5 office design essentials for a purposeful commercial office interior

Maximise natural light

Natural light in the workplace has many benefits, and it’s become a core priority when designing an office layout. As well as providing many health benefits like boosting your immune system, natural light boosts your mood, increasing focus and productivity.

Many offices are designed without natural light in mind, often giving private offices and meeting spaces the priority for the outer walls of the building and leaving desk spaces and breakout areas dim and gloomy. A smarter layout can help to maximise natural light for everyone, like using glazed partitions instead of plaster wall to section off areas where necessary, which keeps neighbouring areas bright. We recognised this need in our own office, and Sterling House features plenty of beautiful, coloured glass throughout every floor to give our people a bright, welcoming space that lets sunlight pour into every corner.

Include collaborative areas

Collaborative areas in the office help bring people together to share ideas, team up on projects and catch up away from their desks. This time brings synergy between teams and forges the all-important relationships that yield a strong camaraderie and sense of belonging throughout the business.

Collaboration areas should be versatile and flexible, giving teams the ability to use it as they choose. We’ve designed many offices with collaboration in mind, or even at the fore of brief. BBS Capital came to us wanting a workplace that creates an impactful client experience and encourages that all-important collaboration and socialisation. Through meticulously curated furniture, coupled with soft, embracing design, we left behind the traditional corporate style, introducing a more residential and informal atmosphere that better reflects their culture and supports a social workforce.

Biophilic office features

Biophilic office design refers to the use of plants as part of an office’s look and feel. A non-negotiable characteristic of the modern office, biophilia provides many benefits to you and your employees. In the recent Global Human Spaces Report, a third (33%) of respondents said that office design would affect their decision to work at a business. What’s more, a study conducted by the University of Exeter found that introducing plants into your office design could increase productivity by up to 15%. Biophilia is strongly connected to wellbeing in the workplace – the university study found that the presence of plants in the office contributes to better overall wellbeing at work and even lowers stress levels.

At Peldon Rose, we’re no stranger to getting green fingered. We created a space flourishing with greenery for Jacada Travel. Jacada prides itself on providing extraordinary travel experiences for holidaymakers that want to experience the atypical and offbeat side of the travel. We designed a bold but serene space, giving their employees a vacation of their own.

Make your office more sustainable

Creating a sustainable workplace has become a core consideration for businesses looking to refit their office. A planet-first approach to office design is becoming critical, with more and more business starting (or progressing) their journey to Net-Zero status.

Whilst many businesses are seeking to redesign their office to make it work harder for a post-COVID workforce, rising costs mean that budgets are tighter, and some business owners may think that sustainability is completely out of reach. But, with green initiatives like buy-back schemes and repurposing of existing materials and furniture, you can keep costs low and reduce the inevitable waste you’ll produce from an office refurbishment or relocation.

More than ever before, existing employees and candidates alike are calling for businesses to become more socially responsible and play an active role in the betterment of local communities and beyond. Sustainability has long been on everyone’s lips, and earning a sustainable accreditation could help you attract some of the country’s best talent and boost your brand reputation.

Office design essentials summary

Peldon Rose have been operating in the office interior design and build sector for over 35 years, and have created world-class offices for the likes of XTX Markets, MG Empower and Brandpie to name just a few. Whilst the ideas we’ve mentioned above are by no means exhaustive, these are some of the core elements that make a purposeful, hyper-functional office that you and your employees can be proud of now and for years to come.