Interior designs play a big role in setting up a commercial workspace and building the identity of a business as the manner in which you design your commercial interiors reflects the personality of your brand and all that it stands for. Right from the colours you use to the kind of furniture you install, commercial interior designs have an impact on the internal and external stakeholders of a company.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Kunal Sharma, Founder and CEO of Flipspaces, spilled the beans on 10 of the most efficient types of interior designing styles for commercial workspaces, if you are setting up a new workspace or planning to renovate an existing one:
1. Open Plans
An open plan or an open floor plan is a type of commercial interior design style that involves the use of larger spaces, minimizing the creation of small enclosed rooms. Such designs involve hardly any use of walls and give an airy and open look to your workspace. Open plans provide you with clearer and better views across the space and enhance seamless collaboration between people working in the office. Especially if you are dealing with limited space, it prevents you from making your office feel crammed by using more walls and building smaller cabins/cubicles all over the place.
2. Industrial Office Design
This is the commercial interior design that has become really popular since the early 2000s. It is meant for brands who like to think out of the box and provide their workspaces with a different yet exotic look. Industrial office design deliberately gives a rustic, old, and unfinished look to a workspace. Some of the most common elements used in such designs include seemingly unfinished wooden furniture, brick walls that look raw, uncovered open spaces and more. Businesses like creative agencies and cafes use industrial office designs to stand out from the clutter and drive innovation through design.
3. A Homely Touch
As more and more employees prefer working remotely and companies have started setting up hybrid workspaces, the biggest competitor of a commercial workspace has become the homes of the employees. This has driven many businesses to incorporate the comfortable elements of one’s home into the designs of their workspaces. Commercial interior designs giving a homely touch involve the use of soft couches, cushy seats, recreational spaces, kitchens, and other elements that make the employees “feel at home.”
4. Multipurpose Spaces
Especially in cities where the space available to set up a commercial workspace is limited, businesses choose to create multipurpose interior designs to make the most of the space available to them. These designs allow you to use a single area for multiple reasons. For example, you can use a dedicated region of your office as a kitchen, an informal cafeteria, a recreational area, and a space where employees can have casual conversations. Here, the addition or removal of certain specific furniture articles and furnishings allows you to change the purpose of the space without the need to build multiple sections within the workspace.
5. Ergonomic Workspaces
Gone are the days when employees used to work 9 to 5 while sitting at their dedicated desks. As the work hours have become more flexible, employees often end up spending more time at work to get their work done. In such cases, using conventional office furniture may not be the healthiest option. This is where ergonomic workspaces come into the picture. The use of ergonomic chairs, tables, and other furniture articles provides your employees with comfort and helps them work long hours without hampering their health.
6. Biophilic Designs
Biophilic designs are the types of interior design styles that incorporate natural elements into commercial spaces. Right from using bamboo for making furniture articles to incorporating potted plants within the premises, biophilic designs allow you to give an exotic look to your workspace. Such designs prevent your employees from feeling as if they are trapped in a mechanical chamber with no outlet. They provide everyone working in your office with fresh air to enhance their productivity and feel refreshed while completing their tasks.
7. Incorporating Breakout Areas
While the word “lounging” may sound a little counterproductive when it comes to setting up a commercial workspace, it is important to provide a dedicated space for your employees where they can relax after a long day at work or take short breaks while working. Depending on the size of your workspace, you can create a breakout area for your employees to have informal department meetings, brainstorming sessions, or simply relax for some time. Add a few couches and bean bags and throw in some books and magazines to add to the “lounging” experience of your employees.
8. Flexible Workspaces With Movable Furniture
As mentioned earlier, employees no longer follow the conventional schedule of working from 9 to 5 at their dedicated desks. Modern work culture is all about flexibility and ease of operations. Flexible workspaces steer away from providing their employees with designated desks and cubicles. They make use of modern and movable furniture articles that are comfortable and add to the flexibility of the workspace.
9. Tech-savvy Furniture
In 2022, it is impossible to imagine a workspace that doesn’t make use of technology and digital devices. If you are setting up a new workspace, it is likely that you would need to set up digital devices for each of your employees. The use of tech-savvy furniture articles allows your employees to go about doing their work in a hassle-free manner. From creating outlets for cords in the desks to adding charging sockets at an arm’s length for every employee, making tech-savvy furniture is certainly the need of the hour.
10. Use Of Natural Light
Although this is essentially a part of a biophilic design, it is not limited to the same. Whether you are implementing a biophilic design or not, it is always recommended to design your commercial interiors in a way that there is enough source of natural light for every worker. Natural light refreshes your employees and prevents them from working in an office where they cannot separate night from day!
These were some of the most efficient interior design styles for commercial workspaces that you can consider for your office. As you design the interiors, always make sure that they are in sync with the personality and essence of your brand.