Workplace Interior Design Trends

There has been a dramatic change in workplace design over the past few years. A number of factors relying on office design include the advancement in technology, the changing economy, organisation culture, architectural and design trends and employee needs. These have resulted in a workplace interior design that is constantly evolving, progressing and innovating. As an interior design company, it is vital to stay abreast with the latest design trends in the market and to create spaces that meet the needs of the evolving environment. Below are some of the latest office design trends that are dominating the industry:

1) Open Spaces:

Many companies are doing away with the conventional workspaces comprising of cubicles and are embracing open workspaces. Open spaces aim to encourage collaboration and team-work as opposed to cubicles that promote privacy and isolation. Partitions are either being completely removed or getting shorter. Lower walls foster employee interaction whilst giving them a sense of privacy. Tables are being added between employee's workspaces to boost communication. Lounge spaces are being preferred instead of traditional conference rooms for better exchange of ideas. The reason for this kind of workspace adoption is the belief that collaboration boosts creativity and not isolation.

2) Mobility:

The advent of wireless technology has facilitated employees to work from any place in the office without being stationery in their own place. To support flexibility, most chairs and stools have wheels. This moving seating enhances collaboration between the employees whilst giving them a sense of freedom. Many companies are also selecting height adjustable workstations that enable employees to either work from a seated or standing position, simply providing some change in between. The ill effects of prolonged sitting have also led to a selection of ergonomic chairs that provide a high level of comfort.

3) Biophilic Design:

Bipohilia, the innate human response to nature is the most popular design trend prevalent in the workplace industry. This design involves incorporating elements of nature in the office space, thus giving a feel of the outside environment within the office. Studies also show biophilic design to improve productivity and health whilst reducing stress at a large scale. Biophilic design can be implemented in the office in various ways, such as including indoor courtyards, use of colours, patterns, textures and fabrics that resemble those found in nature, adding skylights or realistic imagery of nature in the form of paintings and photographs. Also, large windows can be installed to have access to natural lights.

The workplace needs to adapt to changing design trends to ensure employee satisfaction and enhance employee productivity. Although, a business needs to stay updated to the design trends, it needs to assess their business goals and requirements first. For example, a business dealing with high confidential information cannot have open workspaces. Hence, it's very vital for business to understand the business they are operating before they adopt any design trend.