Do you want your teammates to be more innovative, communicative and collaborative? Great! We do too! But first, you may need to make some big changes in your office structure.

If you think that gray walls, hard office chairs and boring white boards under florescent lighting is conducive to collaboration, you’re may not be a very creative person. Most people flourish under bright colors, fun themes and a new experience so their teamworking efforts ooze efficiency and productivity.

One thing you need to create in your office is a collaboration space. This is the place where teams go to generate ideas, work together and build success as a unit. And you need to make this space awesome to facilitate better innovation.

Here are a few tips for creating a killer collaboration space in your office.

Move It Off To The Side
No one wants to stay in their office or cube all day. Make your team get up, walk around, and navigate to another part of the office for their collaboration time. This not only gets the blood flowing to their brains, but it also gives them a new location to use, which can inspire new ideas.

Use Color!
Get rid of the gray and eggshell walls. Go green! Red! Blue! Orange! The sky’s the limit. These colors will ignite some great ideas in their heads, and your team will feel the creative energy flowing through the room and into the work the produce.

Get Rid Of Boring Chairs and Conference Tables
Guess what? Sitting around a long, dull table isn’t going to make anyone happy or creative. Spice up your space with a kidney bean-shaped table and chairs covered in funky colors. Or ditch the table and chairs altogether and outfit the room in beanbag chairs instead. Make the area comfortable and cool for better idea generation.

Utilize Multiple Writing Surfaces
A pen and paper can be great, but don’t be afraid to shake things up. Have your table covered with a white board, or use chalk board paint on one of the walls to everyone can write all over the place. This can help generate and organize ideas much easier than flipping through pages in a notebook.

Music? Of Course!
Some people work better with music playing in the background. Utilize a sound system or hook up a computer to play internet radio for brainstorming sessions to get the creative juices flowing in a fun way.

The main idea here is to make collaboration fun, so it can be more creative and innovative. So go ahead and begin creating an awesome collaboration space for your team. They’ll love using it, and you’ll love the results they produce. Don’t be afraid; grab a paintbrush and begin!