Office Design Trends to Watch for 2020

As we enter into a new decade, there are a variety of creative trends to watch out for, many of which could define much of future office design.

In recent years, there’s been a major focus on employee wellbeing, and ways in which to promote this to better working life, increase staff retention and further productivity. With environment playing such a major part in wellbeing, one of the biggest ways businesses have been promoting this is through office design.

We spoke to office agents, Pilcher Hershman, to discuss office design trends to watch for 2020: 

Natural Light

Many employers are beginning to realise the role natural sunlight has to play in workplace productivity. Without enough natural light, employees can often feel depressed and upset by their dim working environment. This can hinder productivity, as staff can feel less motivated to work in an unpleasant environment. 

Natural light can also help to make employees feel more awake, and therefore boost energy levels and enhance their productivity. By incorporating a lot of sunlight into an office’s design, employers can therefore help to promote the aesthetics of their office, and subsequently their employees’ energy and wellbeing. 

Green Spaces

Having a lot of plants and flowers around the office can also help to improve the aesthetics, brightening up peoples’ days and inspiring growth and productivity. 2020 may therefore see more green spaces throughout offices, helping to create a natural and vibrant office environment, greatly complimented with large amounts of natural light. 

Open Plan 

Working in closed-off areas can make employees feel claustrophobic and stressed, affecting their mood at work and potentially hindering productivity. Many offices have begun to adopt a more open plan office design, giving their employees space to think and socialise with other members of staff.  

Creating open spaces in an office can help employees to feel more relaxed, whilst designated open areas for breaks can encourage them to socialise and further strengthen a team. Overall, an open plan can therefore help to increase productivity throughout an office, boosting employee morale whilst also encouraging team bonding. 

Minimalist Design

Another major trend that many offices have implemented is a minimalist interior design. Similar to an open plan, having a minimalist design can help to give an office more space, making employees feel less claustrophobic and more relaxed in their working environment. 

Having a minimalist design can also increase efficiency throughout a workspace, eliminating unnecessary items that clutter up space and further utilising it for workstations and meeting rooms.