The past two years have encouraged companies to rethink and restructure the American workplace. As the pandemic begins to wind down, more and more employees are returning to the office and leaving the comfort of their home offices.
While you cannot appease everyone’s personal tastes and preferences, there are a few things you can do to make your office’s environment more comfortable, inspiring, and thought provoking for your employees—after all, work should be an exciting place where new ideas come to light, success is achieved, and business connections are made!
NATURAL ELEMENTS:
Bringing plants and greenery into your office is a great way to infuse a space with a little life. Even better, Hillside Atlanta found that plants improve one’s mental and physical health, such as boosting air quality, encouraging healthy eating, relieving stress/anxiety, and prolonging one’s attention span.
LIGHT WOODS:
Light woods from floor to ceiling have been rushing into the limelight. According to Morgan Lovell, people working in spaces with high proportions of wooden surfaces have a heightened sense of wellbeing and productivity. They’re also more likely to find their workplaces relaxing, inviting, and energizing. Using lightly colored wood in your workspace gives off an airy, light feel, which evokes a sense of casual comfort for your employees. 
LIGHTER COLOR PALETTE:
One huge corporate office interior design trend for 2021 is using lighter colors with a mixture of grays, greens, and neutrals. Pops of color working together with light wood is a popular option for offices that are wanting to create a cheery, positive environment for their employees.
OPEN FLOOR PLANS:
With the last few years being largely indoors, people are still craving human connection. Open floor plans not only appease this need, but also encourage collaboration, inclusion, and energy between colleagues.
VIDEO CONFERENCE FRIENDLY SPACES:
Seamless and professional video conferences are a must for a modern workplace. Even though folks are returning to their offices, it doesn’t necessarily mean that video conferencing is going away. Hybrid work schedules and
remote work schedules are becoming more palatable to employers, so virtually connecting to those who are returning to the offices and those who are remote is an important seed to sow when it comes to creating and maintaining a community.
The STEM Ecosystem writes, “One of the biggest elements [to creating a video conference-friendly room], is the room itself. Some factors that impact the ideal room can be hard reflective surfaces, like glass walls/windows, hard flooring, or a glass or metal table.” Adding blinds, drapes, and curtains over the windows can help absorb reverberance and improve overall sound quality.
YOUR CUSTOM COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Each business is unique, and the best working environment for you and your employees is one that is custom made for you. Whether you are looking to revamp your store, your office, or your restaurant, Planning Interiors knows the value of quality custom commercial interior design, and we have the best of the best – experience, expertise, and a personalized touch. Give us a call to elevate your space.