work just got cool
Project
Something's been changing in the workplace of late. Employees want modern workspaces that inspire them, feel calming, nurturing and meet their needs in a flexible way. No more sitting down to one desk in a beige, souless office space. Today's worker needs persuading away from their comfortable home office space that they created during lock-down and so it's no surprise that more and more forward-thinking companies are beginning to offer quite a different looking workspace.
Over the last few years every commercial project we have worked on has asked us to create - what's being called - a resimercial space. To you, and me, that's simply a 'residential' and 'commercial' combo, a hybrid design that helps to lure emloyees back to the office whilst keeping well-being, comfort and flexbility firmly in mind. Think - all the best bits of home brought into the office: tactile textures, comfortable seating, ambient lighting, and accessories we'd traditionally associate with the home only such as rugs, plants, lamps.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Sitting comfortably no longer means simply sitting in an ergonomic chair at your desk. Now the workplace offers a host of flexbile, varied seating. From banquette benches for communal dining, to cosy corners for in-depth conversations, comfortable sofas for team chats to quiet spots for a worker to take a break from their desk. Laptops make moving around the office possible.
All fabric used in commercial settings need to be fire rated crib 5 to meet legislation and we have a wealth of fabulous suppliers who can manufacture bespoke seating for us so that your design is unique to your company.
Flexible working spaces
Interior designers, such as ourselves, who work with both commercial and residential clients are finding a real cross over occuring with influences from home design making its way into commercial work space. Domestic comforts are now given proper consideration in order to create positive, healthy working environments. Empolyers understand staff wellbeing has a direct correlation to happiness and productivity.
We've designed many communal dining areas where everyone sits down at big tables to foster inclusivity and a sense of comraderie. And for example, we've worked with independent boarding schools that have asked us to design a bar area specifically for their live-in teaching staff's common rooms to allow for informal, sociable gatherings after work.
Including plenty of plants into our schemes helps to soften the spaces, feels uplifiting and is proven to be good in fighting air pollution. We also incoproate rugs, art work, decorative accessories and pay special attention to bringing in ambient lighting into our commercial interiors (rather than just over head lights) to create a feeling of comfort and cultivate a supportive work environment. All these creature comforts fundamentally change how the workspace feels.
Branding and company values
Working with an interior designer for your office fit out means that company branding and values can be reflected in the interiors and the feel of the workplace. Brand colours can be introduced into the interior design scheme in many ways - bold and subtle - whether its in paint colour choicies for walls or perhaps more gently through soft furnishings fabrics. We often commision bespoke pieces for our commercial clients such as this mural wallpaper that was especially illustrated by a fine artist for our client to reflect the local landmarks in their area, giving this lobby entrance a real sense of place and identity.
A home touch
The line between commercial and residential is disappearing and workplaces that have a home-like feel are being favoured by employers as they realise these spaces help to reduce stress in their staff, and promote creativity and productivity. Accesories more commonly found in a home are making their way into the office to create a nuturing environment.
