Corporate Giants like Google and Pixar have revolutionized the workspace. More and more businesses are embracing a more unconventional office in order to stimulate and inspire their employees. While simply changing the aesthetics of a building by adding splashes of colour can prove beneficial, there are several interior design trends for the workspace that are sure to boost positivity and productivity. 1) Collaboration Bringing collaboration to the workplaces means creating spaces that encourage discussion and bring employees together. One of the best ways to do this is to utilise collaborative furniture. Furniture can quickly transform open plan rooms and motivates employees to share ideas – which is the most paramount detail when having a successful business. Consider lounge furniture that twists and curves so that employees find themselves facing their peers rather than sitting side to side. Mobile displays and kiosks and enforce the sharing of space, thus bringing teams together in various places throughout the office. 2) Re-designing for Organisation There are various elements that can bring organisation to the forefront of any design. Modern workspaces are adapting a much more minimalist aesthetic and functionality in order to smooth out the kinks and reduce stress. Technology is one way to re-think spaces, by converting old paper files to digital you lose wasted space and can utilise it in a much more functional way. The next step to creating a more tidy and thoughtful space is to remove the walls. Create spaces using other methods, like using glass walls, or unique dividers. 3) Activity-based design Bring employees together in open multi-purpose areas and rid the office of one-job desks surrounded by cubicle walls. Wireless work has removed the need for a static workspace, so opening up the office to let employees travel from area to area, encourages collaboration and boosts psychological and physical health. 4) Inspire Inspire employees with art installations, colour & comfort. Bring the outside in with Biophilic design and natural light. Choose new ways to bring people together with 3D imaging and meeting or break rooms that eliminate the seriousness. Creating a relaxed atmosphere will bring employee’s mental state to a level of comfort and happiness, thus solidifying enjoyment, which has been proven to boost productivity. 5) WELL Standards The most important trend of 2017 is implementing the WELL Standards. These standards centre around 7 core values that have been proven to increase productivity in the work place by boosting mental and physical health. The WELL Standards incorporate air, water, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind into the workspace design. The focus is on the connection between the buildings employees spend time on and how they have an impact on their occupants. WELL Standards are the forefront of modern design and have proven paramount to a company’s success. Each of these categories broadens to include many different elements. Incorporating movement in an office can mean many different things, just as bringing in nature could be facilitated through ‘live’ walls of vines or simply more glass to show daylight. One thing is certain, these… Continue reading Latest Trends in Office Interior Design
What are the requirements when choosing an interior designer for large corporates?
Many large corporations are deciding to re-consider their workspaces in order to boost productivity and positivity within the office. However, finding the right designer to handle the fit out of a larger company can take some looking into and it is important to find one that ticks all the right boxes. Whether an interior designer will be re-structuring an existing office or starting with a shell, there a few key things to look out for when hiring the right one. 1) Workplace Analysis Workplace analysis is a very thorough study that involves an observation of a workspace in order to accurately decipher what elements of an office are either benefiting or hindering staff members. During the study a designer will look at every aspect of the office – furniture, amount of people, walls, who collaborates with who the best or the most often, which rooms are used the most, and what is missing from the space that could be a potential aid to productivity. Not all interior design companies offer this service and finding one that is knowledgeable and experienced in working with large corporates is vital. 2) Environment An interior designer should be able to work out what the goals of a corporation are and how the environment can make achieving these goals more attainable. Have a clear idea of what your ethos is and ask how the designer plans to represent it best. Creating an environment that reflects the core values of any large corporate company will produce more positive benefits than a workspace that exists merely as a meeting point. 3) Furniture Furniture not only uses a lot of space, but it greatly impacts the way employees work. Workplace Analysis is the first step in deciding which pieces of furniture are contributing and which pieces are wasting space. The comfort of staff is also important when observing how furniture aids the workspace. Knowledge of which types of furniture creates the most comfort (for instance, ergonomic furniture) is paramount to developing a space that feels relaxing and does not cause any strain to employees bodies. Removing some furniture can also benefit a workspace by encouraging more movement, which is known to increase positivity and productivity. 4) Space Planning An experienced designer will know how to manipulate a large space for positive results and they will have good knowledge of large spaces as well as working for corporations. Make sure to inquire about their previous work and make sure they will be handle the workload involved in creating a new workspace for a company with many employees and even multiple branches. This list gives with an idea of what capabilities a potential designer should have. Always make sure to have a clear idea of your goals and needs when engaging in a discussion with a designer.