Office Storage Solutions for an Organised Workplace

An organised working environment offers so much more than just visual appeal. The appearance of clutter signals to the brain that theres extra work to do. So, working from a messy office desk or cluttered office will be enough to trigger a negative stress response. By organising your workspace and office you can reduce the frequency of that stress response and gain back a feeling of control.

Plus, being organised will help you become more efficient. Searching for paper, files and brochures in a disorganised workstation or workspace just wastes time and renders you less effective.

There is also a cultural argument to be made for office organisation too. How you organise your office affects how your team behaves in that space, so strategically organising your office will help you create the company culture your team needs to hit their goals.

Even if your work promotes a paperless environment, there are still a few essentials that you would want to keep within arms reach and some that you would rather tuck away in a box or put on the shelf. Although the paperless environment is something we may aspire to, you can guarantee there will still be items that still need stowing away!

So, lets look at some office storage solutions to help you create a more organised office and workplace.

Bookcase

The bookcase is one of the most popular storage solutions due to their versatility and the fact that they are inexpensive compared to cupboards. While many people only think of using a bookcase to store their books, it can be used for many different items such as awards, magazines, knick-knacks and even company-related information or tools. Another reason why bookcases are popular in offices is that they can hold storage containers.

Perhaps the main disadvantages of using bookcases in offices is that everything that is stored on the shelf is visible, which in some cases could look unsightly. However, with a bit of creative flair and thinking you could mix up the bookcases with cupboards creating visual interest in the office without making the space appear too busy. Another solution is to opt for a combination unit. These are usually made up of cupboards on the lower section and book shelves above, such as the Scaffali Combination unit, allowing you to store and display.

Office desks with drawers

When looking for the right type of desk for your office, you want to make sure that not only does it have enough desktop space for your IT laptop and papers but also that there are drawers where you can store items as well.

This will make it simple and easy to keep a clean workstation so that you can focus on the task in hand and will allow you to quickly clear the space when staff or clients come to talk or meet with you.

Another reason why its a good idea to have drawers incorporated in your desk is that you will be able to easily access paperwork or manuals without having to get up from a seated position to look through cupboards or filing cabinets.

Having everything at your fingertips allows you to work smoothly and will generally save time throughout your working day.

Office Pedestals

Pedestals are separate units from the desk providing extra space for stationary items and documents. Usually, they have either 2 or 3 drawers with the shallower top drawers storing stationary items and the lower drawers for filing documents. Desk high pedestals are often fixed freestanding units and mobile pedestals on castors fit neatly under the desk.

If space is at a premium a good option would be to choose a Slimline pedestal as these store everything you need but give you more legroom. The Striker Value Slim Metal pedestal is one of our most popular pedestals for this reason.

Some pedestals now come with seat pads on the top so can be pulled up next to desks for impromptu meetings. We think this is a great way of combining storage with seating and expect the trend to continue.

Filing Cabinets

A filing cabinet is often the first storage solution people think off when trying to organise their office. They can provide a safe and secure place to store files and paperwork with the added security feature of a lock and key. When considering a filing cabinet however you may also want to think about if you want it to be a lateral filing cabinet, which will take up more floor space or a taller narrower vertical filing cabinet. There are some fundamental differences between lateral fining cabinets and vertical filing cabinets, our blog Vertical vs Lateral Filing covers this in more detail.

You can add a splash of colour to your office by opting for multi coloured filing cabinets such as The Kontrax multi colored filing cabinets.

Cube Storage

If you are looking to make a feature of some of the items, you would like to store then why not consider cube style storage? Cube storage has become popular as each cube can be populated with books, plants, and company awards. The best part of cube storage is that it can be built upwards or sideways with larger gaps or voids for TV screens or pictures.

The Novus steel framed TV storage unit is an ideal choice for offices and breakout areas as it is enhanced with beautiful wooden elements, planters and acoustic panels.

Lockers

With agile working and hot desking becoming the norm workers are not necessarily tied to one desk and set of drawers. This makes lockers a suitable alternative for personal storage away from their desks. In addition to this, with locker customisable options, employees can even personalise their lockers (if permitted to do so) with identifying photos so they know that the company appreciates them.

We previously worked with Money Hub on their new office space, the brief was to create a minimalist look and it was decided that underdesk mobile pedestals would contribute to making the space look cluttered and untidy.

The brief was realised using our Aztec wooden white lockers to run across the length of the wall from the kitchen area to the main office area.

Tambour Cupboards

The clever and innovative design of tambour doors makes this office storage solution an ideal choice when space is limited. This is because the doors slide instead of opening outwards keeping walkways clear. There are two main types of tambour unit side opening and up-style openings. The side opening doors are the most common and this is where the doors retract sideways around the cupboard. Many items can be stored in a tambour unit such as binders, office equipment and files they are extremely versatile as a multi-storage cabinet. The tambour internals are also varied as they can feature plain metal shelves, lateral filing frames, roll out shelves, roll out suspension filing frames and slotted drawers.

There are of course many more creative storage ideas which are fun and easy to implement. Pinterest has many inspiring accounts and suggestions such as recycling old books to hold paper documents and recycled drawer dividers and DIY shelving units.

These creative hacks are great for home or office and could even be a useful team building exercise? Also, local trade professionals and joinery companies could create a bespoke storage solution for your office? There are so many options to explore.

What is important however is that you have a storage audit before considering what storage solution would be best for your needs. The purpose of a storage audit is to better understand what needs to be stored. It's important to clear out the clutter so that your cupboards do not becoming a dumping ground or simply a rubbish container. You should also consider storing items away from the office. Could you, for example, free up more space by storing the Christmas decorations somewhere else?

By taking this approach your office will be more organised and your storage will be used in a smart and efficient way. We hope you have found this blog useful, if so, store away for safe keeping!

Thanks for reading.