Whether we like it or not, our offices have become our second home. In fact, many of us spend more waking hours in the office than we do in our homes. A study found that the average person spends 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. This means our jobs can significantly impact our quality of life as we spend a large portion of our days at work.
This may seem a painful reality for those who hate Monday mornings and come home when the sun’s gone out. Leaving the comfort of your home and coming to the office can give you a piercing feeling, especially if your home feels cozier than the office itself.
Meanwhile, some enjoy the feeling of walking inside their offices as if it’s their weekday home. Believe it or not, some employers have been making their offices a pleasant space. They incorporate cozy and warm elements, from a comfortable sofa, wooden furniture, and other elements that resemble residential furnishings. Some even hire sanding and refinishing floor services since they look cozy than the typical tiled flooring.
Employers are partially responsible for the happiness and health of their employees. If they will be spending the majority of their waking hours in the office, it only makes sense to give them something more than just an office space. So if you want to make the work environment feel like home, here are some design ideas to get you started.
Consult the employees
Making the office feel like home means breaking away from the uniformity of a typical office environment. Your intention should move towards domestic and bespoke style finishes for a cozy and homier feel.
Every employee has their own vision of a comfortable office, so you can’t expect that they will feel completely at home. The nature of the business and employee personalities can also affect the overall office style and ambiance. Still, it’s important to make an effort by knowing the ideal office space of each employee.
From there, combine their suggestions to come up with a homey office space based on employees’ preferences. Taking the time to research can go a long way to boost their morale and productivity because of the changes in the design.
Incorporate unique furniture in every room
Furniture pieces are often responsible for why almost all offices look boring and identical. From chairs, desks, and storage units, every piece of furniture shares the same features and color schemes no matter the office you’re walking in. This often happens when companies buy furniture in bulk. They believe buying individual furniture is unnecessary, expensive, and time-consuming.
Incorporating the same office furnishings will make every department, room, and other parts of the office look similar and dull. To prevent this, employers should put much thought into planning the furniture selection of the entire workspace for a cozy, welcoming environment.
You can start by adding curated and original furniture pieces for every room. For instance, the HR department shouldn’t use the same accessories and furniture as the office’s pantry area. Then, combine subtle elements such as lamps, cushions, sofas, coffee tables for a relaxing ambiance. These elements use a softer design that looks similar to a living room than an office space.
Obviously, buying unique pieces is more expensive than getting the standard office chair and desk. Still, this is a great investment that can significantly affect the well-being and loyalty of the employees. Employees want to feel appreciated and treated well, so such an investment will eventually pay off by reducing the turnover rate and improving top talent acquisition.
Combine colors and textures
Most of the time, companies incorporate their branding colors into the interior design of the office. This approach may seem unnecessary if the office is hidden from the public. Today, quirky and neutral colors make waves in the residential interior, such as copper, mustard yellow, and duck egg blue.
Softer tones are the key to a relaxing and homey feel in office spaces. To avoid monotony, set the right balance between softer tones and bold branding colors. This way, you get to achieve a homey feel for the office without completely giving up the company’s signature colors.
When applying colors for every room, use the right colors depending on the purpose of the room. For example, use the branding colors for the reception or client’s meeting room to reflect the company identity. Meanwhile, softer tones should be applied in meeting rooms and breakout areas to promote relaxation.
Offices that feel and look like home offers plenty of benefits in employee morale and well-being. As you may notice, the suggestions above don’t require a major overhaul from the standard office layout. While these changes may require you to spend more, you can ensure your employees will be more at ease, potentially improving their productivity and overall well-being.
