Maybe it’s the Google effect or the aftermath of the pandemic, but whatever the cause, the result is a definite change in workplace interior design.
With more staff wanting to split their time between working from home and working in the office, the hybrid model is leaving premises empty. As a result, companies of all sizes are now realising the importance of style and comfort, alongside functionality, when it comes to keeping the team motivated and enticing workers back into the office.
Rewind the clock just a few years and office interiors could be quite dull and demotivating. Everyone knew where their desk was, filing cabinets were used to form walkways, and open-plan offices were partitioned off with impersonal 5’ screening, leaving staff feeling boxed in, isolated, and totally demotivated.
At Personalised Nation, we’ve noticed a sea-change from our clients when it comes to their office interiors.
- The magnolia walls are being phased out in favour of motivational quotes and inspiring murals.
- Break-out areas are being created, with the aim of becoming a hub for staff to meet, catch-up, and brainstorm new ideas in a rousing environment.
- Greater emphasis is now being placed on relationship building within teams.
- Business branding is taking centre-stage with eye-catching window and wall graphics, as well as internal and external signage.
With the rise in the use of virtual meetings, some businesses are even incorporating solo work pods, or Zoom booths, so that team members can partake in online meetings, enjoying the same amount of privacy as they would have experienced had they “zoomed in” from home.
Creative areas are becoming the norm, with a heavy accent on branding. Innovations such as portable ‘curved walls’ allow the business to create pop-up spaces for brainstorming meetings or seeing visitors.
Soft furnishings are no longer reserved for reception areas. Sofas, armchairs and even beanbags – all keeping within the branding, of course – are springing up within the conventional office space, creating a home-from-home workspace.
Another huge innovation are co-working spaces. Competition can be fierce, so the owners of co-working spaces are really pushing the boat out in a bid to capture the small business owners who work from home but need some kind of office space from time to time.
Desks can be rented on a day-to-day basis, and meeting rooms let out on an hourly rate to businesses who need a professional space to meet with clients.
Some co-working spaces rival the trendiest coffee bars in their interior fit-out: modern mood lighting, plants galore, brightly coloured soft furnishings, and equally bright – and branded – communal areas.
Even window manifestations are seeing a design revolution, with the traditional opaque dots being replaced with messages to inspire and reassure.
It’s certainly a time of change, and we’re all for it! If reading this has made you look around your own surroundings with dismay, let’s have a catch up over a cappuccino and come up with an interior scheme to bring your premises inline with the workspace revolution of the 21st century!
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