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Bringing The Home Into The Office
There has been a huge trend to making offices homely and ‘liveable’. Interior designers have been at the centre of this change as rugged and cosy aesthetic have been in vogue.
We can easily blame the likes of Google and Airbnb but there is a reason why the trend has flourished; employees love it. The ‘living-room’ look enables workers to feel comfortable and relaxed in an environment that is productive.
But there is a twist...workspaces that inspire a chilled and creative atmosphere are also very well thought out in terms of ergonomic health. It’s one thing to have a stylish office that looks cool but if the furniture is not functional, not much work is actually going to get done.
So how do you strike a good balance? What elements should you be thinking about when bringing elements of home into your office design? Well, we have a few tips to start you off thinking.
Provide soft working or break out spaces where your employees can truly relax. Bringing textiles that are often found in the home into work is an ultra-easy first step. There is a reason that mental health professionals will often hold counselling session on a low sofa surrounded by textiles and cosy fabrics. It replicates a private living-room space where the mind can relax, feel safe and be open to new ideas.
When shopping for the home office we all love to ‘treat’ ourselves to a comfy chair that will give some extra back support or a height adjustable desk, but this fails to translate when looking at company’s offices. Often cost is seen as a barrier to investing into ergonomic furniture businesses but that should no longer be the case as the price of a sit-stand desk is drastically reduced.
‘Cafe culture’ in workspaces offer an extra level of flexibility in how employees work. Work desks look more like something found
in a coffee house with ambient lighting and a stylish looking décor. Many employees love ‘hot desking’ where they don’t have a fixed desk but able to come and go working at a table with their colleges. The simple change of sitting in a different seat everyday can have a profound effect on productivity and mental wellbeing. It also encourages staff to mix with the whole team.
Integration of workspace into kitchens has been hugely popular. High counter tops can become standing workstations and kitchen tables can work as hot desking spaces outside of lunch time. This constant switching around of desk space encourages employees to keep moving around as they would do as they would be working from home.
