If you and your team are making a return to the office, whether full-time or part-time, now is the best time to start making some upgrades to make it as conducive for productivity and comfort as possible. In the past year and a half, there’s no doubt that your employees have grown accustomed to their home offices, finding the most optimal way to work from the comfort of their houses.
If your team is returning to the office soon, here are some design upgrades you can make to replicate the comfort they experienced in their own homes.
Cozy reception area
How about styling your reception area so that it feels more like a home and less than a workplace? This is so that anytime someone walks in, whether an employee of your company or a client, they will be greeted by a gorgeous desk and a plush seating area that is not reminiscent of a sterile office or a doctor’s clinic. Here are some design and style tips for making your reception area much cozier:
- Instead of an island, opt for a regular table. It will make your receptionist seem more accessible and welcoming.
- Incorporate a rug to add some texture and depth to the reception area.
- Add a sideboard behind the main table or desk so that your receptionist has a place to store their belongings as well as some office supplies.
- Don’t hesitate to explore some interesting artwork! Some abstract art and elegant decor pieces can help ground the reception area and make it feel more like a home than an office.
- With the right desk and sideboard, you will have plenty of room for storage without sacrificing a clean or minimalist look.
Efficient heating and cooling system
One of the best things about working from home is that we can control the temperature at any given point. Your employees don’t necessarily have that privilege, which is why you want to ensure that your place of work is conducive to comfortable temperatures all year round. For example, studies found that the formula for the proper office temperature was designed for men, which is why women often experience finding cold offices unbearable.
Consider investing in silicone drum heaters and place them in key areas in your office so that those who tend to get colder—regardless of gender—fast have access to some warmth during the day, especially as we approach the cooler seasons.
Glass shelves
If you truly want your office to feel more like a home, why not consider a type of shelf that’s more commonly found in residential properties? A beautiful glass cabinet will not only serve as a place for storage; it can also add aesthetic value to the office, especially when the decorative elements inside are styled properly. Here are some basic tips for styling an open or glass shelf:
- Make sure that everything is balanced. It’s a basic interior design principle that many DIY home decorators and stylists forget, but it’s so crucial if you want your space to have a feeling of equilibrium. When styling the shelves, look at them from afar to see if they complete each other and stand as one shelf when the other is removed.
- Understand how much space you have before buying pieces you want to display on the shelf. You also need to consider what colors will be in the room and let them influence the decorative elements inside the shelf.
- Be strategic about your groupings. While we want balance, we don’t want to make every shelf or area of the cabinet look or feel too similar or uniform.
- Mix different styles, like modern and traditional, as well as various textures. Just make sure that everything forms a cohesive whole.
Add a lounging area to conference rooms
If your industry entails a lot of stress and long hours, you might want to add a cozy lounging area in one of your conference rooms. This will give you and your employees a chance to sit somewhere a bit more comfortable when your meetings are taking forever. Add some throws, rugs, and fluffy blankets in various textures to make the space feel more intimate and add depth to the lounging area.
The Bottom Line
Your office needs to be a place where you and your team can feel comfortable and free while still maintaining professionalism and productivity. If you design it in a way that makes it feel like home, they might be more excited to go back to work.