Establish A Balance At The Workplace

Office Trends Designed To Make You Love Your Job

Before we get into specifics related to office interior design, we must take a step back and figure out what it is that we like about our current work space and what we don’t like. It’s important to establish a balance at the workplace, both between functionality and looks and between formal and casual. An office should be designed to maximize productivity in a pleasant way, one that those using the space enjoy and grow to love. The following features and ideas will hopefully provide you with some inspiration in this sense.

Flexibility

Flexibility is important when you have a small office where you need to conduct various activities which require different settings. For example, the same space can be used as a meeting room and as a work space with individual desks. Everyone can focus on their work and, when a meeting is needed, gather at the center of the room to discuss the issues.

The need for flexibility also applies for large offices as well as for home offices. One can play with different types of layouts or use multipurpose furniture to improve functionality and save space.

Bringing the outdoors in

It has been notes on numerous occasions that nature has a beneficial role on humans, helping them release stress, relax and to be more productive. There are numerous ways in which you can let nature become a part of the office. Potted plants are one example. A fresh plant on the desk can make a person more focused and more likely to enjoy their tasks.

But nature isn’t only plants and flowers. You can also bring the outdoors in by opening the office to the views or by letting natural sunlight enter the space through windows and skylights. But these are matters we will analyze a bit later.

A casual approach

If an office is too formal and too focused on work this will more likely decrease efficiency. In order for it to become a pleasant work environment everyone enjoys, it also needs to have a casual side. This can be done by including lounge areas and spaces where employees can relax and interact with each other. In large offices, a cafe can prove to be a perfect option. Smaller offices can include features such as a comfortable reading corner or a communal dining area.

Space efficiency

There are many interesting features you could include in an office and usually there’s not enough space for all of them. You have to be efficient when planning the space, especially if it’s a small one. You need to decide which elements should take priority. For example, how large does the desk have to be? Do you need a lot of storage for files and other things? How many people use the space?

There are many other questions you need to ask yourself before you start planning the layout and the design of an office. When doing that, you need to pay special attention to the little things like all the cables and wires and all the things that usually occupy space on the desk.

Sustainability

Most big companies choose a sustainable and Eco-friendly approach for their offices and headquarters. They use locally-sourced materials, reclaimed resources and pay special attention to the surroundings as well as to the history of the space. There are many interesting ideas you can use. For example, re-purposed pallets can be turned into furniture or you can use reclaimed wood for the design.

Smart features

We are currently living in a world eager to explore new ways in which technology can make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Smart features are used in a lot of contexts. We have light fixtures and appliances we can control with our smart phones and self-watering plants. We can also include these features when designing an office, along with others such as WiFi door locks, Cloud printers and smart thermostats that learn the temperatures you like.

Natural light

There’s no doubt that natural light is very good at the office. The sun makes us feel good and we can take advantage of everything it has to offer by opting for large windows at the office and by choosing the right orientation. A lot of offices these days choose open layouts which further allows them to make the most of all the natural light and to emphasize spaciousness. However, too much light can be disturbing so consider window treatments.

An office with a view

When you turn your head and see a panoramic view of the city or, even better, of a forest, mountain or nature in general, you feel inspired and more motivated. Offices with great views notice an increase in productivity which is definitely not to be ignored. If your office doesn’t have a great view then you can improvise. Custom wallpaper or collages can bring the view you want where you want it.

The chromatic palette

Color is an important element in any design and a lot of office trends choose to offer special attention to this detail. Certain colors are believed to have particular effects on the way a person feels or on how a certain space is perceived. Blue, for example, is considered a soothing color, brown is warm and cozy but also sombre while green, orange and yellow are colors full of energy which add cheer to any space. Depending on the function a certain part of the office has to fulfill, you can choose the appropriate color palette.

Custom furniture

Customization occupies an important place in the design of any respectable office. Features such as height-adjustable desks and decorations meant to capture the essence of the company help make the space more enjoyable, increasing productivity and creating a healthy and unique work environment. It’s especially important to create a healthy and suitable work space with the help of custom-designed computer desks.

Cable management

Nobody likes to see a bunch of cables tangled up under their desk or behind the computer. Exposed wires are unaesthetic and don’t have anything in common with a productive work environment. A clean design without all these things is something that everyone should be able to enjoy at the office. An interesting trend shows how instead of concealing the cables you can turn them into wall décor.

Working from home vs at the office

We mentioned home offices a few times here so let’s develop the subject a little bit. There are clearly differences between the two types of work environments. Each one has its pros and cons.

• Working from home is definitely convenient. You don’t have to go anywhere and waste time. You can just enter the room and start working right away. There’s also more flexibility when working from home. You can take a break whenever you want, take care of some home-related things and then come back.
• However, this type of flexibility also has a downside. There’s no clear schedule. While you can save time by not having to walk or drive to the office, you can waste even more time by not getting up when you should or by doing something else.

• What would be great would be to create your own work program and to actually respect it. That means setting an alarm in the morning and starting working at a specific hour. Limiting the breaks is also thing to work on.
• It would be ideal for the home office to be a separate room away from all the noise and distractions. If you’re not alone in the house then it can prove difficult to concentrate with everyone else around you. Make it clear for everyone that your office is for work only.
• Personalizing and decorating a home office can be fun and interesting. Since you’re at home, the space already feels inviting and comfortable so there’s no need to emphasize that with unnecessary features.

( source : http://www.homedit.com/ )