Office Interior Design Considerations for a Functional Office

Office interior design can have a direct impact on the well-being, productivity and creativity of the people working in the office. As per this study, people working in spaces with natural features reported 15% higher well-being and creativity and 6% higher feeling of productivity. Needless to say, office interior design can have a direct impact on your team’s creativity, performance and their well-being. So, a poorly designed office may badly affect the well-being, creativity and productivity of your employees. And that’s the last thing you want for your employee. If you are designing your office and wondering about the best office interior design concepts and considerations that’ll help you to design a beautiful workplace, then here’s all you need to know.

I often go out and meet our prospects and clients and I can tell you I have seen offices that look badly stuffed and congested. It may be unintentional, but it certainly makes their employees stressed and that eventually has a negative impact on their work and productivity. I truly believe that the office interior design should be inspiring, efficient and functional. So when you are designing the interior of your office, make sure to utilize the workspace efficiently and create a professional, calm and comforting environment for your employees.

Top 11 office interior design considerations

Interior designing is all about proper space planning, using the right kind of furniture, simple false ceiling, leaving some breathing space, proper lighting and color combination. Whether you are designing a home or an office, there are certain considerations that can help design and decorate your home and save your money as well.

Here are the top 11 office interior design considerations that’ll help you to design an aesthetically beautiful, functional and efficient office space.

1. Office interior designing expenses

Office interior designing expenses can be huge, especially if you don’t prepare a budget before starting the design process. Although, the actual interior designing cost and expenses depend on the square feet area of the space, office layout, kind of build and finish you want and so on. But, still you should have a budget in mind and using a professional interior designing service can help you figure out the cost to design and decorate your office interior space.

Ideally, you should talk to a couple of interior designing firms. You can search for interior designers and turnkey contractors online, or you can ask your friend and colleague for any referrals. Once you get hold of a professional, just share your office space layout and brief them about your requirements and inform them of any tentative budget you might have thought of. Based on that, they can suggest the best that can be done. Having a budget in mind, will help you as well as the designer designing and decorating your office space.

2. Office interior space planning

Before starting the office interior designing work, you should do proper space planning and create a layout that is functional, spacious and efficient. So, sit down with our interior designer and figure out what to do, and what not to do well in advance.

Having a professional office interior designer on board can help in many ways. They will help with space planning, end to end interior designing, sourcing, installation and everything in between. However, if you do not want to hire a designer, then think through and plan the office interior layout in such a way that you get all the space you need, and it should also allow free movement in the office.

3. Consider technological requirements

Before you start creating the office layout, it is important for you to consider the technological requirements of your office. You may like to talk to the head of the engineering or the IT department to understand if they have any specific requirements. Some important aspects like storage for technology, location of printers, Wi-Fi routers, proximity to the outlets, space for the projectors and screens etc. needs to be considered while designing your office layout. You may even need to create a separate server room and thus it is important to understand the technological requirements from the tech department.

4. Use comfortable office furniture

Comfort is a very important aspect of office interior designing and this is something which you should keep in mind. Your team will be working for hours in the office and therefore it is important to ensure that the work desk, chairs and everything else is comfortable.

The very first thing that you should do is to get rid of all the uncomfortable furniture in your office. Poorly made office furniture can lead to health complications of the employees like backaches, eye strain, migraines etc and therefore, put comfort at the top of priorities.

Ergonomic office desk chairs are a great option for you to start with. Then you can also consider chairs that feature swivel mechanisms, armrest variations, height, width and depth adjustments, padded material etc. as these kinds of chairs are generally considered to be more comfortable for working long hours.

If you are on a budget, you may go for less stylish or old furniture but do not compromise with the comfort factor. Employees can adjust in an old fashioned looking chair but sitting in an uncomfortable chair for long will become both physically and mentally stressful which obviously will affect their work. Using good quality furniture may be a little costlier, but it is worth the costs in the long term.

5. Engage your team in the process

As we know, office interior design may affect the employees’ performance and therefore why not engage them in the designing process. This way, you get feedback and some office interior design ideas on what you and your interior designer are planning and thinking. Moreover, when you engage your team they feel like contributing and are engaged in the  office interior design and renovation process.

For instance, you can allow them to suggest office chars per their wish and once you have many suggestions, you can vote and pick the best one. In short, engage your team in collecting feedback, for their opinion, ideas and creative input during the office interior designing process.

Trust me, the more you allow them to have control over the setup of the workspace, the higher will be the job satisfaction and it has already been proved in a research.

6. Proper lighting

If you want to create a beautiful and efficient work environment in your office, you need to focus on proper lighting. Lighting is directly related to mood, health, productivity and overall wellbeing of people working in that space. Dark and gloomy spaces can actually lead to stress and depression and therefore make sure that your office space is well lit.

In fact, you should focus on natural lighting more than the artificial lights. Don’t restrict natural light sources, let it enter your office space as it will create a positive work environment. The offices with bigger glass windows help create a happy, lively and energetic work environment. And your employees will feel stress free and motivated to work with more efficiency in such an environment.

7. Think collaboration

You can actually encourage your employees to walk to all the portions of your office and enjoy the space that is specially meant for collaboration. The collaborative spaces may be kept simple like, for example, computers set up on tables where many individuals can gather. You can also make the space as comfortable as some plush chairs around. Trust me, such spaces for collaboration will act as proper alternatives to meeting in cubicles.

8. Create space to relax

It is not possible to work at a stretch for too long without taking a break. It may lead to stress and it can also interfere with the concentration levels of your team members. Hence, taking small breaks amidst a busy work schedule is equally important. So, it will be good if you design a work free space where the team members can come, talk to each another and relax for a while. Keep comfortable chairs and couches in this area, so that people can sit there to relax and enjoy their work break.

9. Leave some open space

If you are planning to use every square feet space in the office then you need to reconsider your decision. Using every space will make the whole space look overwhelming and it may be difficult to navigate and work in such space. So, make it a point to keep some spaces open. Also, there should be enough walking space or spaces for gathering in a standing position.

10. Avoid over decorating

I am sure you would want to design your office interior space in a grand way. But at times, things become a little too much, and that must be avoided. Do include art work, office plants, company branding and inspirational quotes etc to make the overall interior space look aesthetically appealing and inspiring.

However, you should avoid over decorating the space. Do not make things too overwhelming for the employees and also for your clients and other visitors by over decorating the office interior space. Keep things simple and organized and it will look more appealing, efficient and functional.

11. Plan for growth

Well, everyone wants their company to grow and talking about company’s growth, your business grows in the future you may have to recruit more people and increase your team size. And, when that happens, you will obviously need to fit more work desks to accommodate more people in the office.

So, while designing your office, do take the future space consideration into account. This will save you from reorganizing or redecorating out of necessity.

Concluding thoughts on office interior designing

Office interior design is directly proportional to the productivity, creativity and well-being of your employees. And therefore, you need to create an efficient office layout that encourages creativity, efficiency and productivity.

There are a few important considerations you  should make when designing the office interior like proper space planning, lighting, creating spaces meant for collaboration and relaxation etc. We have already talked about such considerations and I am sure if you consider these things while designing your office interior, you will be able to create a space that is aesthetically pleasing but not too overwhelming.

What else do you think one should consider for office interior designing in 2021? Share your thoughts, ideas, questions and comment below.

Happy office decorating!!