• Office kitchens should be neat and organized.Beautiful and new kitchen furniture on modern kitchen image by terex from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether you've just moved into a new office space, or want to keep your original professional surroundings as orderly as possible, you'll want to include some function-friendly designs in your office kitchen. Keeping everything organized, as well as setting some rules for employees, will make the office kitchen an ideal place for relaxing for a bit and enjoying a meal before getting back to work.
  
  

Decorating the Kitchen

• Including the colors of your logo in the kitchen design will make the space specific to your office, and can even be appealing to employees. For instance, if you include shades of red in your trademark or marketing materials, painting the cabinets or walls in the same hues will encourage energy and alertness in the office, and can help to put your workers in a satisfactory mood throughout the day. If you want to maintain a calm and tranquil environment, using blue kitchen accessories, or even ordering a refrigerator in this color can help to set the mood in the office, and will make the kitchen an ideal place for having lunch.
  
  

Staying Organized

• You'll want the office kitchen to stay as neat as possible, as clutter anywhere in the office can affect productivity. Let employees know that they must wash any dishes they use before leaving the kitchen, and they should keep the cabinets and microwave clean. If the appliances are especially attractive, this will serve as more motivation to keep the items looking brand new. For instance, if you purchase a vintage-style microwave or toaster oven in a bold color, your colleagues will want to maintain the "look" of the kitchen, especially if guests will be visiting.
  
  It may also be a good idea to assign "kitchen duty" to one department per week, meaning that employees from this department are responsible for keeping the kitchen spotless for the week. If you don't want to clutter the kitchen with signs reminding everyone to clean up after themselves, sending short emails or mentioning this subject briefly in a business meeting every once in a while should do the trick.
  
  

Dishes

• Using plastic or glass dishes and cups in the office kitchen is often best, since you can use the items to promote brand awareness in the office, and cut down on waste from paper and Styrofoam products. These utensils should reflect your brand--using plasticware in the same color(s) as the company logo is a subtle way to maintain a look of consistency in the office, and including your logo on glass items will keep the kitchen looking uniform. You may also want to purchase mugs for each of your workers, and personalize them. This small token shows appreciation, and cuts down on the amount of dishes in the sink each day. Something as small as a mug or canteen will also reduce minor causes of irritation in the office, such as never being able to find a clean coffee mug in the mornings.