We have all pondered how the office will change in the next ten or twenty years. Even in the last decade alone, technological advancements have transformed the way the traditional workplace is set up. And in the last year in particular, Covid-19 had again altered the hybrid needs and functionality of our everyday work set-ups.
At Meridian Interiors, we are used to hosting and accommodating a whole range of weird, wonderful, wacky, and outright cool features and designs. But we had asked ourselves what kids and the next generation would request if they were the ones to design their workplace of the future… so we did exactly that. Our design team have since mocked up the official workplace of the future taking into account all the bespoke requests and popular features.
Paul Dawson, Director at Meridian Interiors, comments:
“It’s really interesting to see what features make up the office of the future! Our most popular feature, interestingly, has been garden space and flowers in the office. Over the last year, we’ve all spent more time outdoors than ever. Couple this with the psychological benefits linked to greenery and outdoor spaces, it’s no surprise to see this become prominent in everyday working life.
Similarly, some more modern features like pet facilities, wellness areas and YouTube rooms cropped up in the children’s designs. Not only is this reflective of the changing workspace skill sets and environments, but also developing rooms alongside school and educational settings that this next generation of office workers currently spend their days in. It has been really fun designing this and listening to children instead of clients; we’re intrigued if we’ll get a real-life request with slides and pet pens in the next decade!”
Here is how offices will look according to the next generation:
The sketches
Meridian Interiors asked children around the UK to send in their ideal workplace for when they grow up, and here some of the best designs that featured in the final office of the future design.
With permission from families, we share with you the winning sketches…
Harrison, aged 9
Maddy, aged 10
Harvey, aged 5
Harrison, aged 8
Alyssa, aged 9
A big thanks to everyone who created sketches! We hope you like some of these fantastic concepts as much as we do!
One of the advantages of good office design is that offices can help ensure your workplace maximises the space available in a way that works for everyone.
In this article, we provide industry insight and guidance on how you can achieve an office that promotes good workflow and space-saving techniques.
Within this article we cover the following:
How do you make a good office?
How to design an office space
Maximising the space in your office
Office layout types
How do you make a good office?
Creating a good office involves good office design that creates a welcoming and productive workspace. Workspaces should be comfortable for employers; a productive space where that can feel comfortable, and carry out their work effectively.
The long term benefits of good office design include employee wellbeing and increased productivity; so you may be asking, how is this achieved?
The type of furniture used
The colour scheme
The amount of natural light
The way the space is divided
Spend time thinking about how you would like the office space to be used, and how it could most benefit its users. Ask yourself how you would like to define the space, how can you improve collaboration between colleagues, consider employee habits and well-being, what could you improve and how could you future-proof the space.
How to Design an Office Space
At Meridian Interiors, we operate an office design process that flows from conception through to completion, exploring options and solutions throughout the process. We find this system enables our expert designers to develop the best workplace to maximise the workspace.
You can discover more about our Office Design services here. and is explained in more detail here.
Maximising the Space in Your Office
Layout
The use of effective layouts within an office design will help to ensure footfall flows efficiency throughout the space, air and light moves effectively and collaboration between staff and departments is possible.
Depending on the space available, it is advisable to divide the space up into functional areas with office partitions, in the most appropriate way. Within a modern working environment, popular options for areas to consider including, to maximise your office are:
Collaborative Spaces
Social Areas
Quiet Rooms
‘Zoom’ rooms
As well as creating dedicated ‘work’ areas, employees benefit from a well-designed break out space.
Using partitioning is a great way of creating functional areas and good airflow.
Partitioning does not have to mean solid walls though. Dividing up the space to maximise its use by employees can be done with any form of partition, such as:
Glazed partitioning
Shelving
Columns
Storage wall
Green living walls
Folding walls
Screens
Storage
Good storage is a key element of good office design, whether you are a very small start-up business or a larger more developed company. Focussing some energy on keeping an office space organised, can help to make it an enjoyable place to work, helping to create a more efficient working environment and providing a positive impression to visitors.
Storage can form part of a partition, be located above desks, within pedestals, cupboards, shelving, storage wall or filing cabinets. Most office layouts incorporate a selection of different types of storage, to ensure the best use of the available space, buying furniture that best suits the design style.
Utilising floor to ceiling height, space above and under desks, creating privacy and reducing noise pollution throughout the office are all ways to get your storage to work for you and maximise your office space.
Furniture
Furniture can bring style, colour and personality into an office space. Using different sized furniture to best reflect the size of the working environment can be useful.
A good idea is to experiment with different furniture layouts, as different employees with different roles may work best with different desk layouts to each other. Small groups of desks can be used to encourage teamwork, but ensure there is enough space for each employee.
Office furniture is not all about desks and task chairs, however, and it is equally important to invest time into researching how employees will get the most out of the workspace. More modern agile and flexible working practices mean that employees may work remotely much of the time and simply come to the office as a place to collaborate and meet with colleagues and visitors, and therefore need a hot desk and meeting area.
Other staff may work most of their time within the office, but need a quiet space to hold conference calls or deal with personal admin.
You may even find that having a pool table in the office enables staff to have a break from their screens, clear their heads for a few minutes, develop better relationships with colleagues and as a result improve their productivity!
One size most certainly does not fit all and developing the best office layout design can really help to maximise your space.
Office Layout Types
During the 19th century, office cubicles were very prominent, with everyone partitioned into their own office or cubicle space. This way of working changed at the turn of the 21st century to an open plan style layout in many workplace environments, these designs could minimize costs within the office, such as reduced construction fees, the ability to squeeze more people into less square footage and fewer cubicle furniture pieces to purchase.
This trend started to change around 5 years ago, as people started to realise that the open-plan layouts can be rather noisy and a more chaotic place to work, especially for businesses that require quieter working environments, confidentiality, and concentration, such as accounting firms, financial planning agencies and law firms.
Many companies are therefore now opting for more flexible office spaces, tailored towards their employee’s needs, to ensure employee wellbeing and to create more productive environments. This has been possible through both the advances in technology and the flexibility this promotes as well as the awareness of mental health within the workplace.
Whether you are struggling with the limitations of an existing office set up or are about to move to new premises, ask yourself if you have worked through the logical steps. This guide identifies a series of office design guidelines, to help you with your next project.
What is office design?
Office design not only covers the physical elements of a workspace such as office furniture, layout and infrastructure, but also the emotional connection to the office space and employee’s well-being. Combining the physical and psychological elements into office design provides a well thought out space that offers a positive working environment.
How to design an office space
If you’ve decided you want to redesign your office, the next step is working out how to design an office space that considers all the requirements for a functional and practical modern-day workspace.
Meridian Interiors offers some insight and advice into how to design an office space that works for your business.
Rethink your space
This is your chance to be practical, but also creative. Go back to basics. Ignore how your office is set up now and look at the basic square footage available to you. Then think ‘out of the box’.
Look at the ceiling height… Could you accommodate a mezzanine level for storage or extra office space? Or could you take down partitioning and/or remove a corridor to create a larger open-plan area?
Define separate work areas
Beyond the obvious office space – open plan and individual offices – consider meeting rooms or meeting areas, reception and visitor seating, the server room, tea points/kitchens, WCs (and disabled WCs) and any recreational areas you may need.
Create your ‘wish list’ – you can always pare it back later, but with a bit of reconfiguration, you may find there’s a way to deliver every element within the space available to you.
Consider employee needs
The general guidance for the average square footage per person in an office is 150 square feet – this is considered the space needed for any individual to work comfortably. However, if space allows, this can extend to 250 square feet.
Beyond this, other factors to consider when space planning are such elements as desk size, office storage, power supply availability, data cabling, and space for walkways/stairways.
Futureproof your office space
As far as space planning for the future goes, you need flexibility first and foremost.
Could you fit in another 10 office workstations if you needed to – with their associated storage requirements and access to a power supply?
Do you have the flexibility to quickly re-define spaces, turning a spare meeting area or photocopier room into additional office space for example? Freestanding acoustic screens may be one easy way to achieve this.
These possibilities need to be factored in.
How to design a small office space
Having plenty of space within a workplace is not always a given, for reasons like the constraints of working in cities with high rental values or an expanding workforce. Some companies, therefore, find themselves looking for ways in which to design a small office space.
Small corporate office interior design can focus on the concepts below, which allow companies to get the best from the space they have available.
Agile Working
As well as the physical elements to office design, utilising a concept such as ‘agile working’ can be beneficial for companies with small offices. Agile working is described by the Association for Project Management as “a framework and a working mind-set” that helps respond to changing requirements. Check this report out for more information.
Hot Desking
A familiar term within offices, hot desking is when a desk can be used by any employee on a different day depending on work schedules. This can be an effective way of working in workspaces with limited space. Hot desking would be particularly affective for office using a flexible working approach, with an office/ working from home split.
Desk Layout
Seating staff in desk pairs or quads can be a better use of space than separated desks. Desk layout can have an incredible impact on the space, layout and feel of an office. Consider your wisely and try different layouts, to make sure you’ve found one that suits the space well. Ideally it would allow for social working, while at the same time having clearly defined separate workspaces when needed.
Furniture
Using furniture as a partitioning solution to zone areas within an office adds options for multipurpose storage but also to make spaces more adaptable. Furniture is easy to move, and it doesn’t stop there, as you can select a finish and fabric design to your liking to ensure everything is on-brand. Whether you’re looking for something bright and poppy, or sleek and sophisticated, the furniture style you choose can hugely impact your office space. Be sure that your furniture choices fit in with the overall aesthetic so you make the most of your office refurbishment.
Thinking about functionality is key, when designing an office layout. A workspace must ‘work’ effectively. Consider the items below when developing your next corporate office interior design.
Establish a flow through the space, so it is easy to navigate, with teams that work together being in proximity to each other.
Acoustics must be considered, to ensure staff are given a decent working environment.
Use natural light where possible to illuminate the space, placing glazed partitioning in darker areas, to allow light to travel through the space.
Explore different functional areas – meeting rooms, zoom rooms, break out spaces, quiet zones…
Use the layout to reflect your type of business through the type of reception area you provide, how areas are utilised, the types of furniture used…
A relatively new trend is to bring the outside in, following research identifying its benefits. Companies are starting to consider features like living walls in their office spaces.
Carefully considering design elements, when planning your interior office design, is time well spent. Below are a few things to discuss and incorporate in your planning phase.
Colour Palette and Branding
When it comes to the design, this is where you can have some fun! Thinking about the colour scheme in an office is probably more important than we think. It is the first thing that people notice upon entry and can tell staff and visitors alike a lot about your brand ethos, which explains why many companies opt to use their brand colours within their offices.
Furniture
Providing a variety of furniture options throughout a space can not only improve a space’s functionality, but also add to the aesthetics of a workplace.
Nature
Bringing the outside in is a modern trend that more and more workspaces are starting to adopt. Incorporating green or living walls into the office or simply adding well-placed pot plants can help the space feel more welcoming and offer a more relaxed environment. Research is increasing in this area as its popularity increases.
Style
Choosing the overall style of a space, whether it is a New York loft look, clean and clinical, natural and relaxed, industrial etc, can help to reflect a company’s brand and let staff know how they should use the space.
How to design the ultimate home office
Designing a home office is a different challenge, as often home spaces are not initially designed to be used for office space. With a forward-thinking approach to flexible working now including a working from home split, below are a few tips to help bring your home office to life.
Space Saving Ideas
Make use of the height within the room of your home office. Maximise on the space available for storage and consider how this space can be used. Desks with build in storage are a good idea, and a bookcase can provide the perfect spot for stationery, files, or books.
Making a Space Feel Bigger
Another consideration for home offices is maximising and optimising the space to make it feel and appear bigger. For this, we recommend:
Using a plain and simple colour palette
Using furniture that is the right size for the space
Choose blinds, as opposed to curtains, which can open up the space considerably
Comfort
Although it is important for your office to feel like a place of work, so you can differentiate it from the rest of your house, it still needs to be comfortable. Add a few simple accessories, that sit alongside your colour palette and include plants and artwork to the walls to reflect your own personal style and make your home office a place you enjoy working in.
Meridian Interiors Limited have experienced office design who work with commercial clients to help create offices that give your people everything they need to succeed.
Contact the team at Meridian Interiors on 0333 3448 772 to find out more, or discover more about our office design services.
Office design, employee wellbeing and therefore satisfaction and productivity has become an important factor for employers. When possible, employers should reflect on their current office environments for their staff and focus on the key features they should be considering. Workplaces with a modern approach to a work-life balance are more important than ever, in tune with the modern-day attitude to workplace wellbeing.
This article will look at office design, how to design the perfect workspace and the features that should be considered.
What is office design?
Office design needs to consider many factors, including the structural layout of the building, the types of workspaces that are needed within the office, how much natural light is available, what facilities are required, how staff will interact with each other… the list goes on.
What makes ‘good’ office design, is how all these elements work together to create a workplace that impacts favourably on staff well-being and productivity, as well as creating a positive impression for visitors and customers alike.
How to design the perfect workspace
When designing a workspace, the key is to ensure it works for everyone, which can be a challenge as people, by nature, like working in different ways. Some may thrive in a busy, noisy environment, while others may work best in a peaceful setting and some may like both, depending on what work they are doing or the mood they are in.
A ‘perfect’ workspace is probably an impossible goal, but creating a place where colleagues enjoy working and are productive in, is a great place to start!
As people are at the heart of offices, the main focus should be on the types of spaces that they thrive in and create areas that harness this. As a lot of people will have become used to working from home, we may see the type of areas they feel comfortable working in change over the next year or so, as they start frequenting office space again.
Features of good office design
Collaborative Spaces
These areas can offer a relaxed atmosphere, but have functionality build in, with wipe boards, interchangeable desking and seating, projectors/screens etc.
Social Areas
These areas act more as break-out areas, with a mix of sociable seating and more private areas, where people can ‘get away’ from work but also catch up with colleagues, if they want to. The focus here is on providing different options for individuals.
Quiet Areas
Let’s face it, sometimes you just need to sit on your own and concentrate. With many offices opting for open plan layouts, this is a type of space that is often lacking in many offices but is hugely beneficial. Giving staff options of where to carry out their work, is a good way of boosting morale, through autonomy.
‘Zoom Rooms’
A relatively new addition to workspaces is ‘zoom rooms’ which are essentially small rooms with a chair and the technology to either make phone or video calls. These are becoming increasingly popular, as more business is done virtually and through lockdown, many people have become accustomed to working in this way. We anticipate that this trend continues, as employers increasingly realise that travelling long distances for meetings is not always needed.
Natural Light
As well as creating a variety of types of workspaces within one office facility, there are aesthetic features that help to make those areas really work for people.
Incorporating as much natural light into an area as possible and positioning workstations evenly throughout the area to benefit from this, is a good place to start. A 2018 Harvard Business Review reports a study concluding that workers in daylight office environments reported a 51% drop in the incidence of eyestrain, a 63% drop in the incidence of headaches and a 56% reduction in drowsiness. These benefits would certainly improve staff well-being and productivity.
If possible, if exposure to natural light can be coupled with access to outside space, you are onto a winner! It does not need to be a massive space, but a small area with some seating and access to Wi-Fi, can serve as a great place for staff to recharge their batteries.
Who are Meridian Interiors?
Meridian Interiors is an office design company that gives your employees everything they need to succeed, and more. We use our knowledge in office design to create a workspace for collaboration, whilst promoting health and wellbeing for all.
From Workplace Consultancy to our detailed site surveys, the data gathered helps us to plan your environment accurately. This allows us to review future proofing of the space, whilst identifying building constraints and checking on regulator and environmental compliances.
Please get in touch today for our assistance in encompassing up and coming trends, while also producing functional and practical office layout ideas. Contact us online, call ll 0333 3448 772 or email [email protected].
The BBC noted last week standing desks, which enable workers to adjust their position at work, may boost productivity, improve alertness, and help maintain focus through the day. But it’s not only productivity that can be improved; sit-stand desks can also provide health benefits.
Studies have shown that sitting down for long periods of time can have a negative impact on our health, which directly translates to the workplace. The average office worker spends 35-40 hours per week sitting at their desk, making it a big issue in today’s increasingly health-conscious environment. Enter the sit-stand desk!
Benefits of sit-stand desks:
1. Good for productivity and focus
Amongst the health benefits, there are workplace improvements too. In some offices, sit-stand desks can increase productivity by up to 46%. Which makes for a solid investment in our books!
2. Standing is good for you
One thing studies are clear about is that long hours of sitting are linked to musculoskeletal disorders such as RSI, as well as obesity and diabetes. Therefore, standing for part of the day can help alleviate the symptoms and is actively good for your health.
3. Breaks up the day
The first and most obvious benefit of sit-stand desks is the ability to break up the day, whilst still working. You can effortlessly switch between sitting and standing during the workday without the need to take constant breaks.
Who? Inventionland | What? Invention Factory | Where? Pittsburgh USA
What do you think of when you hear the word invention? Something that has never been made before? The unique creation of a device or method? Unique, creative and unprecedented are certainly words that be used to describe Inventionland – The Invention Factory.
Pittsburgh – The city in the USA known as being at the forefront of innovation is home to one of America’s ‘coolest’ offices – an office space which includes an array of innovative and outstanding themes from a pirate ship to a castle designed for a specific working environment and product field. The workspace known as an ‘Invention Factory’ has been designed of the back off the company’s moto – ‘The best work comes out of the spirit of play.’
George Davison the innovator, visionary and founder of the Inventionland offices decided when designing the workspace to change the ‘expected’ and ‘standard’ working environment to one that inspires, motivates and excites employees to create and produce astonishing and interesting inventions. Davison collaborated with his team of entrepreneurs when designing the space and ensured that the somewhat whimsical office environment was also fully functional and equipped.
Inventionland Motor Speedway
The 150 foot Scalextric space is home to the garage and automotive product field. This area itself has won an array of awards, including winner of the Industrial Design Excellence Award by Business Week!
Nursey Nook
The Giant Shoe which can be seen in the work space is home to Nursery Nook – a space designed to inspire inventors to develop children’s products such as books and toys. The space can also be double as a crib service!
Inventalot Castle
The castle is often described as the heart of the office. The castle which included turrets and a drawbridge is the place of meeting for senior directors, and a hub of brainstorming ideas.
Pirate Ship Discovery
This space, which includes pristine water and is home to Inventionland’s resident shark houses the home for high-tech products and games.
Who? Pallotta Teamworks | What? Charity Event Company | Where? Los Angeles, California
Hidden away from the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Hills is situated the warehouse which houses Pallotta Teamworks – a charity event company which creates multi-day event concepts aimed to challenge participants to work hard for a charity they deeply care about.
Pallotta’s ethos is centred around doing good. Doing good whether it be to people or to the planet, and this ethos was central to creating an eco-friendly, efficient yet exciting office workplace.
In 2002, after years of working in cramped, chaotic and cut-off office spaces a new 47,000 warehouse was sourced located in the northeast neighbourhood of Los Angeles – Atwater Village. The proposition for the project was to create an inspiring and exciting headquarters, created on what can be described as a shoestring budget – $2 million dollars, as equivalent to $40 per square foot. Projects of similar dimensions and degree would cost on average $80 per square foot.
To go ahead and design and build the space Pallotta hired the firm Clive Wilkinson & Associates. On the firm receiving the preliminary budget, it was concluded that the budget was so insignificant that air-conditioning and heating in the space was simply not an option. Not letting budgeting complications regarding heating and air-condition disrupt CWA’s extreme creative flair, a design was proposed which created ‘breathing islands’ or which can be best described as seven white tented villages which contain air-conditioning systems that help to reduce the cost of cooling down the whole area.
The main office areas, breakout areas and conference rooms were placed into large shipping containers painted in bright colours to stimulate and energize employees. The aim of the design was to stay as natural, sustainable and unconventional as possible, therefore the design showcased raw exposed lumber, stainless steel pipes, large sky lighting and incorporation of a small yet effective ‘pond’ area.
Though the project was reliant on a shoestring budget for the work required, the project demonstrates an incredible representation of the company’s ethos – doing good. The noteworthy scheme is a true representation of the company celebrating responsibility, sustainability and eco-friendliness. Pallotta has received honour and attention, not just through media outlets but also through a variety of national awards.
Discover the secrets to mastering office partitioning from office experts, Meridian Interiors Ltd
Not all offices will be built in line with your company’s departments, teams and functions. Fit the space around your business with office partitioning. These cost effective walls can be quickly deployed to create an organisational layout that suits your needs.
Use this quick guide to assess what types of partitioning is best for your workplace to help maximise efficiency, reduce noise between departments and generally provide a non-disruptive flow of foot traffic around the operational areas.
Stud
This is the most basic type of partitioning, consisting of a poly-plastic or metal frame, secured to the floor. This forms a skeleton structure that is subsequently covered with panels to create physical partitions. Plasterboard is typical used in the construction of these partitions.
Glass
Glass partitions are like stud partitions, however instead of solid, opaque panels, glass sheets are added to the structure, creating transparent barriers. This type of partitioning is especially useful when an area of a workspace suffers from a lack of natural light. Glass can be double glazed to create insulation or frosted with the company logo.
Temporary Partitions
Extending curtains or concertina partitions are one way of creating a temporary barrier between different areas of your workspace. This type of partitioning is often found in hotels or conference rooms, allowing the business owners to scale the space in accordance with client’s demands.
Timber Partitions
Timber partitions use an all wooden construction, from the structural supports through to the panels. Creating an elegant and classic profile, timber partitions, particularly those made from hardwood are a stylish alternative to conventional stud systems.
Cubicles
Smaller, individual partitions are available to mark out individual booths or working areas in open plan offices. This type of divider allows for employees to control their immediate working environment, whilst also promoting communication and collaboration through members of the team.
Creating Functional Areas in the Business
The principle reason for partitioning is to delineate space within the office or workplace environment into rooms and sections for various purposes. Separating each individual area promotes a focus on specific business activities, allowing a more ordered and structured organisational framework. Some of the more common uses include:
Sales floor
If you have a busy outbound calling floor this can often create quite a large amount of noise, commotion and energy. Whilst this is great for the salespeople, this can prove disruptive to other functions in the business and partitions can dramatically reduce this issue.
Executive office
Partitioning can allow individual spaces to be created for company directors, offering a degree of privacy for important calls and operational discussions with the business leaders.
Boardroom
Every large business needs a boardroom. Even though such rooms often now function as meeting rooms for different teams and important client presentations, the large table, set seats and chairs create a sense of purpose and presence.
Reception area
Keep clients separate from the functional areas of your business with a designated reception area. Here they can drink coffee and wait for taxis to pick them up following meetings without having to leave the building.
Department location
If your business is large enough to have dedicated departments, then partitions will allow all the members of each individual team to congregate in a set area. Customer service, IT support, finance and HR can all be given their own domain, promoting team cohesion and understanding.
An office refurbishment can seem like an expensive and daunting prospect but sometimes it is exactly what your company needs. If your office and reception areas are drab and tired then it is likely your staff will feel the same. This has a knock on effect on productivity and on the first impression of your business your visitors receive.
Your office and reception area are the first places that potential clients and customers see. If the area looks dull and uncared for then they are likely to be left with the impression that people don’t really care about the company or their customers.
In contrast if the reception and office areas are full of bright, funky furniture and well-designed then the client is much more likely to remember you in a positive way.
If the office refurbishment has been given lots of thought and consideration then you can guarantee your employees will be thankful. A new environment is likely to inspire them, creating new ideas and also boosting their productivity. If you don’t believe that an office refurbishment can boost productivity then just look at the research. The Abius Report was completed in 2009 and reported that 62% of US workers said they would be more motivated to work if their employers made an effort to improve their work surroundings.The facts back this up as the study references research that found enriched work environments improved productivity by around 15%. Involving your employees in the plans was another key in increasing productivity as productivity doubled to 30% when they were involved in refit plans. The British Council of Offices produced a similar study in which they found that office workers prefer funky fit outs rather than traditional ones with 60% of people stating a funky office refurbishment increased their productivity.
It is clearly important to consider an office refurbishment project from all angles and if the research is correct then get your staff involved. Ask what they would like to see or what would be helpful for them.
Specialised office refurbishment
An office refurbishment project may seem quite daunting which is why it is often best to entrust it to a specialised office refurbishment company such as Meridian Interiors. We would like to be able to take the project from its initial concept through to completion.
If you want to leave your office refurbishment project to the professionals contact Meridian Interiors and see your business productivity grow.
Despite the growing trend of remote working, fuelled by teleconferencing and the ‘cloud’, companies are still investing in office design projects to make their physical office space more enticing. And contemporary design style is very much in vogue.
At the more ‘quirky’ end of the spectrum, Rental Cars’ new Manchester headquarters boasts an open-air cinema, rooftop ‘beach’, games room and drive-in diner and, at Ticketmaster’s London HQ employees can take the ‘slide’ down to the office bar!
But the reality is that these companies have spent a large amount of money designing and developing a very unique and contemporary space that aligns with their culture.
So how do you design your office to incorporate a more modern and contemporary feel that engages your staff, without it costing a fortune?
Use lots of glass
Glass allows light to permeate and light helps to boost energy and morale. That is why glass partitioning is widely used in contemporary office design – both to separate workspace areas and create meeting rooms and managers’ offices… Glass helps retain that feeling of space, openness and modernity.
And using glass does not have to mean a lack of privacy: manifestations on glass can provide much-needed privacy as well as being used to great branding effect.
Create social spaces
You might be accustomed to grabbing a takeaway coffee on the way to work, but many employers have also recognised the benefit of recreating that café culture in the office. Having an informal social hub for staff to relax and chat also brings with it more collaboration, idea-sharing and, ultimately, more motivated and engaged employees.
And a workplace café is also the ideal space to add a bit of contemporary style. By using modern office chairs in vibrant colours, glass coffee tables, or comfy sofas, you can create the perfect environment to break the workday tension.
Think about your walls
What’s on your office walls? Just a bit of magnolia paint? Why not get creative with your walls and inject a more contemporary ‘look and feel’ to your office design at the same time?
Art inspires creativity and hanging artwork on your office walls is a quick fix way to transform a relatively sterile office environment to a more colourful and inspiring space.
Or you could turn an entire wall in your office into a whiteboard – the perfect way to build interaction in meetings or a brainstorming session.
And finally…
For that quirky touch – on a budget – here’s the perfect way to add contemporary design style and grab some peace and quiet at the same time! Yes, we can source this cork helmet for you! Just ask.
