At Layrd Design our mission is to help all employees enjoy the space they spend their working day in. We have made this blog to help you improve your workspace.
These are our top design tips for enhancing your office space and getting the most from your workforce:
Colour
Firstly, what do you want the space to achieve? Are you looking to create a quiet area for concentrating on important emails and spreadsheets, or are you looking to create a creative collaboration area for group discussions and brainstorming ideas?
If you are looking for a quiet space, natural tones and colours which connect the brain to plants, the sea and nature are required. Deep shades of green and pale blues create a sense of calm in the human mind and help promote a relaxing and peaceful space. To liven up the brain and make it work creatively, add bolder colours like oranges and yellows. These 'louder' colours wake up the mind and make it think, which is ideal for brainstorming and collaborative areas.
Lighting Design
The lighting design and choice needs to work alongside the colour choice, if these complement each other they will make each element stronger. Bright white light makes you feel more awake and is normally found in more traditional office spaces where banks of desks are standard. This is great for above desk areas where LUX levels are important to keep employees’ eyes healthy while looking at a screen. But as people tire and energy levels deplete it has been proven that having a duller more yellow light helps to keep people focused and also enhances their wellbeing and mood.
Working in a brightly lit room all day is a major factor in the decrease in efficiency levels, whilst causing side effects such as headaches. Lighting needs to be adaptive and using lighting to create different atmospheres throughout the workspace will offer areas of sanctuary for employees away from their desk.
Diversity/flexible spaces
Leading on from flexible lighting comes flexible furniture and working areas. Modern workforces are no longer happy sitting at the same desk for 8 hours each day. People are looking for a diverse office which allows them to work in an acoustic booth, on a high stool or in a comfortable armchair.
‘Millennial’ and ‘Gen Z’ workers are more productive if they can change their working environment throughout the day. This may depend on the task they are doing, how they are feeling or the time of day. These areas can be created within partitioned offices by creating a more informal working room, but also as breakaway areas in a modern open plan office setting.
Biophilic Design
People are happiest when they are in the natural environment.
There are now many options available to start bringing the outside landscape inside. From more expensive preserved moss walls and living plant installations, to more cost effective and easy to maintain desk planters and dividing vegetation systems. Having plants and greenery in the office space has been proven to make people happier, which in turn makes people more productive and therefore more profitable for their employers.
Breakout Spaces
Breakout and social spaces in the office should promote interaction between staff members and offer a place to escape from work and the 'to do lists'. Building a strong team bond is key to creating a contagious and motivational culture in your company, the breakout area is the place to really set the tone for this.
Offering Pool and futsal tables can work for some companies but definitely does not work for all companies. Large bench tables for lunch with restaurant pendant lighting encourages an alternative social gathering. People will recognise this set up and be familiar to the layout, they will be more likely to use it as it was intended and not eat their lunch in insolation at their desk.
If you have any questions about the above points please contact us, we are always more than happy to offer advise and help.
Email us at: info@layrddesign.co.uk
Call us on: 01223 952992