Designing office space is a pricey proposition. The "industry average" runs about $250 a square foot. You might as well tile the floor with twenty dollar bills. According to the article below however, office design is a key aspect of corporate marketing. The desired result should perform as "a marketing tool as well as [a] workable office environment." Some firms elect to decorate their office space with "marble, granite and heavy wood, accented with snazzy looking technology." Nonetheless, office designers "must know the difference between upscale and opulent... They don't want to look irresponsible, financially." The bottom line is that you want to impress the client with something other than a hole-in-the-wall yet not come off as a deluded spendthrift.

Office design "can also boost productivity and health in workers." It can accomplish this through "ergonomic desk chairs that promote comfort and alertness" and the "quality of lighting." Nicer chairs, bigger cubicles and "private telephone areas" (through which one might set up interviews with competitors) also appear to enhance comfort and productivity. Well, duh...

White collar workers might as well have nice offices these days, considering how much time they are obligated to spend in them. My favorite remark in the article refers to how the cozy proximity of "a lot of dark wood and marble" can induce employees to, ahem, "whisper" - conspiratorially perhaps, as if they are planning a take-over coup or a spot of insider-trading.

"Reworking Office Space" from Jacksonville.com