Category: Office Design

If you ask a baby boomer what they think about modern offices, they’ll probably say it’s too over the top. But the fact is that as younger generations took over the leading role in businesses everywhere, they needed to adapt the look and feel of the office to a new, different mindset.

When it comes to office design, some things never go out of fashion or function, such as cozy lobby chairs to make your clients feel comfortable or a stunning reception desk. But, others innovations are a result of a different generation with different needs. In most cases, these innovations directly go against the traditional concepts of an office such as confining cubicles, furniture made out of heavy wood or stiff, leather chairs.

Today’s office designers strive to improve the space for the workers by addressing individual needs. This year, offices are all about empowerment and turning the office into a place we actually want to spend our time at. Here are some of the most exciting office trends to look forward to in 2018!

Let Nature In

Last year was dominated by the trend of greening the office, adding gardens on the rooftops and water features in the lobby, using natural materials like bamboo and making the office more pleasant to work and spend time in. These elements have been proven to relax the employees and contribute to their wellbeing.

This year, companies are going all in, switching to renewable energy, water filtration and air purification, green internet hosting, organic, local food and beverages, incentives for using bikes instead of cars and implementing other green practices.

Textures, Textures, Textures

Since minimal designs are currently the hottest trend, one way to break the pattern is to add as many textures as possible. Textures can enhance any room and make the office feel more like home. Elements like woven rugs and baskets, faux sheepskin furniture and fabric wall panels are the talk of the office design world.

Augmented Reality Workspaces

One thing that we’ve been seeing more and more lately is augmented and virtual reality. No longer just used for games like Pokémon GO, Augmented Reality has the power to literally add a new dimension to your workspace. While most people still aren’t familiar or supportive of AR and VR, they have an enormous potential to enhance the workspace. Think of an architect who can show clients a 3D render of the building right in front of them. Augmented reality can also show stakeholders real-time information you need, like a surreal power point presentation. Augmented reality also has the power to make conference calls more personal and face to face than ever. You could chat with an investor miles away like they are in the room with you. The potential is endless, but we still have to see how the technology will be integrated.

When it comes to the all-important redesign of your office environment it can be difficult to even know where to start. Should you, for instance, go all out ‘open plan’ and abandon your imposing board room altogether? Or maybe the best idea is to compromise and have a huddle of small meeting pods in the centre of the room?

Then again, what about hot desking and colour-coordinated areas? And really, who needs a conference table when walking meetings are all clients seem to insist on these days?

One of the factors that makes coming up with ideas for a new office redesign so overwhelming at times is that there are so many personalities to take into account. There is also the knowledge that the design of your office can have a profound effect on the office culture and, as a result, the future of your business.

For inspiration, here are exemplary office designs that do exactly what the client’s brief outlined from the start:

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The Flexible Office

Moving from a cubicle-based and segmented workforce into a more open-plan and fluid office environment was what Californian internet security company Malwarebytes had in mind when they had their new 50,900 square feet of office space designed. Versatile modular furniture which could be doubled up, separated, stacked or used to form a giant conference table added to the new feeling of ‘openness’ management were after, while it also added a sense of ‘adaptability’ and ‘dynamism’ for staff.

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The super-sociable office

Creating a relaxed environment for staff so that they socialised in the office as well as worked there, was the intention of online survey company Typeform’s office design team. As a result they built a bar – complete with beer taps – in the reception of the 21,000 square foot office. It means that staff at the Barcelona based start-up can relax together and have a drink in the office once they’ve finished work and even have breakfast as a team in the morning.

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The adaptable office

The walls really do speak at the former four storey bank in Malmo Sweden and whose top floor is now furniture retail king IKEA’s Creative Hub. In what is known as the Creative Meeting Room, the walls are covered in washable whiteboard paint. This is to allow designers to instantly sketch out an idea whenever it hits them so that they don’t forget it while foraging for pen and paper. Let’s hope no-one else absent-mindedly rubs it off…

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The chilled office

If there was one place where meditation pods were going to be installed – and, indeed, become a feature of the office design – it was at Headspace, the company who designed the successful mindfulness app. The US and UK offices also boast a Group Meditation Room and another for sole meditation should staff feel a pressing need to chill.

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The ‘green’ office

Most millennials have had the need to be vigilant about the planet drummed into them from a young age, and since these are the workers of the future it makes sense for companies to be more eco-minded. Plants are a good way to introduce a more environmentally-friendly feel into your office space. Washington law company Dixon Peabody took the whole concept a step further when they started growing herbs in the company canteen which staff could trim and add to their meals.

Reading the above it’s clear that an office redesign requires imagination, knowledge about current trends and a ‘feel’ for what your staff need and want. And the best way to achieve this is to turn to the office design experts. Put it this way, it’s far too important to leave to chance.

This article was supplied by Opus-4; experts in office redesign.

It’s always a good idea to bring as much daylight as possible into every closed space you spend a lot of time in. Since we spend about a fourth of our lives working, usually in an office, it’s only reasonable that workspace should be basking in daylight to help us be healthier and happier. Office designers are insistent on bringing more natural light in the workplace, especially because doing so has given numerous positive results about which we’ll talk today.

Let’s Talk about the Economics

If you want to go to the utilitarian side of things straight away, it’s important to mention how using the full potential of daylighting can significantly reduce the electric bills for your offices. This can work two ways – either you make sure that the office space is incredibly well lit and can use maximum daylight, or you install daylight-sensing lighting systems, that go on and off according to the amount of daylight outside. The latter option is pricier of course, and it can have a downside because of the system glitches which can end up using up more electricity. On the other hand, making sure there are plenty of windows all over the office will downsize electricity bill from 20% up to 40%, and that is no small amount of money, especially when you think about it long-term.

If You Work In Sales, Daylight Is a Must

Working in sales can be extremely tough, especially for the novices in the niche and having beautifully designed offices that bask in daylight will definitely make their struggles more manageable. What’s more, there are good chances that both your sales’ rates and productivity of your employees will become much better when they’re regularly exposed to daylight in their offices. Percent that shows improvement vary from 3 to a whopping 40%, which is all but negligible. Even if sales aren’t your domain, having such an increase of productivity in the working environment will still make a significant impact you shouldn’t forfeit.

Health and (Day)Light Mood

Human beings need daylight as much as they need sustenance and healthy sleeping patterns, and not to much surprise, all of these factors are intertwined. Not only will daylight in the office allow your employees to feel more awake and motivated, but it will also help them sleep better because so much light helps them have stable circadian rhythms. People who work in a workspace that is clean and brightly lit have a tendency to feel more satisfied with the work they’re doing, simply because they’re more productive and they feel it. Daylighting will also decrease the impact of stress and pressure in the working environment and people will feel healthier than they would in a closed office with no windows and only electric lighting.

When you think about daylighting your office, think about how you react when you get out and it’s a beautiful sunny day and then think about the benefits that feeling of lightness and pleasant mood could bring in an office space. Office designers from office principles are certain that daylighting your offices is one of the smartest moves you can make when you’re seeking to create a positive and motivating work environment, and we couldn’t agree more.

When we think about brightening up an office space, we tend to think about lighting and splashes of colour. Fair enough. However, as many people find, growing space issues and clutter can turn any place into a stressful mess and become a drab interior. Have you ever noticed how bright your office looks just by clearing surfaces? Whether you work from home or in a corporate environment, there are creative and workable solutions that you can integrate into an office setting.

Colourful Canvas Art

Ok, yes, we are talking about the “splashes of colour” part. Purchasing a canvas print IS a great way to brighten up a drab office instantly. In fact, why stop at one? You could switch a print to a different one every couple of months or sooner. Who says that you have to look at the same picture time after time? Go further! With services that can take your pictures to a new level, you can have custom, lightweight artwork that can work well on your walls. These can be pictures that motivate you to work harder, such as pictures of your children, or a beautiful shot of a desired travel destination. Have a new goal? Switch up your wall art.

NASA Green

Most of us have heard about the NASA study on how certain plants can clean and filter our air. While not an exhaustive list, look at the Flamingo Lily (indoor and partial sunlight), the Peace Lily (grows best in the shade), the Money Plant (indoor and outdoor plant), the Snake Plant (indoor and outdoor) and the Spider Plant (indoor and outdoor). For those who enjoy this greenery, ensure you give the plant the appropriate light.

Office Fit Out

This process encompasses planning and executing the actual move to incorporating overall office solutions via planning, designing, building and other facilitators to achieve a fully integrated custom office space. This is typically done when an office locates to a new space. There is a floor budget level and can go higher according to needs, wants and monetary constraints.

Typically, office fit out quotes are provided in terms of per square foot and office personnel. Details can include raising the floor to run wiring to install custom lighting throughout the office. The roof may be altered, if feasible, to allow more natural light. Some offices may have installed moveable partitions to divide one large meeting room into more and smaller rooms. The design will be well thought out to meet current and future needs.

Clutter and More Clutter

Clutter can get to even the most unaware individual after time, especially when finding things becomes a major cuss-filled event. A lot of disorder arises from work-in-progress files and materials laying around. However, rest assured there are multiple custom-made storage solutions for the home or regular office. These can be filing cabinets made of different depths and lengths for your needs. The best part is that this furniture can be on wheels (do get the wheels!). The cabinet can be close by when needed and then stored out of your way after.

If you require binders and books to be on hand, there is such a thing as a revolving three-tiered bookshelf for a desk or counter-top. Again, this can be a custom-made item that can be made taller to be floor-length. This is a great space saver and is suitable for storing various other items.

Interchangeable Modules Work Wonders

If you work from home or are in an unaccommodating office space as far as plug-ins are concerned, consider investing in a dock square(s) with interchangeable modules. You purchase a modular bar and then buy individual interfacing components to fit into the bar. These parts can be singular-function or have a couple of functions per module. The dock square is plugged into a wall socket and can then rest on any surface or attach to a wall. For example, you could have a couple of LAN lines in one module next to ethernet switches or a multi-HDD socket and a module with a special plug-in socket.

Also, there are modules available that can interface with devices that originate outside of the UK. This would be a workable solution for those who do business internationally. This allows the location of office equipment in areas that make more sense for function and visual appeal. It would also allow for more practical lighting where needed and interfacing requirements.

Your home office is where you do a lot of important work. You won’t function as efficiently if you’re uncomfortable, though. You need this space to feel inviting and cozy, otherwise, you won’t get anything done. Here are four easy ways to make your home office more comfortable.

Get the Right Desk and Chair

When you shop for furniture for your home office, don’t act impulsively. The items that populate this room go a long way toward determining your effectiveness while you work. If you have too many distractions, you won’t focus on your assignments. Similarly, if the work space is too sparse, you won’t feel at home in the room, which will make you avoid it.

You want a welcoming environment, but you should also think in practical terms. You will sit at your desk and chair most of the time that you’re in this room. You need a chair that’s comfortable enough that you won’t feel distracted as you work. You should get a chair that has great lumbar support.

You also want a desk that has electrical outlets and USB ports. That way, you can connect all your electronics straight into your desk. If you like a desk that doesn’t have these plugs, you can add them yourself.

Add Light

The danger of a comfortable chair is that it might feel too comfortable. You don’t want to fall asleep when you’re trying to work. To avoid that kind of time burglary, you need to keep the room bright. You should position your desk so that it gets maximum sunlight. If your work area doesn’t have a window, you should consider adding one. If that’s not possible, use higher wattage lightbulbs to illuminate the room fully. You won’t fall asleep in a well-lit room.

Keep Snacks Handy

You should add a mini-refrigerator to your home office. That may seem counterintuitive, but plenty of healthy foods make you smarter. When you’re feeling stymied, some brain food could trigger the surge of creativity that you need to finish the job.

By adding a mini-refrigerator, you’ll always have these foods nearby, preventing the temptation of taking a break from your work to leave the room. When that happens, you may struggle to get back in the flow again, turning a quick trip to the fridge into a wasted hour. You should also think about storing some snack foods in the desk drawer for the same reason.

Service Your HVAC Unit Regularly

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the most important aspects of modern living. You spend most of your time indoors, and the air that you breathe determines how comfortable you are. You want to make sure that pollutants like dust particles and pet dander don’t get into your HVAC vents and filter into your home office. By servicing your HVAC unit regularly, you will breathe clean air and avoid potential allergic reactions that could wipe out an entire day’s work.

You must feel comfortable in your home office. The tips listed here are merely a good start toward creating a living space that feels inviting and conducive to great work.

Being a businessman in Delhi is one of the most difficult things. You have to manage a lot of things and not just the work you do. Owning a transport business is even tougher as you have to deal with various difficult circumstances on a daily basis and make immediate calls without having much time to take decisions. But I have been in this business for quite some years now.

My father initiated this business and I just took over from him. He started by establishing an office in the famous Karol Bagh area of New Delhi. A lot of things had changed since his time, but one thing remained constant. It was our office. It has been more than 30 years now since we established this office. After 3 decades, it really looks outdated and doesn’t fit the standard that our business has reached. Moreover, it leaves a bad impression on the customers and the clients who visit us. The people get an impression that if such is the state of the office then how good will their services are.

So to rectify this and improve customer impression which was leaving our business dwindling, I decided to give my office a completely new look. I wanted to redesign it from the core. I wanted to give it a modern look with modern techniques. The look I preferred was something related to transport only. So I decided to hire an interior designer who would do the job just as I required it to be done.

The Search for the Best Interior Designers Began

It seemed to be an easy job at the first. I thought I will easily find the best interior designer in Delhi and then get him to do the job quickly. But sadly, it wasn’t as easy as it first sounded. It was a struggle to be very honest. I began my search by contacting a local designer whose office is situated in the same market as mine. I told him about the plans I had but he straightaway rejected them. He said that it would not be a wise choice to do what I desired and gave me his design for consideration. I didn’t like his idea and wanted no compromise on getting what I was looking for. So I gently refused his proposal and came back. Now I needed to find someone else who would agree to take on what I wanted rather than forcing his ideas upon me.

So I picked up the newspaper and opened the classifieds section straightaway. I looked at a couple of interior designers in Delhi and contacted them. One of them even rejected by saying that they will not be able to provide services in my area, which was very weird to hear. The second one asked for too much money which was completely out of my budget. I had no other option but to reject that as well. So besides the many worries which my business gave me every day, this was a new worry which was added. It was getting difficult to manage everything together.

But I knew this was an important work and I had to prioritize it at any cost. I contacted my friends to see if they could be of any help. But even after calling more than 10 of them, I still couldn’t find any good Interior designer in Delhi. I was getting clueless and had no idea of how to find even a good Interior designer, let alone finding the best interior designer in Delhi.

Heard about the UrbanClap App

I returned home that day in disappointment and was thinking what to do now. My son saw me tensed when I reached home and asked me if I had any trouble. So when I told him about the situation, he smiled at me and told me to not worry anymore as he had a solution for this problem. He told me about a mobile app known as the UrbanClap App. He told me that I can easily find many services here on this app, including that of an interior designer. I asked him if I could find the best interior designer in Delhi, then he told me that UrbanClap has partnered with the top brass of service providers in Delhi and will surely provide me the best services in Delhi without a shadow of doubt.

Installed the UrbanClap App

So I immediately installed the UrbanClap App on my device. The installation was smoothly done and I got registered on the app through Google.  I straightly checked in the interior designer section. Then I was prompted to answer a few questions. These questions ranged from the type of property we were looking to redesign to if we would want design and execution or wanted the designing. After answering that I wanted both design and execution in my office, they further asked if we wanted only a few areas to be designed or the entirety of the office. I chose the option of the entire office. After a few related questions to this, we were asked what our total budget was for the project and at what location we were looking to have the services.

So as soon as I completed answering all the questions, I was told that my request and details have been forwarded to suitable designers and that I shall receive calls and texts from them to discuss the project and get a quote from them as well. Next morning, I received calls from two interior designing firms. I was quite surprised to see such quick response. I talked to both the firms and received their sample works as well. I really liked the samples of one Ravi Kumar interior designer. I asked him if he could take my project and work according to the plans I had in my mind. He immediately accepted it and was more than ready for it. Besides this, the rates he mentioned to me for undertaking the project were suitable for me since it fell into my budget.

Work got started quickly

He started the designing from the next day onwards. I told him that I needed the work to be completed quickly so that it doesn’t hinder my day to day business activities. He readily agreed to it and the design was ready on the theme of transportation within a couple of days. The execution of the design began from the third day onwards and it took a couple of weeks for its completion. After I took a look at the final piece, I was almost jumping in joy. It was perfect to say the least. I immediately called Ravi Kumar and thanked him for such wonderful work. Finally my office had a modern day look and it would certainly be creating good impression on the customers and clients that would visit our office.

I owe them, you should try too!

UrbanClap helped me find the best interior designer in Delhi and I owe a lot of gratitude to them. I would suggest everyone to give them a try as they will surely provide you some of the best services in town.

Your physical work environment has a huge impact on not only how you work, but on your overall ability to increase your productivity too. As such, it is very important that your workplace should be designed in such a way that it inspires you to work actively and energetically.

If you are an owner, it is your moral duty that your employees should feel completely comfortable to perform their job duties. The office environment plays a major role in influencing their performance and motivate them to increase their work abilities. Therefore, it is very important that you design your office in such a way that each of the employees get such a working environment that is suitable to their job profile. Moreover, today, creativity has taken place in lots of sectors, so it is crucial that you should be creative while designing your workplace either at the office or at home.

Let us take a look at some of the factors that you should consider while designing your office.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most crucial factors that play a major role in keeping your employees actively focused on their work. A lack of lighting creates dullness and lethargy throughout your workforce, which can affect their work adversely. Moreover, it may also create some health issues like headaches, fatigue, eyestrain, and overall irritability.

Therefore, make sure your office has sufficient lighting from all the sides and try to allow as much natural light as possible. Also, make good and appropriate use of bulbs and lights, which will allow the workers to perform their duties with ease and comfort.

Ergonomic chair and table

Comfort should be your foremost priority when deciding on where to place your office furniture. This means that the chairs and tables should be such that the workers/employees do not have to strain their body parts while working.

Today, you get varieties of ergonomic chairs and tables, which allow people to work with ease without straining their backs or necks. This is because the neck and back are the main body parts that get affected when you constantly work on your desk either on the desktop or your files. As such, make sure that the computer screens are placed in such a way that your employees do not have to raise their necks for focusing on their screens. Also, you should ensure that the chairs in your office should be completely comfortable against their backs.

Hide the wires

Before wireless connectivity, offices that housed a lot of computers and other electronic devices would naturally have to accommodate a number of wires too. As such, you should hide all the wires of laptops, electronic devices, docking stations, and others electrical items. The appearance of wires give a very untidy look to a workplace and gives a feel of clutter all around. Moreover, it is also risky when you are bound to pull any of them by mistake while working, so you should keep them concealed or out of the way.

Bring in the outdoors

Nature plays a hugely significant role in affecting human behaviour. In fact, when you are closer to nature, you are likely to have a feeling of positive energy in you and this will also be reflected in your work too. As such, when you design your office, you should look to bring in some small plantations, which will help you have a natural environment in your workplace as it can improve the productivity of your workforce.

Multi-purpose workspaces

Today, open and multi-purpose offices are a big trend throughout the business world, and it has helped to revolutionise the way that employees work. You can have multipurpose spaces for the employees, which can be utilised for various kinds of work by employees. For example, you will see lots of oval-shaped office desks, which will allow four to five people to meet, as well as the shift toward height adjustable tables for standing meetings.

Designated lounge areas

Today, the trend of having open workspaces is very much in. Also, light, powerful and wireless technology has taken over the office space more than ever. Therefore, the idea of having a designated lounge area has come up to encourage the enjoyable working environment.

Workplace organised by colour

Today, colourful offices have come into the trend and so, it is advisable that you bring in bright colours to enhance your workplace environment. Bright colours always bring in positive vibes and energy. Therefore, choose to integrate pops of colours.

Apart from the creative and productive ideas mentioned above, you can also consider a few other things like community tables, a mix of different textures and more. Go for the latest and the most creative office furniture to enhance your work environment.