Workplace furniture trends are constantly evolving, especially now that many companies have adopted a hybrid work system. In this post, we will take a closer look at 8 fundamental corporate furniture trends that will remain prominent and trendy for the remainder of 2023.
1. Hybrid working
Hybrid working is often associated with significant job satisfaction, better well-being, and better work-life balance, boosting profitability and productivity. With that being said, the rise in the hybrid working approach means companies have to switch things up in terms of office design planning, reconfiguring their existing corporate furniture to allow more flexible and collaborative workspaces. Some furniture considerations you can take into account include:
- A combination of open, collaborative spaces and private pods
- Hot-desking for collaborative or large teamwork sessions
- Modular furniture
2. Biophilia
Biophilic designs are all about bringing the outdoors into your office space interior design. It could be adding greenery and planters all around your office or utilising natural materials, such as stone or wood. Being surrounded by nature is supposed to help boost overall well-being and health in your company. Some benefits of biophilic office designs include the following:
- Better air quality
- Better company health and well-being
- Increased staff retention
3. Hotelification
With hybrid and flexible working, the hotelification of office interior design can lead to attracting employees to return to the office. Hotelification encompasses incorporating hotel-like features and amenities into office designs, creating a more relaxing, welcoming, and comfortable environment.
Such features might include:
- High-quality air conditioning and lighting
- Acoustic furniture with soft seating and a decent level of privacy
- Access to F&B services
We can learn so much from the hospitality industry in terms of creating compelling, attractive spaces designed to facilitate social interaction, flexibility, and collaboration.
4. Sustainability
Sustainability refers to utilising furniture that impacts the environment minimally. One of which is using furniture that uses less energy and raw materials when designing, reducing the carbon footprint.
Your commercial office design planning could include the following:
- Using up-cycled furniture
- Focusing on maximising natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting
- Utilising materials with recyclable content
5. Smart technology
Smart offices are high-tech workspaces with human touch aspects. In today’s society, a corporate office design has to include some form of smart technology. Not only will it help to optimise workplace comfort, but it also helps corporate leaders optimise productivity in the workplace. Other benefits of utilising smart technology in offices include:
- Helping to save energy: Automatic temperature and lighting control can help utilise power better and more efficiently, reducing power consumption
- Workplace security: The use of a control system linked to connected sensors and smart cams can boost workplace safety and security
- Convenient environment: This can be achieved by having control of humidity and temperature
6. Managed offices
There are three options if you are looking to have a private office space: serviced office, a traditional office, or managed office. The managed office gives you the opportunity to design your own personal space while also promoting a corporate identity. Through the use of corporate logos and colours, as well as breakout spaces and customised furniture, managed offices offer more security and privacy as compared to serviced offices.
7. Well-being
Your employees’ well-being should be your company’s number one priority, such as their emotional, mental, and physical health. Your company should create an environment that fosters positive well-being among the employees. Here are some considerations that you can take into account to boost well-being:
- Ergonomic corporate furniture
- Natural light
- Green spaces
- Collaborative spaces
8. Movement
With an attractive office, you can be sure your employees look forward to being in the office. With that being said, you can also expect many people to share the same physical space. Hence, ensuring that there are well-thought-out movement plans can help to boost the quality of social interaction and productivity.
One strategy to facilitate movement is to pull employees away from their usual space deliberately by allocating vital areas and amenities away from them to encourage them to move about the office. These forces encounter, improving socialising and collaboration.
Conclusion
A well-planned office design can go far, impacting corporate productivity, well-being, and interaction between departments or teams. If you are looking to maximise your current office space, then OSCA is here to help. At OSCA, our award-winning team takes care of your office design from start to end. Contact us at https://www.osca.asia/ to find out how we can take your office design to the next level.
(Published in April, 2023)
