To most of us, interior design is simply something to do with making a room look nice. Large windows are there to fill the room with light, a luxurious carpet to make everything cosy, and maybe some antique furniture to raise an eyebrow and prompt a conversation. When it comes to office interior design, we expect pretty much the same motive lies behind the choices made in terms of furniture and floor plan. But this is not completely true.
While there is always a desire to create a working environment that is pleasing to the eye, there are other reasons behind such an investment too. The particular office design ought to be much more, encouraging positive things such as calmness, confidence and imagination, and such practical aspects as communication, industry and initiative. The overall benefit to a business is a higher level, and usually higher quality, of work done, planned and generated.
Many modern offices have already taken into account such factors, with older offices usually the ones to offer cramped conditions. However, opting for office refurbishment services does not necessarily mean spending a fortune. There are affordable and highly effective options for offices of all sizes and populations.
For decades it was thought that an office worker only feels good when they have finished their work by the end of the day. Such beliefs have faded, however, with the modern office worker needing more than the assurance that getting through their workload is keeping their bosses happy.
That good feeling is expected to be as close to continuous as possible. This can be accomplished in three main ways. Firstly, use of light. Secondly, use of space. And thirdly, the actual furniture they sit on or sit at every working day.
Space
Avoiding the cutter can have a hugely beneficial effect on workers, with the claustrophobic feeling that comes with sitting and moving in close proximity to others being more unnerving and distracting than anything else.
A basic idea is to keep a certain distance between office desks, but by lowering work station dividing walls, or even removing them completely, and ensuring typical pc wiring is neatly tucked below and hidden from view, an office can appear more spacious. However, a beneficial design is to have a large open space with no desks at all available, usually as a break area. This can actually act as a motivation to get things done, with the reward being a break on a comfortable sofa.
Light
Light, of course, has a positive effect on people by nature, and by maximising the light in an office the feel good factor is maximised also. Large windows allow light to flood in, but light coloured and smooth surfaces will see the light reflected more generously around the office. Glass, as a furniture feature, ensures that the light can be distributed without hindrance.
Furniture Comfort is a major factor in office happiness, which is only logical. However, providing a luxurious area in which to relax provides the ultimate in comfort, effectively removing the worker from the office without physically doing so. The result is a place where the mental approach to work can be refreshed, helping to keep concentration levels high and the flow of ideas flowing.
Since the modern office offers more subtle benefits than simply a nice place to work, it is clear that some office values will never die. The whole idea of creating a happy working space is, after all, an endorsement of the old adage that a happy worker is a productive worker. Using the office interior design to encourage productivity is, perhaps, a more modern technique, rather than the stereotypical idea of getting bonuses for completing tasks or projects and putting up with cluttered, camped and noisy working conditions.
Whether the office design is for a brand new office still to be constructed, or to be the inspiration behind an office refurbishment project, it is very much worth bearing in mind how the particular design is going to benefit the workers in the office. If it can make them happier in their place of work, then the consequence is a higher level of productivity, which in essence means that everyone, from the office boy to the office boss, can work with a smile.
Sarah Shore writes articles for Interaction, an online provider of bespoke office space design and office refurbishment. Based in the UK, Interaction provide a full service of office interior design from the planning stages right through to implementation. Some of the many well known companies and groups that Interaction has provided office design services for include Helphire, The AA group and a range of other businesses, schools and community buildings.
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