We are often asked what materials are best to use in a modern office for flooring. This is an area where you can introduce a bold colour or design, and even use different colours to indicate different zones, or fire routes. Traditional carpets on a roll are not really ideal, as they can be tricky to repair (wear and tear and coffee damage happens far quicker in an office environment than it would in a domestic one due to the increased traffic). However carpet tiles are a good solution as they allow the user to replace single tiles at a time. If the carpet is made with a thick pile, then it is often hard to see any joins and the finish is similar to that of a roll, but without the drawbacks.  Carpet tiles can also be useful when used with a raised floor as they can allow easy access to the wiring below the floor, and are usually supplied at the same size as the raised floor grid tiles (600×600mm). For areas such as coffee points where a carpet could quickly become stained a vinyl floor-covering works well. You can get a realistic wood effect vinyl that is actually laid in strips (like wooden planks) which allows for access under the floor should it be needed, and has several advantages over traditional wood, or laminate flooring products. One of the key advantages here is that the vinyl is quiet when walked upon; this may not seem a big deal, but many offices that were refurbished in the late 1990s with laminate floors soon found that the constant sound of heels on the wooden floor became a real problem.  Vinyl is also very hardwearing and water resistant and so is a good choice for offices looking for a modern appearance. There are even companies that produce vinyl floor tiles that look like steel flooring for an industrial effect, or you can even get tiles with  holograms set within them for a futuristic feeling.

For advice on office interior design, give us a call and we can discuss how we can bring your space up to date.

Most new build offices will be designed with a raised floor, but what exactly is this and how can it help to improve your office design? Basically a raised floor is a series of metal floor tiles laid over a raised grid that allow you to position electrical floor boxes anywhere within your office. This can then allow for much greater flexibility of office layout design as it means that desks do not necessarily need to be grouped in spurs coming directly off an external wall. The “spur design” tends to be the usual layout for most 1960s office buildings as these were designed with open plan in mind, but without knowing that the computer would become the standard office tool, and therefore access to electrical and network points would become so important. The raised floor allows the office furniture layout design to dictate the location of the floor boxes , rather than the position of electrical access points dictating the layout, giving the flexibility required to allow for islands of desks within an open plan office.

So, what can you do to have a more flexible layout if you don’t have a raised floor? Well, the first thing is that in order to avoid trailing cables, your most practical layout is likely to involve spurs of desks coming from the walls. However, you can also use any columns in the office in the same way, as it is relatively inexpensive to trunk power and data supplies up through a suspended ceiling and then down a column. Another way in which this can be implemented is via power poles; these work in the same way, having their supply via a suspended ceiling, but they can be moved, should the layout need to change in the future.

As more offices are going wireless and battery technology is improving we may soon be able to work completely wirelessly, and simply leave our laptops to charge overnight in a docking rack. This will give us a truly flexible office space and will no doubt have further impacts on office design.

The previous blog post discussed maximising natural daylight through office design, and this is the first step to helping to bring the outside in. Once your office is naturally lighter and brighter you can look at introducing some natural greenery through a few hardy indoor plants, and there are actually a number of companies that can not only supply the plants, but also offer a full maintenance service, to ensure that they stay looking at their best. A few simple large plants always look better than lots of little pots, and will also be easier to manage. The jungle look is never a good look for a modern office, and plants can get out of hand if unattended regularly, so it is always best to keep to the odd pot in desking areas (perhaps to mask an ugly column or other feature), and have a few more in breakout areas, being careful to avoid messy or fast growing varieties. There are even some very realistic plastic plants available now, but even these need a little maintenance, as they so tend to gather dust quite quickly, but these would be a good solution where the natural lighting is poor.

Once you have livened up the office with a few plants, a fresh colour scheme would also help and the current trends are for very natural colours (soft blues, greens, browns, along with plenty of white or white shades) rather than brash primary colours, and through our 3d modelling service we can show you exactly how your office design would look in a series of colour schemes. We can even show alternative space planning options with different colour schemes to give you a useful comparison, so if you would like to know more about our office interior design service, just give us a call.

We are often asked how can we help to make offices a little less cold and sterile, and a great way to do this is to maximise your natural daylight resources. The colour, feeling and effects of natural daylight just can’t be replicated by artificial light, and yet so many offices have poor layouts that block daylight within the office. A key principal here is to ensure that windows are not blocked by storage cabinets; the simplest way to do this is by putting all storage cabinets against partition walls. Most offices though have more storage cabinets than wall space, so the best way to ensure that natural daylight is maximised is to only ever have cabinets lined up perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to any windows. This may seem obvious, but so many offices have a row of tall cabinets running through the centre of the office space, and so these are actually parallel to the windows. What this then means is that one half of the office gets good natural daylight in the morning, but very poor in the afternoon and the other side vice versa. Through keeping the cabinets at 90 degrees some light is obscured, but you avoid the dark and light extremes. Of course investing in better storage solutions would help further, particularly a system such as a rolling stack (as discussed in earlier blog posts), as this would allow you to keep your storage in one area and so keep the open areas open.

As well as re-organising your storage, you should also look at the positioning of desks. A common mistake is to put a single manager’s desk (which is often unoccupied) next to the windows, with the bulk of the staff deeper in to the office floor plate away from the natural light. By ensuring that the natural light resource is maximised to as many workstations as possible, the overall feeling of the space for the staff will be improved. There are occasions, such as with a very large floor plate, when this can’t be done, and so here you may need to look as specialised lighting solutions, such as daylight simulation bulbs for individual desk lamps, and using as many transparent or translucent materials as possible around the office, such as frosted glass screens on desks rather than heavy fabric ones.

If you would like us to redesign your office to maximise your natural daylight resources, give us a call.

Office furniture has changed significantly over recent years; whereas a simple desk was sufficient in the pre-IT days of the 1980s, the 1990s saw ever increasing monitor sizes and therefore much bigger desks. As more staff were spending increasing amounts of time at their desks using the IT equipment, ergonomics played a bigger part in office design and the large corner desk became commonplace. However since the flat screen TFT monitor has become the norm, such large desks are less necessary, and with more offices going paper-less the actual workspace is now getting smaller. Most people now order wave type desking (rather than corner type), or even straight desks or benching.  The space freed up by smaller desks can then be used to fit in alternative working zones, such as hotdesks and breakout areas. There are also changes to the trends in the furniture finishes, with a sleek minimal look being the current vogue. The shiny white “Ipod” look has become very popular replacing the standard pale wood finishes in many modern offices, and this is often offset with a few designer style chairs to give a contemporary look.

If you would like impartial advice on your office furniture, give us a call. We are fully independent and so not tied to any single supplier or product range and so can recommend the best possible solution for your needs.

There are many ways to look to improve your office design without necessarily having to spend a fortune. Removing unnecessary partitions and opening up the space always helps as this can improve natural light, air flow and circulation, and usually helps to make your office look bigger. If your internal partitions are not structural this is relatively easy and inexpensive to do, and can totally transform your space. Often existing furniture can be re-used and it is possible to re-cover chairs and screens to give a new appearance at a reduced cost. It is even possible to replace just the tops of desks giving a new work surface, without needing to replace the whole desk, and as well as saving money, this saves wastage – helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

If you would like our advice as to how to improve your office design without spending a fortune; give us a call for some bright ideas.

These days the boundaries between home life and work life are becoming increasingly blurred; whereas a few years ago most office based jobs were a strict 9 to 5 - sitting at the same desk each day scenario, things have started to change significantly. Many employers now allow for a more flexible approach including time based at home, working from different office locations or simply working at different desks for different tasks. Where we were once tied to our desks to carry out our job role we are now more able to carry out our work via laptops and communicate via networks and mobile telephony and this has lead to changes in the way offices can be designed. Through using several different areas for different tasks you are able to make the most efficient use of your office space, and we can show you how including hot-desks, touchdown areas, breakout space as well as dedicated desking can improve both your office layout and staff perception of their workplace.

Give us a call to discuss how we can modernise your office, allowing for a more flexible approach to corporate office design.

Colors can be a very powerful aspect of a truly vibrant office space. Bright colours can inspire employees; subtle shades can calm one down, or just make one feel at ease. A proper selection of colours can help motivate your employees to get down to business! Take extra care when picking paint or wallpaper colours in your office.

Different hues resonate and spread different vibes. For example, a bright red might remind you of hearts/love, lipstick, even stop signs. Red is an intense colour; maybe not exactly what you are looking for in an office. However, a deep cherry-maroon shade could make your employees feel empowered. Also, a rosy pink shade could well liven up your office and impart it a feminine flair, encouraging lighthearted environment. (more…)

Here are some useful, practical ideas so that your office space will be not only comfortable for you but also interesting and inviting to visitors.

1. The idea of a built-in ‘Work Island’ that is positioned slightly off-centre is worth considering. It will leave enough space elsewhere in the office, allowing comfortable seating for either relaxing or brainstorming.

2. A well designed work island should ideally leave ample scope for a work surface as well as a base containing the maximum practical storage. This will allow flexibility. Include sufficient leg room on all four sides.

3. Consider building the work island at bar height if you wish to work standing up.

4. Ensure your seating includes a foot rest and gives adequate back support.

5. Your office layout can be dynamic and creative even if the budget cannot stretch to a bespoke work island. Do not allow furniture to hug the walls - with a large, empty space in the middle.

6. Try placing an attractive desk towards the centre of tour office - with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and storage within hassle-free reach on the wall just behind you. Place a sofa just in front of the desk.

You may showcase an indoor fountain prominently at your office to impress your customers but you will also have the benefit of creating a pleasant ambience in the office for your employees. You will see the benefits as many people can concentrate better, and perform better. Research has shown that indoor fountains add to the productivity of people.

Indoor fountains are available in several compact, innovative designs. Ready to use indoor fountains come in plenty of designs, materials, shapes and sizes. They are available in a wide variety of styles as well as configurations.

In fact, they are no longer just considered mere works of art; they have also been found to be highly functional and effective from point of view of natural additions to your office settings. They are pleasing to the eyes, ears and the soul. Indoor fountains are just perfect for creating a relaxing ambience. Their calming effect will make you and your employees feel relaxed.

While installing indoor fountains, one key thing to consider is their size and shape and the space available. Your selection should be based on the area of the room in which you are going to place the one you buy. It should match the overall décor of your office place.  You may use small potted plants and tasteful bonsai arrangements for creating a natural setting around your indoor fountain to add to it appeal.