When it comes to designing an office interior, there are so many different important factors for you to consider. It’s not enough to make the place ‘look nice’. You have to think about how comfortable your employees will be while working, what kind of impression it will make for clients visiting your premises, how well the space flows from one area to the next, what levels of noise pollution will be light, how much natural lighting permeates throughout the space and so much more!
If you are in the process of planning an office renovation and need some helpful office interior design tips, this is the article for you. We’re going to look at what constitutes as ‘good office interior design’, and talk you through the various principles involved with the practice.
What makes a good interior for an office?
So, what makes a good interior for an office? This will vary depending on your industry, what size space you have to work with, which direction your building is facing in relation to the sun, and so much more.
Ultimately, a good office interior should utilise the available space as intelligently as possible. It should be a relatively open plan with breathable spaces and open walkways. There’s nothing worse than being in an office with an awkward and cluttered floorplan that results in people having to wait for one another to pass in narrow lanes, etc.
Ideally, bright, light colours work nicely in an office, as does plenty of green – and by green, we mean plants! There are countless scientific studies that swear by the many practical advantages of having indoor plants.
To give you a better idea as to how to optimise your office interior design, let’s look at the four key principles…
What are the principles of office interior design?
There are four key principles of office interior design:
- Space management and orientation.
- Theme and colour scheme.
- Resource management.
When you combine these four principles you’ll have everything you need to design the perfect working environment.
To give you a clearer idea as to how these four key principles work, we’re going to talk you through each point in finer detail. Here’s what you need to know:
- Space management and orientation: the first principle of office interior design is space management and orientation. What are you going to do with the space available to you? How do you plan to utilise every square inch? This includes everything from the positioning of desks and workstations, where the various individual offices and meeting rooms are located, break room, and so much more. Intelligent use of a space will enable you to remain in an office building for longer before having to upgrade to a larger office. Just as the positioning of workstations can have a huge impact on noise pollution and productivity.
- Theme and colour scheme: colour may seem less important than things like space management or lighting, however, you’d be surprised by how big of an impact colour can have on your employees. Colour psychology is huge and can yield many advantages in a commercial application. For example, studies have found that colour not only influences our mood but productivity levels as well. In addition, colour can have an impact on how big a space feels, and what kind of message you send to any visitors to your office.
- Resource management: resource management is another big one. In order to carry out their jobs properly, your employees need to have the right equipment, stationary, and technology on hand at all times. Part of office interior design is updating your systems and switching to new technology. The use of mobile tech can also encourage your employees to be more active, moving around the office – or alternatively, having quiet spaces where they can switch off and reset.
- Lighting: lighting is arguably the most important interior design principle of all – both inside and outside the office environment. Working in a dark and uninspiring office does not do anything for productivity levels. Not only that, but it can be detrimental to your employee’s eyesight as well. Above all, natural light should be a priority. Having tall, unobstructed windows is a bonus. Of course, in offices where natural light is in short supply, having well-placed LED lights that emulate natural light is highly recommended. In addition to that, smart lighting can be utilised for some awesome aesthetic purposes – including highlighting feature walls and other ornamental features.
Office interior design ideas
Understanding the principles of good interior design and actually being able to apply them are entirely different things. As such, if you are struggling to come up with any ideas, it might be worth hiring some professionals to assist you.
The fact is, commercial office fitouts can have a huge impact on your business. If you want to take things to the next level and really inspire your employees to bolster their productivity and start driving up those sales, you need an equally as inspiring environment.
A professional office interior design and fitouts specialist will have plenty of ideas to share with you. By researching your industry, brand image, the square footage available to you (and so much more), a specialist interior designer will be able to conjure up the perfect interior décor in which you and your employees can thrive!
Conclusion
Let’s recap:
- Space management and orientation are
- Your chosen theme and colour scheme can have a huge impact.
- Resource management is vital for productivity.
- Proper, ample lighting is not to be overlooked. Nobody wants to work in a dim and uninspiring office.
- If you follow the above principles and hire a professional interior designer to help you, it can quite literally transform your business!