Designing a corporate office

If you’ve ever worked in an office before, you’ll know how utterly integral the space’s design is to the running of operations and the productivity of an entire team. Corporate offices exist as a space where ideas come to life, and where tasks, roles and expectations are communicated and defined. Indeed, a corporate office is so much more than a space for business – it’s the environment in which corporate culture is nurtured and encouraged, a place where a company’s goals are met and maintained. The interior of an office must have the power to support and stimulate operations while providing a pleasant environment for those spending their time there. In short, office design is everything, and is certainly beyond the colour schemes, furnishings and accessories that you might choose to place there.

Be inspired by 2017’s top office trends

Let’s take that step towards a more functional, inspirational space; what are this year’s biggest office design trends?

• Flexible spaces

Modern office designs support fluidity. This means that the spaces, rooms and even furnishings are adaptable, changing from day to day to support the needs of the business. These kinds of offices boast modular seating and desks, open-plan arrangements and workspaces that are free of ownership.

• Integrated technology

Is your office making the most of the technology that’s available? Offices emerging out of this year’s biggest trends are designed to be wireless, with the fluidity to access any and all programs regardless of where employees happen to be. The most productive offices aren’t those that merely embrace technology, but those that coexist with technology.

• Ergonomic working

This latest office trend reflects employers’ continuing awareness of staff health and wellbeing; whether they’re providing ergonomic furniture, creating dedicated relaxation rooms or bringing the outdoors in, these corporate office designs nurture mind, body and soul in the search for improved morale and productivity.

Five things you might want to consider…

Your office space will become a tangible means of supporting your business’s culture, ideals and expectations; its furnishings, layout and design will not only supply visitors with a view to your company’s personality but will also provide the practicalities needed for running operations. A corporate office should have plenty of room to allow creativity to breathe, as well as the physicalities of business, such as furnishings, technology and storage. Put quite simply, your business environment should be one in which your employees, clients and associates can thrive and reach their full potential.

What is your office trying to achieve?

To design the perfect corporate office space, you should give consideration to the following questions. What is your brand identity? What attitudes and expectations must your business convey? How will clients and team members engage with your company’s corporate culture? What does your business need in order to succeed? Your corporate office will say a lot about your business, and about the culture, conversations and creativity that are born there; every attention must be given to those finer details, however minor they might seem. In order for your business to succeed, it’s helpful if your staff and clients believe in your corporate image and can engage with its nuances. An office design that reflects those details is vital, therefore.

What does your entrance say about you?

There’s an old saying that you’ve no doubt heard: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This philosophy has never been truer when it comes to office design, and particularly in the matter of your reception and entrance area. Your reception desk is the first point of contact for employees and clients; it’s your business’s opportunity to introduce its brand, vision and expectations to the world. This area must therefore be welcoming, functional and professional, with every care given to that first impression. How do you want to communicate your brand? Interior marketing is essential when it comes to your reception and foyer, so think about the colours and comforts that visitors might expect. The right motifs and furnishings will play an important role in what happens next for your business.

Is your office a true reflection of your business?

Have you thought about the ways in which your corporate office does, or should, reflect the type of image that you’re trying to convey? Creative businesses should be able to demonstrate their creativity, while construction and architecture firms should show off what they’re good at, for example. Your corporate office should do so much more than allow operations to occur; it should be a transparent space that enables business and ideas to flow effortlessly. Glass is one of the best and most popular ways to give an office transparency, creating illusions of space and fluidity. Glass, much like the panes of patterned and mirror glass created by specialists such as The Wholesale Glass Company, lightens and brightens office spaces, ensuring that there’s room for creativity and ideas to breathe and blossom.

Have you got the space to work, rest and play?

Your office needs to be a productive environment that supports the daily operations of your business. However, the space needs to be so much more than that besides. Your employees, associates and clients are likely to spend a considerable amount of time at your corporate office, so the space must satisfy and nurture a range of requirements. Consider providing flexible workstations, spaces for collaboration and quieter reflection, a room for relaxation and sufficient outside space for meetings and breaktimes in the fresh air. A break room should become a priority; after all, the opportunity to relax and unwind is integral to productivity and staff morale. Your corporate office should be a place where thoughts and actions come together seamlessly, a place that’s as much for contemplation as it is collaboration.

Have you considered storage?

The issue of storage is as important now as it has always been, particularly when it comes to designing a smart, sleek and functional corporate office space. Indeed, storage is of equal importance to design and layout. You’ve designed a clean, beautiful space, but have you thought about where you’re going to put everything so that the office floor retains its charm? Clutter-free offices are usually the most productive, allowing employees to find what they need in the instant they need it – if everything has been put away carefully, that is. Sufficient storage reduces office stress, aids time management and ensures that you’re following health and safety protocol. What’s more, tidy offices tend to make the best first impressions; don’t be tempted to leave anything to chance.

Businesses are always evolving, and the corporate environment has to be able to keep up. Indeed, corporate offices are no longer rigid spaces that serve a single purpose; now they’re as multi-faceted as the companies they house. Your corporate office should encourage creativity, breed ideas and nurture talent. It should be a fluid environment, with reinvention and transformation at its heart. Work routines, technologies and even employees have changed; isn’t it about time that your corporate office reflected such a shift in dynamics?