Over the past two years, the working landscape has witnessed a drastic transformation and now, the perception of what an office should be, and what it should look like has completely changed.
Companies nowadays have the ability to support their staff from almost anywhere in the world, which has allowed staff more autonomy and flexibility in terms of how and when they choose to work. Yet, companies are still considering ways they can re-design their office spaces into creative, engaging environments.
Despite many work environments seeing less footfall day-to-day, the office has re-defined itself as a community hub for businesses where staff can come to focus, collaborate, and socialise all in one central location.
Although it is unlikely companies will ever revert back to the traditional office working model that once was, office design will continue to evolve to help support staff in this new way of working.
From digital transformation through to flexible working, here are some office design trends we think will be key in defining the workplace for companies in 2023.
Sustainability has been extremely important to companies throughout 2022 but is beginning to move higher up the priority list of many, heading into 2023. Businesses are constantly looking for ways to make their office designs more sustainable, whilst also being functional and design led.
There are many ways in which you can achieve sustainability through office design. The use of LED lights will help to limit energy wastage, and the use of natural light will help to stop this completely; large paned windows are the perfect solution for this.
In terms of office furniture, and other office features such as
partitioning, the use of recycled materials will be ideal in creating a sustainable office design. Reclaimed wood is a great option as it is both sustainable and looks great aesthetically too.
Charlie, one of our interior designers says ‘wooden acoustic slat panels are a great addition to any office. It’s an incredibly easy way to promote sustainability in the office but still create an eye-catching, innovative office design’.
Flexible office interiors have also been a major office design trend throughout 2022 and it looks like its set to stay. Where employees have become accustomed to working from home and have figured out their own working style, this flexibility will allow employees to move around the office environment to choose what working zone will best suit their needs.
These zones could range from collaboration areas, independent working zones, or brainstorming booths. From a recreational perspective, areas where staff can socialise will also become commonplace, such as kitchen areas, relaxation zones and even gaming rooms.
Our recent work with Kevin Edwards Recruitment shows how this can be done effectively in a professional working environment.
When it comes to creating a diverse working environment for your employees, there really is no limit to what you can do. But, what is important is that you create a space within your office that caters to employees different working styles. This will ensure a sense of belonging and comfortability in the office which in turn, will help to increase productivity and positivity in the workplace.
The continued rise of hybrid working will mean offices will need to consider a smart tech office design going into 2023.
Office spaces will need to adapt to be able to support the needs of hybrid working. Quiet spaces designed for video meetings will be essential. Not only this, quality audio and visual features will be integral to this technological transformation to ensure staff can maintain quality contact and stay connected with each other, and clients, whether they are working in the office or remotely.
Branding will be key going into 2023 to create a sense of belonging in the workplace. Whilst it has its benefits, hybrid working often leaves employees without a central location to work from, which can make them feel out of touch with their company.
Now, going into the office, employees want to feel a sense of place while working there. An office design with company branding throughout will help to create this feeling of a unified company workplace and culture.
But it’s important not to overdo it. Many companies tend to use primary colours in their branding, and when translated into an
office design can appear childish and overstimulating; not a place where employees can come to focus.
Muted tones will be essential to achieve a professional, branded look to your office in 2023. Less vibrant shades of your company colours, with accent colours included intermittently will leave your office looking business ready whilst still injecting a bit of creativity into the design.
Pantone’s colour of the year, ‘Viva Magenta’ would be the perfect pop of colour to use this year.
Charlie, our interior designer has said ‘We have taken this approach recently for our clients at QBOL. We used more muted tones and a lighter approach to match their new office design with their corporate colours’.
This subtle approach to branding will help employees to still feel immersed in your company culture when working in the office, whilst also allowing them to work in a cool and trend-driven office that takes a mature approach to the company’s brand identity.
There could be a lot of design changes happening in your office in 2023, so you might prefer to keep your office décor modern and minimalistic amongst all the chaos. A key design trend we’re predicting for 2023 is the rise in industrial office interior style.
This design style manages to blend seamlessly with any office space plan, but particularly open plan designs where visitors and staff alike can take in this modern and exposed design. This natural office design will be one that staff will enjoy working in and will get them working in the office a lot more.
Some noteworthy design features of this particular style that we love are exposed bricks and pipes, large paned glass windows,
and hanging ceiling lights. Wood is also key in creating an effective industrial design too. Charlie explained ‘using dark woods on furniture and for flooring will be key in creating a modern but rustic feel to the office…’.
2023 is set to encourage businesses to completely re-think what their definition of the ‘9-5 office’ is, in order to better cater to employee needs.
At Building Interiors, we are the experts to help you achieve this. Whether your office requires a simple new office design or a complete office fit out and refurbishment, you can be confident that our experienced staff will provide you with a work environment you can be proud of.
If you’d like to speak to a lovely member of our team regarding your new office design for 2023, you can call us on 0113 388 6522, or email us at contact@buildinginteriorsgroup.co.uk.