The power of interior design is immense. Just about every goal you come up with can be accomplished by an experienced designer. Many companies today are looking for a more informal ambiance at the office. Getting an office to resemble a home is far from an extremely challenging task but is it a good idea?
Casual workspace environments can be highly beneficial to employees.
An office that looks and feels like home isn’t just a place that people will enjoy going to in the morning. The goal here is to create a community based on mutual trust and effortless interactions between professionals and departments.
Offices that feel like home have the right interior that allows workers to spend more time together, eat meals in a common room or take a quick break in the office lounge while having a lively discussion.
Homey office environments are an extension of a family-style culture that a company has adopted. Such a culture can increase worker loyalty and bring down employee turnover rates. Most businesses today are struggling when it comes to keeping their workers engaged. An office that promotes frequent interactions, the effortless exchange of ideas and a focus on one’s passion could be one of the tools needed to form a strong team and to keep it together.
A Singapore interior design company like Home Guide specialise in contemporary office design. A cosy and homelike atmosphere can be created through a couple of simple approaches. If you want the best outcome, you should definitely consider hiring a professional and following these suggestions in terms of execution.
What does a standard office look like? It features metal surfaces, clean desks, whites and neutrals. The corporate feel is evident in every single element of the design – from colour, flooring choices to the selection of the best furniture.
Homey office interior design aims to counteract the coldness and the sterility of the traditional office.
The goal can be accomplished in a couple of simple way.
Warm colours and pastel tones are a great choice over corporate hues like navy, grey and black. The same applies to wooden elements, mosaics and interior design accessories made of natural materials.
Textiles, carpets, curtains, cushions, pillows and rugs are also great choices. These can be scattered here and there or concentrated in the lounges that employees use to take a break from the hectic day. Textiles rank among the unorthodox choices for corporate environments and they’re much more common in residential design. As a result, you will easily deliver the message and carry the “home sweet home” feeling throughout the office.
The problem with such office design is that everybody’s interpretation of the term home is unique.
If you want to make everyone feel welcomed at the office, you may want to get the employees involved in the design process.
One of the simplest ways to benefit from everybody’s input is to ask workers to bring a favourite accessory or a piece of art to their workspace. While such a design is certainly going to be eclectic, everyone is going to have their own spot that will make them feel welcomed.
It’s still a good idea to provide at least some guideline about the parameters of the project and the style or theme you’d be opting for. This way, employee contributions aren’t going to be excessively out of line.
Furniture purchases are often the culprit of offices looking identical. Desks, chairs and storage units look like each other, regardless of the office that you’re visiting. What’s even more problematic is the fact that companies will often carry out bulk purchases. As a result, every single room, department and relaxation area will look identical to the other parts of the workspace.
Much more thought will have to be put in furniture selection for the purpose of creating a cosy, welcoming environment.
Original pieces, curated furniture collections and different choices for the different rooms will be required. The HR department, for example, cannot have the same furniture and accessories as the office’s chillout area.
Not buying furniture in bulk and looking for more intriguing pieces will cost you more than the standard office desk and chair. Still, you will be investing in the wellbeing of employees and their loyalty. Such an investment will pay off because the acquisition of top talent and a high turnover rate can be incredibly costly for a business.
A final option you may want to explore with your Singapore interior design professional is the creation of non-standard spaces in the office.
You can easily add a small gym to the workspace – there is exercise equipment that doesn’t cost a fortune and that’s compact enough to fit in a single room.
A place of religious worship or a nursery for the workers who have kids will also result in a high level of appreciation. There are many opportunities – just think about the most pressing needs of the team and discuss those with your interior designer. Together, you will determine which ideas will be most beneficial and easy to execute in the context of the office space that you have.
Offices that look and feel like home come with many benefits and you should definitely consider such a theme for a redesign or the setup of a new office. As you can see, the changes that have to be made from the standard layout aren’t that massive or cumbersome.
Once you come up with the general parameters of the idea, you should begin looking for the right interior design team. Home Guide has extensive experience in the field of office design. We’re not afraid of experimenting and we’re looking forward to bringing your idea to reality. Contact us today to get the process started.
