You know us, we like to keep our finger on the pulse of what’s hot and what’s not in the commercial interior design industry so naturally, we’re already looking towards 2020 at the trends we’re expecting to see steal the limelight.
We’ve done some research, our experts have put their heads together and we’re now ready to share our trend predictions for the coming year, including:
- Vegan, organic and recycled fabrics
- Bold, clashing colour palettes
- Environments designed with physical and mental diversity in mind
- (Even) more work-life integration
- Workspaces with modular, moving parts
- More outdoor settings
- More to combat the Privacy Crisis
- An increase in informal working environments
A whole new love of huddle rooms
Also known as ‘thinking spaces’, huddle rooms are small settings within the larger workspace which are designed for use by around 3-6 people. Typically used for intimate conversations, closed collaboration, impromptu meetings and uninterrupted idea-sharing, enhanced by developments in workplace tech. They’re not a totally new concept but we’re expecting another wave of appreciation for their versatile benefits to both open, collaborative projects and private group work.
Click for more on the benefits of huddle rooms
Sustainable fabrics & more conscious materiality
Sustainable fabric is already making serious waves in the fashion industry and we’re expecting it to move into the realms of interior design imminently. We’ll be seeing synthetic, manmade materials specified less in favour of more sustainable, low emission, animal-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, jute, bamboo, recycled wood and re-purposed plastics.
Click for more on organic, vegan and recycled fabrics
A more inclusive approach to space-planning & product
As the modern workforce continues to diversify and span more age generations, the demand for more inclusive workplaces is something business owners and designers can no longer ignore. More than just legal requirements and industry standards, an inclusive workspace is a moral obligation to ensure employees feel mentally safe, equally trained and physically able when navigating their environments.
Click for more on inclusive workplaces
Work-life integration leading the way for informal settings
It’s no great secret that our private and professional lives are becoming heavily intertwined and it’s no breaking news headline that we’re spending more time ‘at the office’ than ever. Workspace design is reacting to this ongoing shift in culture by introducing things like social spaces, workcafes, games rooms, rejuvenation zones and even meditation areas. We’re expecting to see more of this – think yoga rooms, domestic living areas, resimercial design, gym facilities, homely kitchens – as workspaces become more like a home from home.
Click to find out more about how social spaces can help staff be more creative
Added provision for privacy
We’ve spoken many times before about the Privacy Crisis and the paramount importance of office acoustic solutions to ensure employees can find peace and quiet when it’s required. However, with open plan spaces and co-working still being popular, adequate privacy remains a problem. We’re expecting to see more shielded, single-person facilities such as pods, booths and high back acoustic furniture emerging as employees chase personal space, low noise levels, individual focus and confidentiality.
Click to brush up on your ABCs of office acoustics
Optimising the use of outdoor spaces
We talk about bringing the great outdoors in with biomimicry and when the weather doesn’t permit it, this is an effective alternative but you just can’t beat the real thing. More and more businesses are starting to embrace their outdoor surroundings by transforming them into functional, well-equipped al fresco work settings. We enjoyed testing out Frovi’s new outdoor furniture offering at Clerkenwell Design Week 2019 and are looking forward to seeing more products emerge on the back of this growing trend.
Click for more reading on why you should consider an outdoor workspace.
More adaptability & flexibility than ever before
Employees are becoming more mobile – they’re nomadic, they’re agile and they’re anywhere they need to be, whenever they need to be there. For this reason, workspaces need to be more adaptable and reactive than ever before. The brand new Steelcase Flex collection was revealed earlier this year and introduces a selection of reconfigurable furniture solutions which can be adapted, moved around the space and reshaped according to task and requirement.
Contrast & clashing when it comes to colour
In terms of colour and texture, we’re expecting see bold clashes, daring contrasts and big, bright, rainbow-coloured hues. In Camira Fabrics’ 2019/2020 trend report entitled ‘Why not…’, they talk about challenging tradition, breaking boundaries, being brave and indulging in whatever it is you feel makes you, you. Our experts are predicting a contrast of soft, organic features with the raw, hard elements of industrial design.
As with all interior trends, these can be incorporated into your working environment to any desired degree.
You don’t need to turn your office into the Amazon rainforest to reap the rewards of biophilia, nor do you need to repaint every single wall and overhaul your entire colour palette. Remember, your workspace is a great ambassador for your brand identity so make sure it stays consistent and true to you even when you’re playing around with new textures, styles, colours and layouts.
There are a few trends which don’t seem to be shifting again this season, including biophilic design, the clash of residential and commercial (aka ‘resimercial‘) and nomadic, agile working so make sure you stay in the loop with those ones too.
