Partner Article

Why Businesses Should Think Twice Before Leaving Their Office Walls Blank

Businesses spend heavily on technology, furniture and employee wellbeing, but one of the simplest ways to improve the workplace may be staring at them from a blank wall.

Contemporary art gallery KELLART is encouraging businesses to consider original art as part of their working environment, pointing to research suggesting that enriched workplaces can have a measurable impact on employees.

Research led by the University of Exeter found that people working in offices enriched with art and plants were 17% more productive than those in lean, undecorated spaces. When employees were given a say in how their workplace was designed, productivity increased by as much as 32%.

For businesses, the benefits can extend beyond productivity. Art can help create a more stimulating environment, encourage conversation, contribute to employee wellbeing and give companies another way to express their identity and culture.

"Businesses invest a huge amount in their people and their workplaces, but what goes on the walls is often an afterthought," said KELLART founder Brad Kellard. "A piece of art can completely change how a space feels, and when employees are involved in choosing the work, it becomes part of creating their own environment."

KELLART, which has physical galleries in London and Bristol alongside its online platform at KELLART.com, represents a collection of original contemporary art from emerging artists.

The gallery is now making those collections available to businesses through an art rental service, effectively allowing companies to have original art on subscription without the commitment or expense of purchasing an entire collection.

Businesses can leave the curation to KELLART or turn the process into a team exercise, inviting employees to help select pieces for their workplace. KELLART can then curate and install a collection appropriate for the size, style and character of the space.

Artwork can remain in place or be rotated every few months, giving businesses a relatively simple way to keep familiar workplaces feeling fresh and changing.

Companies - or individual employees - can also choose to acquire pieces they particularly connect with at preferential rates. Depending on the circumstances, art rental used for business premises may also be treated as a tax deductible business expense.

The approach provides another benefit beyond the workplace itself: putting original work by emerging artists in front of people who might rarely encounter it in a traditional gallery.

KELLART was founded by Brad Kellard to continue the legacy of his father, former professional footballer Bobby Kellard, whose life took an unexpected turn after leaving the game when a passion for collecting art eventually led him to open his own gallery.

His philosophy was simple: if he didn't love it, he wouldn't sell it.

That philosophy remains central to KELLART today - only now, the gallery wants more of that art to find its way out of galleries and into the places where people spend most of their time.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bdaily Publishing .