Designing inside the box: Experts give advice on work spaces

Your bobble head collection is so 1999, that sticky spot on your desk is starting to attract flies, and there’s not a framed photo in sight.

Face it. You’re a cube dweller with no style. And like it or not, you probably spend more time at your gray or beige work station than you do on your family room sofa. Yet you allow your cube to remain lackluster, cluttered and impersonal.

You need a makeover, something simple, organized and ultimately, very you.

“Bring a bit of home into your cubicle,” suggested Pamela Burden, a Los Osos, Calif., interior designer and corporate space planner.

A few personal items, a color theme and some greenery can jazz up not only your cubicle, Burden said, but your outlook on work, too. But before you do that, you need to get organized.

“Clutter is bad all around,” said Francine Van De Vanter, a certified interior designer in Atascadero, Calif. Van De Vanter advised removing all loose papers, stickies and files from your open space. Next, determine what you need in order to do your job for one week. Put those papers in a wood or metal tray on your desk. The rest goes in a file drawer.

Now it’s time to have some fun.

Van De Vanter suggested tacking your favorite fabric onto the wall of your cubicle for a new and personalized corkboard. Frame all photographs and sheets of paper for a cleaner appearance. Hang a tiny mirror on your computer to attract light. A feng shui trick, the mirror allows you to see what’s happening behind you. Memorabilia from a favorite vacation spot, such as seashells or a waterfall screensaver, also can serve as a mental break getaway.

But don’t go overboard with tchotchkes, said workplace expert Stephen Viscusi. Distractions may take you away from more important things, like work.