Time to freshen up your office? Whether you’re moving, expanding, or rebranding, you don’t need a huge budget or months and months of planning to spruce up your space. With pieces you already have, plus a few inexpensive additions, you can create an office layout that enhances your company culture and helps workers feel more productive, inspired, and engaged. Here are a few of our favorite layout ideas that you can easily implement without spending a fortune or doing a total renovation.
The Open Office
Want to instill more camaraderie in your organization or get your team collaborating more? This layout, popular with Silicon Valley businesses and predominantly Millennial workforces, arranges seating so that workers are in close proximity to those on their team, with workstations touching or clustered together and no cubicle walls. This allows for more free-flowing discussions and organic communication that isn’t so dependent on email. Push together several movable desks to create areas for impromptu meetings, integrate tech into tables, and intersperse the space with comfortable, flexible seating, where workers can retreat to have deeper conversations or escape distractions.
The Focused Office
If your employees tend to work on complex projects that require them to concentrate for long periods of time, this might be the best setup for you. If you have an open floor plan, surround workstations with acoustic wall panels or screens to create individual spaces that enhance focus and reduce distractions. Minimize noise with sound-absorbing furniture and roll-in standing whiteboards that workers can convene around for brainstorming sessions or team huddles.
The Learning Lab
This versatile setup, which includes a mix of open and individualized spaces, is great if you plan to grow or bring on new hires. Arrange clusters of adjustable-height desks that face different directions and include one or two screens to create semi-private, semi-open spaces for quick powwows. Place whiteboards around the room and use folding tables and chairs to create multipurpose formal and informal training areas. Designate different work areas with distinct floor panels or carpets and incorporate comfortable, flexible seating with nooks for casual conversations and self-study.
The Co-working Office
Are you just starting your company up or looking to create a more flexible environment for employees who are used to working remotely? Instead of designated workstations, use tables and desks that face each other and can be adjusted to the eye level of everyone in the office. This encourages spontaneous conversations, idea exchanges, and social interaction. Scatter groupings of cafe-style tables, couches, and booths throughout the space with surfaces for laptops so employees can work wherever they want. Include some standing workspaces or a long bar table where teams can gather to catch up or engage in creative chats.
Whichever layout resonates with you, it’s important to think about your goals for your office design. Are you preparing for growth? Trying to attract top talent? Increase productivity or instill greater professional pride? Contact us if you need help thinking through the right layout design for your office and the pieces you need to make it work!
Come see these ideas in person!
Book a tour of our showroom for a complimentary design consult.
