Office furniture and overall design used to be very utilitarian, Hollywood gives us a clear picture of reality for most offices for the past few decades. Coveted corner offices, closed doors, secretaries perched outside ready to usher in clients or to remind their bosses of meetings, and standard furniture based on your rank within the company. Today’s offices do not have to fit into this mold, in fact HBI Office Solutions highly recommends that it does not. Instead, your workspace should fit the needs of your company, your employees, and should adjust to meet your goals. There are several trends that we have our eye on that we believe fit in with the changing needs of offices today.

Smart Technology

Smart technology is being integrated into several elements of office design. Desks that remind you to stand periodically and automatically adjust to standing height, allowing for work to continue. Other products act as personal assistants for their users, adding in reminders for lunch or meetings that need to take place. Smart Technology is also being utilized to collect data on the number of people using space for various reasons. That data is then used to plan for new, more effective design.

Open Plan Desking

More and more businesses are taking down walls between their employees. These barriers did not allow for community or collaboration in companies and lead to a more restrictive workspace that actually costs more money to build. For groups that need space for privacy, it is not uncommon to have “privacy pods” or similar spaces with a small workstation, phone, and chair to allow for confidentiality with needed. Open Plan Desking also provides the opportunity for those in the office who could use the most space, maybe a project engineer or a contractor organizing a large amount of residual files, to adapt to a larger amount of space as needed.

Open/Shared Workspaces

Not only are the walls being taken down within companies, but they are being taken down between companies as well. Shared workspaces allow for multiple groups to use the same spaces. This sharing fully integrates the adaptability that most companies are looking for. It also allows for the convenience of sharing costs, talent, and potentially provides for cross-collaboration.

Add life with plants 

Gone are the days of faux plants gathering dust in the far corners of the office. Instead, companies are searching for ways to develop nature both inside and outside the office. This is being done with natural light elements, water features, living green walls, and flowering and fruit producing trees. Additionally, the use of wood and wood grain furniture and flooring choices are beneficial.

Lounge Areas 

While a lounge has been commonplace for some reception areas, that concept is being implemented more and more into the workspace for many companies. Couches, chairs, large rugs, and other homelike settings allow for employee breaks, short, casual meetings, and for relaxed tasks to be accomplished.

Touchdown Spaces 

Today’s workforce is mobile and works from a variety of locations, but they still need a place to settle once in the office. These touchdown spaces can be minimal, but need a few core elements to make them beneficial. Built in charging ports or cordless charging are crucial, accessible wi-fi is a must, and having a location where basic files or supplies can be left and secured if necessary may be important as well.

Use of Patterns

Tired of standard latte colored walls being replaced by steel grey walls, only to be switched back in a five-year pattern? The current view that paint is a cheap way to freshen up a workspace is leading to bold colors and new designs. Abstract forms, geometric patterns, and more are being used in multiple areas of office buildings and workspaces.

If your workspace is ready to apply one or all of these changes, contact us today. We have the resources and the staff to begin working within your walls to adapt to your needs and to help your business or organization grow. Contact us at (979) 260-3001 or visit our website.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/331070 https://www.ccim.com/cire-magazine/articles/10-trends-office-design/?gmSsoPc=1 https://everettofficefurniture.com/2019-forecast-top-modern-office-furniture-trends/