10 top office design trends

In the olden days, designing the office is not given much thought. Companies simply provide their employees with a dedicated work station or work area. The relation between productivity and creativity with colors, layout and configurations of the office are not much considered. Today, however, these things have dramatically changed. Interior designers understand how workers nowadays do not need a dedicated traditional work space. Workers nowadays are more mobile rather than the conventional 8 hour work in front of a computer. Designers also understand how offices with the ample amount of natural light and the right ambiance can help workers and their teams become more innovative and effective.

Top 10 trends in office design

In designing the office, interior designers and employers should well in fact take in consideration how the office design and decorations will affect the employees in terms of their efficiency and productivity.

Here are the top 10 trends in office design that employers and their employees will love:

1. Different colors in every room – in color psychology, every color has their significant effects to the behavior as well as the total well being of a person. Every color that is painted in a room matters. For instance, red can increase the alertness and activity of the employees. While green painted walls can help the team feel welcomed and at home. Blue is known to calm things. Therefore, if the employees are constantly on the go having to meet deadlines, consider using blue to make the atmosphere calming. You don't have to use plain colors. You can opt to play with the walls with a well-designed or textured wallpaper.

2. Absence of personal work spaces – actually this is a case to case scenario. If employees are mobile, personal work spaces may become irrelevant. Many companies rely instead on hot desking. This enables employees to choose where to sit on a first come first served basis.

3. Sit-stand desk – sitting all day at work is detrimental to the health. This has been shown in several studies and many entrepreneurs have remedied this dilemma. A number of furniture manufacturers have invented versatile desks that can be configured so that workers will be allowed to tackle their projects either by sitting or standing. This setting should give them more energy and less muscle spasms.

4. Incorporation of natural elements – indoor plants, sunlight, and other natural elements have been observed in several studies to boost the productivity of employees. Oftentimes, fluorescent lights can cause headaches, and workers perform better in calmer natural lights. Plants and other natural elements are also known to be associated with increased productivity, less stress, and decreased absenteeism.

5. Flexible design – as mentioned earlier, offices are dynamic and the needs may change sooner or later. Many companies nowadays are using modular work spaces and meeting rooms that can be reconfigured on an as-needed basis. The use of this furniture pieces and work spaces are more efficient in terms of cost and labor.

6. Hide the wires – one of the biggest problems in work spaces are clutter and the wires from appliances and other electronic devices. These stuffs can make the room and desks appear very unorganized. Even if you purchase an expensive table, they can look unappealing if wires are not properly concealed within the table.

7. Designated lounge areas – the advent of powerful and wireless technology has untethered the work space. This makes work space more comfortable and can stimulate relaxed collaboration. Many offices today include dedicated lounge areas to make working more productive and fun.

8. Adding community tables – studies have shown that people are looking for more interaction at work. Therefore the addition of shared tables are making an appearance. These tables have been observed in hotels and restaurants. Community tables has been an important object for many years as it is a symbol of kinship or alliance. It has been observed that this kind of table is an important part of the work place. The addition of community tables evolve the workplace into being more domicile, more relaxed, more congenial and collaborative.

9. Textures – the use of various materials throughout the workplace create an environment that influences wellness and productivity.

10. Feature storage – furniture has become more of a design feature for the workplace. Storage furniture provide functionality as well as additional style and character to a work space.