers may also bring in their own chair to add vibrancy to the cubicle. Consider a brightly colored ergonomic chair to increase physical comfort, an upholstered chair that matches your preferred cubicle color scheme or a chair that features a no-nonsense, contemporary design.

6. Make it Your Own

Adding items that are personal to you like pictures, drawings and handcrafts are some of the best ways to really personalize your workspace. This can also improve productivity as you feel more comfortable being surrounded by memories that are unique to you.

In addition to adding pictures of family and friends, you can also add pictures of your favorite things, such as an animal, plant, flower, car, etc. This is your own space so you can personalize it according to your preference!

7. Incorporate Some Quotes

Adding some inspiring quotes can go a long way and even give you some motivation for those Mondays where you just don't want to be at work! We're also not talking about "Live Laugh Love", but something from celebrities or world figures like Walt Disney, Tony Robbins, Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein.

You can certainly achieve a lot if you adopt their strategies and views on life as they certainly did something in life to be successful! So why not surround yourself with your favorite quotes. Below are some of our favorites:

• "The best way to predict the future is to create it" - Abraham Lincoln
• "The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." -Walt Disney
• "The pessimist sees difficult in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficult." -Winston Churchill
• "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today" -Will Rogers

8. Keep It Organized

No cubicle or office will look good with a ton of decorations and no organization. With a few file organizers, mini desk shelves, pen holders and room to put your papers, you can keep things neat and organized. Outer order contributes to inner calm! Here are some more tips on office desk organization.

Some of these organization accessories can also be personalized. So if you want to paint or draw on them, or even add some stickers, go crazy! The sky's the limit.

9. Make it Seasonal

Of course you can never forget the holidays! what better way to decorate the office space than to incorporate some holiday pizzazz! Whether it be streamers and little party favors for the new year, a little Christmas tree or menora for December, or some colorful leaves in the fall, there are a ton of trinkets available on Amazon to scroll through.

Some people go as far as setting up a whole fireplace right beside their desk, complete with garland, plants and a holiday picture above. That's definitely going above an beyond!

Others have completely gift wrap their entire desk and everything on it! There's also those that set up an entire Christmas village, complete with little lights and cotton padding for snow.

Bonus tip: Think ahead of how these accessories will fit on your desk before purchasing. Many customers make the mistake of buying a ton of items and not having enough space to place them all. That's how things become cluttered.

10. Give It a Theme

Many cubicles have a whole theme incorporated into their working space. Some are straight blue, purple and pink while others will have a full football field mouse pad that covers their full desk space. Other ideas to consider are Disney, holidays, flowers, retro, beach, nature and patterns.

Just be sure that the theme is appropriate and doesn't contain anything offensive or too personal to make others uncomfortable as they will still be walking by.

11. Add Accessories for Gusto

Unless you have a tendency toward minimalist design, go all out with accessories. Even standard office supplies, like deep blue paperclips, markers and bright green pushpins, can be decoratively housed inside mason jars to simultaneously serve as office supplies and brilliant cubicle décor.

Play with washi tape. The variety of designs makes decorating with the tape fun and unique. Stick the colorfully designed tape around the edges of file cabinets or around table-top jars. The ornamental tape provides beautiful accents to any materials or objects upon which it is adhered.

Have fun with paint. Large rocks may be painted in metallic colors, like silver or gold, and strategically placed next to books. The rocks serve a dual purpose—as decoration and as bookends. Add metallic sheens to the tops of the mason jars or trays that house office supplies.

Toys are not just for kids. Mini action figures, stuffed animals, and building blocks line some cubicle shelves for a brilliant effect. A themed approach works best. Customize your work space with a sci-fi theme or an animated one. Avoid the mess of clutter or items considered inappropriate for work.

When your office cubicle is dull and dreary, take decorating your workspace into your own hands. The options for infusing your cubicle with humor, vibrancy or scintillating color are endless! Once you take to reinvigorating your space—just once or every few weeks—your colleagues are sure to ask who is your new office cubicle designer.

Moving Cubicle Decorations

Whether your office cubicle décor features attractive pastels or bold hues, you’ll require the services of a dependable mover, like Chicago Office Movers, during an office renovation or remodeling project. As Chicagoland’s premier office mover, Chicago Office Movers handles moving office goods from start to finish.

Included in the company’s comprehensive business moving services are disassembling cubicles and office equipment, packing and labeling boxes, unpacking and setting up in the new space. Moving specialists also are available to provide assistance with the installation of furniture or appliances.

Moving to another building during an office renovation demands the help of experienced professionals. Chicago Office Movers is equipped with the manpower and equipment to make moving an easy task.

Expect only quality service and exceptional work from our skilled movers. Chicago Office Movers is dedicated to serving Chicagoland’s large and small businesses.

Get a Free Estimate

Before the office renovation or remodeling is set to start, contact us at (312) 244-2246 to get a free estimate from Chicago Office Movers.

Attracting new clientele, enhancing productivity and simply working in a pleasing, aesthetic environment are all legitimate reasons to renovate an office space. When given the opportunity, most business owners will jump at the chance to improve the look and design of their workplace. The big question property owners must ask themselves is, how much do renovations cost?

The location of an office plays a major role in determining the cost to renovate. An office in New York will require higher labor costs than a space in Arizona. Silicon Valley, California, has the highest office build out costs in the country, while Washington, DC, has the lowest.

Consider the Square Footage

Property owners should also consider the size of the office space that will undergo renovations. For instance, an office with a square footage of 5,100 will require far less upfront costs to renovate than one that takes up 110,00 square feet in a six-story building.

For comparison’s sake, a smaller office space, let’s say 5,100 square feet, can average $450,000 in renovation costs and include enhancements like new skylights. The larger 110,000 square feet building can cost around $9 million to renovate, which includes both interior and exterior renovations.

Given the potentially skyrocketing costs, how do property owners budget for a renovation? Factors that should be considered in any renovation include the professional services of architects and labor, plus lighting, finishes, walls, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, fire protection and HVAC.

Architects or Designers – 20 Percent

Bringing in a design professional, such as an architect to lay out the office space and ensure it will serve its dual purpose of functionality and comfort for employees and customers, will be the initial expense. Architects and designers consume about 20 percent of the total renovation budget.

Architects are instrumental to renovation projects. The benefit of hiring an architect is that the professional follows specifications that meet building codes. Plus, employees and customers who are handicapped will easily enter and exit the property when the space is designed to be handicap accessible.

Labor – 10 Percent

Union labor is significantly more expensive than non-union labor. When hiring union labor in Chicago, a 20 percent premium is applied to contracted work. Cities like Chicago and New York City have long-standing practices where hiring union labor to work on union buildings is mandated.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, the location of the building being renovated has a major impact on labor costs. Labor costs in New York City climb to 70 percent above the national average. Since Washington, DC, has a plethora of available spaces, renovating an office there is the least costly.

Kitchen – 25 Percent

Employees are likely to retreat to the office kitchen during coffee breaks. When an office kitchen renovation is planned, expect the task to take up about a quarter of the budget. A kitchenette may be simple, with just cabinetry, or elaborate, with a combination of a microwave, sink, and fridge.

The renovator’s job is easier when the kitchen and bathroom are in close proximity. The shared plumbing reduces the overall renovation price. Depending on how complex the kitchen and plumbing will be, business owners can expect an office kitchen renovation to be around $4000 of a $16,000 job.

Windows – $5,000

New sky lights, integrated windows with specialized low-e glass and minimizing UV radiation from windows are all options to consider when renovating the office. Energy saving windows are pricey upfront but saving on heating and cooling costs are recouped over the next several years.

Fire Sprinklers – $5,000 to $10,000

Installing a new fire sprinkler in a small- or medium-sized office averages $5,000 to $10,000. Each sprinkler head costs about $200. Costs for permits, inspections and plans soar to $2,000. If existing fire sprinklers are in place, scheduling an inspection costs a few hundred dollars.

Lighting – $250+

If the office space welcomes customers, investing in high-quality lighting is key to presenting an optimal environment. LED lights are the preferred choice when it comes to cost-efficient lighting in office spaces. Basic lighting costs start at $250 per point and increase with the various types of lighting options.

The type of office environment plays a big part in lighting. An open ceiling office, for example, requires suspended light fixtures. Drywall ceilings do well with linear wrap lighting fixtures. Commercial lighting options suitable for drop ceilings include recessed office lighting, which is both energy efficient and attractive.

Floors – $2 to $7 Per Square Foot

Depending on whether the renovation space is a warehouse or an upscale office, costs for flooring differ markedly. Concrete flooring is the least expensive, at $2 per square foot. Vinyl tile starts at $4 per square foot. In a 5,100 square foot office, wood flooring averages $7 per square foot.

Work with a Commercial Mover

If you are planning an office renovation, temporarily moving the existing desks, chairs, and equipment will be necessary to allow plenty of room for the exciting project to begin. Count on Chicago Office Movers to handle the task of moving all office property efficiently and carefully through decommissioning services.

Whether your office space is staffed by hundreds of employees or limited to just a couple, Chicago Office Movers is prepared to handle the moving job with skill and timeliness. We also offer short-term storage facilities to house office property until the renovations are complete.

Our team of union movers are licensed and background checked to give business owners maximum peace of mind. The skilled movers at Chicago Office Movers are experienced in successfully moving all types of office property, including lab equipment, major electronics, machinery (such as HVAC equipment and assembly lines), large inventory and even libraries.

Chicago Office Movers is headquartered in the Windy City, but we cater to businesses across the country. If you are renovating a commercial space or relocating an office to or from Chicago, make the best choice and contact Chicago Office Movers. Take the stress out of renovations or office relocation by giving Chicago Office Movers a call.

Contact Us

To get a free estimate on your next commercial move, contact Chicago Office Movers at 312-244-2246.