Smart Companies & The Impact of Office Art

Written by:

Evan La Ruffa

Sep 25, 2017

Displaying office art in your space is a unique business decision. More than just supporting the bottom line, using art to enliven a sterile work environment is a cultural investment into a firm’s ethos, employees, customers, visitors and surrounding community.

There’s no longer any question that office art like office wall decor increases the happiness, health and productivity of workers. A study by Exeter University’s School of Psychology found that workers in spaces enriched by art were 17% more productive than workers in sterile spaces. Productivity increased even further in spaces where employees helped curate the work office decor. The study also found that art helped companies address the challenges of reducing stress, increasing creativity and encouraging the expression of opinions broadly among workers.

Art can spark conversations and forge relationships. Art can spur creativity and new modes of thinking. Pondering a piece of art can offer a rejuvenating break from mundane tasks. Discussing art with strangers can spawn work-based friendships that are proven to enhance professional satisfaction. Most potently, art in the workplace symbolizes a firm’s dedication to the enrichment that personal expression brings to all who pass by.

The German firm Deutsche Bank owns the largest corporate art collection in the world. The 57,000 piece collection began in 1979 and has grown exponentially with the bank itself. Each floor of their New York headquarters is dedicated to a different artistic theme. One floor is completely adorned with photographs; another features drawings by sculptors; another is dedicated to the human figure. Downstairs exhibitions offer a sophisticated environment where staff can host guests. The collection’s crown jewel is a piece by Gerhard Richter, “Abstrakt Bild (faust),” that hangs in the lobby of the bank’s Wall Street building. The three colossal canvasses, with swirls of pinks and yellows, welcomes visitors and sets an enlivening mood to all who enter the building.

The intangible benefits of art for offices are proven and widespread. Office wall decor invigorates its workers, impresses clients, and if open to the public, can unite a surrounding community. A dedication to art separates a company from its competition and imbues it choosing the right art for your specific workspace is not only fun, but it’s crucial to creating the specific effect that will benefit your company.

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More and more companies are office-decorating with art, and are discovering that art breathes life and sophistication into a room and inspires creative thinking. Having a few pieces strategically placed around a room can put anxious minds at ease and help boundless minds focus.

Here are some important office decorating ideas to consider when choosing what type of art should go in your company’s office spaces.

CONSIDER FIRST IMPRESSIONS

First impressions matter, so when decorating your office, consider positioning your best and most impressive art near the entryway. A strong, weighty piece above a reception area is a bold way to evoke a company’s strength and purpose to all who pass through its halls. It can also set the tone a company aims to create, be it one of high tempo, sophistication or unbounded creativity.

CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE COLOR SCHEME

Decorating your office with the right colors can infuse more verve into a company’s spirit. The wrong one can clash and be a distraction. Industries that thrive on high energy, like sales, finance, or sports may want strong colors that leap off a canvas and energize a room. Companies with historical prestige may want classic colors that evoke luxury and sophistication. Whatever impression your company is going for, having a curator guide you through color choices is never a bad idea.

FIND THE HIGH QUALITY ART THAT’S AFFORDABLE

Gorgeous art is now more affordable than it’s ever been. A bevy of organizations will not only curate your exhibit but rotate in new pieces every six or twelve months for a reasonable fee. Take advantage of the huge variety of genres that companies can tryout in their spaces, like photography, oil prints, sculptures, watercolors, pastels, acrylics and more.

EXPLORE MIXED MEDIA

Art doesn’t have to be paint on a canvass. Often office walls aren’t designed to support heavy art. This makes mixed media some of the best choices to decorate an office. Chunky vases, felt pieces, ceramic or glass sculptures and cast iron bird cages hanging from the ceiling are just a few office decorating ideas companies have to position in nooks and corners to spruce up a sterile office area. Mixing different types of artwork also gives decorators more room to utilize their creativity.

CREATE YOUR OWN LOOK

With so much to choose from and so many tones available to decorate an office, there’s no reason you can’t be original. Always decorate with colors you enjoy and images you love, and everything else will fall into place. Choosing art and curating an office doesn’t require an art degree, just some ingenuity and a taste for what you like.

IPaintMyMind offers rotating art rentals that support local arts access and education. We work with you to find the perfect style and range of pieces for your space, taking into account culture, values, personality, and practical constraints. After you get your colorful new work, your art rental gives back, funding arts education programming in Chicago Public Schools.

Learn more about our 6 month rotating art lease subscriptions!