In our advice article on knowing when to refurbish your office, we explore how to identify the right time and reasons to embark on a complete workspace transformation. In this blog post, we want to offer our expert advice on knowing when you should be thinking about refreshing the look and feel of the space.
This includes factors such as:
- Colour palettes
- Fabrics and finishes
- Layout and configuration of the space
- Brand manifestation
- Modern office furniture
From our extensive experience with a diverse range of clients, we recommend that it’s most probably time to update the look of your workspace when you want to…
Improve attraction and retention of staff
This is particularly true when it comes to new recruits as the visual impact of the space is what they will likely experience first. However, the aesthetics of a space are closely related to the vibe and culture which are imperative to attracting and retaining great staff.
For example:
If you want to foster a diverse, collaborative workforce who are able to communicate and share ideas freely, you would benefit from an open plan office with a diverse selection of different work settings.
Make a more powerful first impression
The visual impact of an office is also crucial when it comes to clients, customers and any other external people coming into the space. You want to create a powerful first impression which is memorable, engaging and welcoming.
The most obvious place to start with this is by refreshing the look and feel of your reception area. You could rethink colour schemes, furniture and way-finding to send the right signals about who you are and what you do.
Click for more on reception area design essentials.
Communicate brand identity more effectively
Part of making a strong first impression is ensuring that your brand identity is being effectively conveyed to anybody who steps into the space, internal or external.
This can be successfully done with strategic planning of space configuration, colour schemes, technology and furniture – all of which contribute to the look of your office.
So, if you feel that your workspace is currently doing your brand identity and experience an injustice, it’s almost certainly time for an aesthetic refurb.
Click for more on how office design supports brand communication.
Experiment with industry trends
Another common reason for wanting to refresh the look of a workspace is to play around with current trends within the commercial interior design industry.
Trends we predict to be a big hit during 2019:
- The continuation of resimercial design
- Further development of biophilic workspaces
- The rise of personalisation within office design
Inspire a new company culture
We strongly believe that workspace design has a direct correlation with the behaviours and attitudes of those using it. Therefore, in order to inspire the desired workplace culture, you must provide the right working environment.
For example:
If you feel that communication, idea-sharing and co-creation is low amongst your workforce, you could consider rearranging your office furniture to provide dedicated social spaces and collaborative work areas. Facilitating these multifunctional work settings will enable a more creative and synergetic working culture.
Enhance wellbeing in the workplace
Colours, fabrics and textures can have a huge impact on mental wellbeing and emotional state.
For this reason, we would recommend updating the look of your office if you think the finishes or colour palettes used within the current design might be having a negative impact on mental health or happiness.
Things to consider:
- Red can increase stress, blood pressure and anger
- Yellow is believed to inspire creativity, positivity and engagement
- Blue can stimulate feelings of trust, calm and level-headedness
- Green denotes nature and can be soothing in a high-pressure environment