Clunky reception desks and uninviting waiting areas don’t make great first impressions for your office guests. The collaboration movement that has transformed traditional “cube city”-style offices into innovative, inspiring open spaces can be translated to your office entrance as well, and there are many advantages for visitors and employees alike. Here are a few creative and welcoming office entrance ideas and how they can work wonders for you:
Important Considerations for Your Office Entrance:
Make every inch count. We’ve shared before how shrinking budgets, increased rent and limited availability have led to smaller offices in general. According to CoreNet Global, an association of real estate professionals, the average employee is now down to 151 square feet of office space. So, employers are tasked with making every inch count at the office, including the entrance.
Foster collaboration. It’s hard to ignore the benefits of a collaborative office design: it fosters innovation and creativity; improves workflow, productivity and communication; and it positively affects employee wellbeing. But you can’t fully embrace the collaborative concept if your office design only allows for it in some areas. To make your space a true “Collaboration Hub,” the design should extend to your office entrance as well.
Think outside the box. Last, but not least, there’s a new vibe at the office today. It’s less formal and stuffy, and you want your office entrance to reflect that too. By reinventing the entrance, and taking down the literal reception desk barrier, you’re more welcoming to your clients. And you’re showing you really strive to be a partner, as visitors are part of your team from the moment they step in the door.
Teknion’s flagship downtown Toronto “Collaboration Hub” fuses an open, fluid office environment with more a traditional office blueprint to accommodate the many ways that people work today. This hybrid office concept is evident right from its entrance, which we have emulated in our own showroom! Book a tour of our showroom to see it for yourself.
Three Creative, Welcoming Office Entrance Ideas
Let’s put all these considerations into action with three office entrance ideas:
- Ditch the walls – Open up the office space by ditching the walls and tearing down the reception desk to give visitors a clear view of your environment. They’ll love the open, welcome feeling right when they step in the door. If you do need some type of separation, given the type of work you do or simply for preference, consider smoked glass walls or partitions. It’s the perfect compromise to maintain those sight lines and add a bit of privacy.
- Make use of multipurpose – Instead of a little-used waiting area to corral visitors, think of your entrance as a gathering area for everyone. Make it a spacious, working communal area by incorporating a large, collaborative bench table front and center or design a working lounge area that is both comfortable and functional. You still have that central anchor, but it now has multiple purposes — collaborative work space, reception for guests, even head-down work area — and it’s much more inviting
- Give them a reason to stay awhile – Visitors should feel at home in your office. Equip your office entrance with amenities like a coffee or cappuccino bar, free take-home swag, or gourmet snacks for visitors to enjoy during their stay. Don’t forget complimentary Wi-Fi and mobile charging stations or portable USB chargers to keep everyone plugged in. You could also add flat screen TVs or a video wall to your entrance to showcase your brand and make your visitor’s stay even more memorable.
We love these office entrance ideas so much we’ve incorporated them into our own showroom!
Book a tour to come see them in person and we’ll give you a complimentary design consult for your office entrance.
