Month: May 2019

Office design and layout heavily influence employee comfort and productivity. An inspiring office space will motivate employees to do their best work—and that’s good for employees and good for business.

Whether you’re relocating, opening a new office, or planning a redesign of your existing workspace, we’ve highlighted some of the latest office design trends worthy of incorporating into your plan.

Bold Colors

Most of us spend the better part of our lives at work. For decades we’ve been subjected to (or subjected our employees to) boring colorscapes that feel clinical and detached.

Neutral office décor may be safe, but it does little to inspire creativity. Thankfully, a new trend of striking color palettes and interesting patterns has emerged. Jewel tones like deep greens, blues, and purples, bursts of orange and yellow, and burgundy and browns are all making a comeback.

You don’t have to commit to huge swaths of color. Start with a few bold pops of color or patterns on select pieces of furniture or an accent wall to add depth and interest to the space.

Free-Range Cohabitation Spaces

The concept of cohabitation spaces—multiple companies under one roof—is not new. What is new, though, is the trend toward “free-range” collaboration, where companies bring down the walls and share talent and resources. The goal is to help spur creativity and innovation.

Features of free-range cohabitation spaces include:

• Open floor plans
• Communal seating instead of cubicles
• Movable walls and interior glass partitions
• Mobile furniture
• Greenery-covered walls and other natural features
• Tech spaces
• Beverage bars and comfortable lounges

Open office designs have their benefits, but it’s important to ensure employees also have quiet private spaces. Office dividers can help you create private areas where employees can get away from distractions and noise.

Greenery-Covered Walls

Living walls featuring greenery like moss, ferns, and common houseplants are transforming office spaces in 2019. These green walls bring nature inside—and connection to nature is essential to our well-being.

One study found that young adults who participated in an indoor gardening experiment (transplanting indoor plants) had demonstrably lower diastolic blood pressure and reported feeling calmer and more relaxed. That’s because, in addition to engaging the senses of sight, touch, and smell, soil contains microbes that act as natural antidepressants (dubbed “outdoorphins”).

Other studies have shown that even passive interaction with indoor plants (e.g., working near potted plants) can improve concentration and productivity, reduce stress levels, and boost mood. Plus, greenery-covered walls are just plain nice to look at. If you have frequent visitors to your office, they’ll benefit from green features, too.

Green walls are relatively easy to install and maintain—all plants need to survive is light, water, and decent soil or a hydroponic nutrient-delivery system. These systems have become so popular that you won’t have trouble finding a company specializing in their installation.

Experience-Driven Spaces

An espresso bar, climbing wall, or meditation room—at work?  No doubt inspired by the “work hard, play hard” ethos of Silicon Valley, a movement toward experience-driven spaces has firmly taken hold.

Experience-driven workspaces are especially popular among millennials in creative roles, but these workspaces are no substitute for competitive pay, good health benefits, and flexible work schedules. Experience-driven workspaces should be part of your overarching plan to attract—and retain—the best workers.

Vintage Meets Modern

Modern architecture and furnishings can feel cold and sterile, especially in hyper-minimalist interiors. The juxtaposition of old and new furnishings and décor is a popular and welcome trend. Merging vintage furniture and accessories with modern design elements creates a layered, balanced look. Contrast adds depth and character to the space.

Soften ultra-modern spaces with vintage furniture, comfortable seating, brass or gold accents, nature-inspired textures and shapes, and softer prints like paisley, herringbone, quatrefoil, or florals. When done with finesse by an experienced designer, a blend of old and new will still feel fresh.

Repurposed and Recycled Materials

Using recycled and repurposed materials—like old wood beams past their prime—is a popular trend in residential interior design right now. It’s also trending in office spaces.

Environmentally-conscious workplaces and policies are as popular as ever and can improve your business’s image. Using repurposed materials also creates a more interesting, one-of-a-kind space. If you’re going for LEED certification, incorporating repurposed and recycled materials into your interiors can only help you achieve your goal.

A few ways to incorporate recycled or repurposed materials:

• Choose wood furniture made with reclaimed wood.
• Recover old couches and chairs rather than getting rid of them.
• Reuse local refuse—from shipping pallets to old denim to salvaged glass and aluminum doors.

A talented interior designer can help you incorporate these elements in practical ways without detracting from the professionalism of your space.

Layered Textures

Employees want spaces that feel more like home. Use layers of texture—soft rugs, prints and patterns, bookshelves, interesting wall coverings, and plush furniture—to create a more inviting space.

Incorporating hand-crafted items can help spark conversation, and interesting focal points and exciting colors are liable to inspire ideas and creativity.

Space Plus: Creating Functional Office Spaces for Better Productivity

The modern workplace needs state-of-the-art solutions, and Space Plus, a division of The Sliding Door Company, provides them.

Our glass office dividers help you maximize interior space, create private areas for employees, and enhance the aesthetics of your workspace. Constructed of the highest quality tempered or laminated glass, our partitions are available in a variety of designs, glass types, and frame finishes.

View our gallery for inspiration and learn more about our room divider and interior sliding glass door solutions for office environments here.

Most conference rooms today simply don’t cut it. Too often they’re underequipped and underused. That’s because employees today don’t thrive in traditional boardroom-style conference rooms.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a conference room. What’s right for one business may not be right for another. The most important thing is designing a space that’s optimized for the needs of your employees and clients.

Whether you’re looking to overhaul a large meeting room or you’re looking for ideas to create a functional space people actually want to use, here are some tips for creating a better meeting area:

1: Identify your audience.

First things first. Who will use the space? Your employees? Employees and clients?

If your meeting room will be shared by employees and clients, the space needs to do double duty—it should be comfortable, tech-equipped, and generally designed to impress.

If you’re designing a conference room exclusively for internal meetings and strategy sessions, the space should be comfortable and functional.

Keep in mind that lack of technology is one of the top reasons why employees don’t use conference rooms. It’s worth investing in the right equipment to make the space functional and boost your team’s productivity.

2: Create flexible meeting rooms.

There are so many options for creating dynamic meeting spaces today, thanks to movable office partitions and wall dividers. Think about how your employees like to work—in small groups or large teams—and create the space (or spaces) accordingly.

You can use movable wall dividers to break up a large conference room into smaller meeting areas or to merge several smaller spaces into one large room. And, movable partitions don’t require any remodeling, like tearing down drywall or installing support beams.

In terms of layout and seating, you’ll need to explore which configuration works best in the space. Classroom-style seating will accommodate more people, while a U-shaped seating arrangement is ideal for presentations. Just make sure that the area is comfortable and doesn’t feel cramped.

3: Automate your technology.

We’ve all been in meetings or lectures where technical problems created embarrassing delays or led to unplanned agenda changes. Don’t let your business fall into this trap. You can’t afford to have audio, video, or other technical problems interfere with an important client presentation or bring employee productivity to a halt during meetings.

Integrating your technology into a single touch panel can help you avoid technology snafus. Systems today can be programmed to dim the lights, turn on the projector, and launch a presentation (and even close the shades) at the single touch of a button.

4: Bring the technology.

Rooms with technology are used 5 times more than those without it. We live in a digital and mobile world. Like it or not, accommodating the use of technology is essential. Here are two options:

• LED video walls. These high-tech displays offer a crystal-clear picture and vibrant colors that everyone in the room will be able to see, regardless of angle. Employees will love them, and clients will be impressed. LED technology has come down in cost recently, making it much more accessible for businesses on tight budgets.
• Interactive whiteboards. Another excellent addition to your conference room, interactive whiteboards allow you to connect a computer or other device to a large display screen. You can use them to present all kinds of content, from Word documents to PDF files to PowerPoint presentations. Learn more about how interactive whiteboards work.

5: Ask your employees what they want.

Too often employers leave workers out of the decision-making process. This is a mistake—especially when you’re designing a space meant for them! You may not be able to give them everything you want, but asking their opinion shows you value their input.

Space Plus: Helping You Create Dynamic Meeting Spaces

The modern workplace needs state-of-the-art solutions, and Space Plus, a division of The Sliding Door Company, provides them.

Our movable glass partitions can help you create dynamic spaces for every need—from meeting areas to “huddle rooms” to phone booths. Our partitions are sleek and modern, constructed of the highest quality tempered or laminated glass. Our talented team will help you choose from a variety of designs, glass types, and frame finishes to suit your space.

View our gallery for inspiration and learn more about our room dividers and glass conference room solutions for office environments here.