As everyone is starting to transition from working from home to heading back to the office, it might be time to reconsider what is an optimal workspace that promotes both the physical and mental health of employees.
The current trends to consider generally focus more on safety, comfort, and sustainability as the world starts to explore ways to create happier and more conducive workspaces. Read on to find out more about the up-and-coming design trends for offices in 2021.
Creating Options for Natural Lighting
One of the biggest new trends is to incorporate more natural forms of light into your workspace where possible. This generally refers to having more window openings for sunlight. If this is not possible for your current setup, it is also possible to mimic the effect by using diffused light or adjustable artificial lighting.
However, if you have windows that tend to exacerbate sun glare, it could be worth considering getting appropriately sized plants or translucent blinds to tamper the intensity of the sunlight. Another solution is to avoid reflective wall finishes and flooring as well.
Green Options and Sustainability
During the pandemic, many people started getting into gardening as a way to destress. This served as inspiration for the upcoming trend of having more green options around your workspace. Having a living wall or more plants around the office isn’t just aesthetic, they can be functional as well. Research has shown that adding plant life into your space can help to increase productivity, reduce noise, filter out toxins in the air, and even improve the oxygen flow and overall air quality. On top of this, they can create a more home-like, comforting atmosphere for your workers to enjoy.
Wall Coverings
Wall coverings are an umbrella term for any kind of color, texture, or pattern that is introduced to a wall. This can refer to paint, wallpapers, or even textured overlays. By choosing an appropriate color or pattern, it has unique benefits of being able to create a more creative atmosphere, add the personality of the company into the space and improve the mood in the workspace. On top of this, many wall coverings now also come with the additional benefits of properties like being fire retardant, easy to clean, or anti-bacterial.
If you are thinking of updating your office design prior to everyone heading back to in-office work, consider working with an interior design firm for a simpler and more stress-free process. Here at Materials Inc., we firmly believe that everyone deserves to have a workspace that they feel comfortable and welcomed in. After two decades of experience working in the workplace and corporate interior design industry, we have streamlined our work processes to promote customer satisfaction in as efficient and accurate a manner as possible.
For more information on how we can help you create a better workplace, drop us a message on our online form or call us at 201.968.0101 today.