When it’s time to design your office fit out, most people want to know what everyone else is doing in their offices at the moment so that they can do something similar.
After all, no one wants to be behind the times. So, here are three of the current office design trends in Australia and overseas.
It is becoming increasingly popular for companies to want a large space on which to write and brainstorm ideas. This was traditionally done with the standard whiteboard, but these days, office designers are coming up with more creative ways to do this. There are a few whiteboard and blackboard paints on the market that office designers are favouring because you can make your writing space as big or as small as you like. It isn’t uncommon for entire walls to be painted so that employees have as much room as they like to list ideas or write out memos. The only hitch with this great office design trend is that it can be highly expensive. This has led to the increased popularity in the traditional blackboard (not painted, just your standard blackboard mounted onto the wall). Many designers believe that blackboards are more aesthetically pleasing then whiteboards. As blackboards can be hard to find these days, they are a little on the expensive side, but nowhere near the cost of the paint equivalent.
Say goodbye to your private office (unless you’re the boss, of course) because open plan offices are becoming increasingly popular. Companies are trying to make the best use of space possible, and office designers have found that giving everyone their own private area is just not the way to do this. An open plan office design also makes it possible for more employees to fit into the space, allowing for expansion. Partitions are also getting lower, as office designers have found that a space will look much bigger if people have a panoramic view. Some designers advise that a panoramic view whilst seated is preferable, whilst others maintain that if the office can be viewed panoramic whilst standing that this is fine.
The inclusion of yoga or prayer rooms within an office design also seems to be a rising trend. As employees are spending more time at the office, companies are realising that there is a need for areas where they can unwind and just take a few minutes to themselves. These spaces are not always big, quite often designers just allow for a chair or two. This is not a common design choice for small companies. Rather, you will find these kinds of designs in the offices of large corporations or ones that have a high number of staff.