Getting your office’s interior design from the get-go is absolutely essential; not only does a great décor create a fantastic first impression for all those prospective new clients and customers, but it’s also vital to ensure an environment that’s conducive to productivity, creativity and high levels of morale.
In fact, studies have shown that getting your office design spot on can have a tangible effect on productivity – a survey by US architects Gensler showed that ‘workplace effectiveness’ has dropped by 6% over the last five years, which it attributes to poorly thought out designs.
So how do you ensure that perfect balance between the impression you want to make to clients and the one you want to make on the productivity of your employees? This guest post runs through some key designs dos and don’ts, complete with some prime examples of fails and wins, to help your new business start off on the right foot – and nurture the right environment from day one.
Office Interior Fails – Design Don’ts
DON’T: Neglect Furniture In Design Refurbs
Edin Rudic, the creative director for New York-based design firm MKDA, stressed the importance of something as simple as investing generously and properly in office furniture in an interview with Mashable. Using chairs as an example, if you’re to spend a reasonable figure from the get go then you save money later down the line and avoid both reduced productivity and potential absences.
He said: “Proven to stimulate worker productivity and to reduce the number of sick days, ergonomic office chairs are where wise business owners invest when designing an office space.”
DON’T: Create Noisy Work Spaces
Noise is a big factor when it comes to affective focus, productivity and overall employee morale. The recent Gensler survey found that 77% of employees prefer a quiet environment to help them focus, and a worryingly high 69% said their workplaces were too noisy to concentrate and focus.
One issue which has cropped in surveys like Gensler’s is that the open-plan office design has focussed too much on collaborative working – leaving individual working or smaller group work off the table.
Open plan is a great space saver and also a really good way to get whole teams and departments working together, but not having these other quieter areas can be a downfall. Allow employees to have the choice of where to work on their own projects or in groups by creating separate areas away from their main desk.
Effective Design & How It’s Done Right!
DO: Create Branded Interiors
This can mean two things, and it’s important to embrace both – incorporate your company’s brand as part of the design through things like colours and logos, and ensure that the interior is specifically suited to what you do and how you do it. For example, if you’re a creative company offering something like digital marketing then your office needs to reflect this both to display your working ethics and for the benefit of your employees.
In terms of literally decorating with your brand, you should envisage your office space as being an extension of your business card – utilise logos, colour schemes and company values to really create an environment that impresses and speaks to clients, while embracing your employees in an environment that’s a reflection of your company vision.
Example: Red Bull’s London Office – modern, creative & relaxed
DO: Maximise Light To Stimulate Productivity
Slightly less idealistic and far more practical, but still just as important nonetheless; it’s well documented that natural light is much more beneficial to moods, morale and productivity compared with the unnatural addition of traditional office lighting, so you need to be aware of this when you’re in the process of an interior redesign.
Natural light improves aesthetic, too, helping to create a much warmer-looking and welcoming working environment, and goes a long way to help make offices feel open and spacious as opposed to enclosed and ‘stuffy’ – don’t forget this most basic of design rules!
As we’ve outlined in the post, ensuring you get this right from the get-go with your new start-up business is essential – regardless of whether you have five or fifty employees. Get this right, and you create the right environment for productivity, morale and growth!
This guest post was written by Tom McShane in association with CIS Interiors, one of the UK’s leading commercial interior design firms.