Could your shop use a face-lift? - upgrading business interiors and exteriors

Nation's Business, August, 1994 by Robert Maynard

What your premises tell customers about your firm is likely to affect the bottom line.

Do you think the clutter on the shelves and the rip in the carpet don't contradict the positive message you are trying to send about your business? Think again. The appearance of your workplace creates an impression about the quality of your product or service and even about the way you run your business.

In fact, it's even likely to affect the bottom line. According to Joseph Siegel, vice president of retail services at the National Retail Federation, in Washington, D.C., any noticeable improvement in a business's appearance--inside or out--can result in a 10 to 20 percent increase in sales in the first year. "We know that newness sells." Siegel says. "Customers notice when a store looks more updated, fresher, and more exciting."

No business--retail or otherwise--should go more than seven years without making some appearance changes, he says. The makeover can be extensive or as simple as a coat of paint and a little landscaping.

If your business is due for a face-lift, where do you begin? "Before making any design changes, a business should first think about the image it wants to convey," according to interior designer Sandy Lucas of The Bryan Design Associates, in Houston. You could decide to select a traditional or a contemporary look, or you could choose a style that Lucas calls eclectic, which draws from various sources and styles and could be used to achieve, for example, a homespun, high-tech, or whimsical effect.

Kevin GraCe, president of Spring Engineers, Inc., in Dallas, hired Lucas to create a traditional image at a new facility in an industrial park. The 27-year-old company, which employs 50 and has $13 million in annual revenues, makes springs for tools and other applications.

"We have a lot of vendors and suppliers coming to visit, and we often bring customers for tours of the machine shop," Grace says. "It's very important that we make an impression that although we're a small business, we're a substantial one. The style also fit with our company because we're sort of traditional people."

The finishing touches were needed for 10,000 square feet of space, which included a small receiving lobby, an employee lounge, and an area for sales, accounting, and management offices.

One of the challenges was a 12-foot-wide hallway that leads to the employees' offices. In addition to using wall hangings, live plants, and furniture, Lucas placed a table in the center of the hall with a flower arrangement.

Employees didn't want the table because it would be too much trouble to walk around, Lucas says. "But I convinced them to try it for one week, which we did with an old, borrowed table. It turned out not to be in the way at all, and it did a lot to visually fill the area."

"Without decoration, the hallway looked like a bowling alley," Kevin Grace says. "Now, it looks more like the lobby of a hotel." Grace is pleased with the entire result. "You get a very good feeling when you come in. And I think the employees appreciate a nice workplace, too."

Grace's budget of $20,000 allowed him to purchase a few large pieces of furniture and several smaller pieces for the common areas, reupholster a sofa, and buy pieces of decorative artwork. It also covered the designer's fee. "You can do an awful lot on an economical budget," he says. "And if you can find someone who reflects your personal tastes and who is reasonable in terms of cost, using a decorator is a good way to go."

An 18-month-old company in Houston sought a very different image for its new offices in a downtown high-rise. The firm develops solutions for environmental cleanup problems and provides technical environmental support.

"We wanted a tone that was earthy, yet technical," says Linda Marvin, director of administration and marketing at Lockheed Environmental Systems and Technologies Co., a subsidiary of Lockheed Corp. "You have to consider whether the look reflects your culture," Marvin says. "We have an entrepreneurial, marketing culture. We are dynamic and growing, yet we are professional."

Marvin chose an abstract style and used browns and blues to suggest a warm yet simple environment. Live plants were used extensively. The reception area and the conference rooms were painted dark taupe to match an existing carpet with a simple border. The walls of individual offices also were done in neutral tones--but much lighter, for the comfort of workers spending most of their day there.

"It's important to choose colors that people are comfortable with and that work in the spaces," says Lucas, the designer. "And by choosing colors carefully, you can create drama with simple building-grade paint." For example, using contrasting colors on different sides of a corridor can be effective for a hallway that may be too oppressive if done in a dark color or too dull if done entirely in a lighter shade.

Before deciding to paint, consider the level of wear and tear in areas to be decorated. Painted walls are less expensive than covered walls but less tolerant of abuse, Lucas says. Also, dark colors show more nicks and therefore require more maintenance.