Let’s face it, the office and workplace environment has been evolving rapidly over the past decade, and will only continue to do so in the near future. We are living in a time of technological and manufacturing advancement, and are trying to keep up. So, what does this mean for the office and workplace environment? Here are five major design trends that we are excited to watch grow in 2018.
MIXTURE OF TEXTURES AND FINISHES:
The use of naturally visual materials has been growing recently. Even more common has been mixing unusual materials together in the same space in a successfully cohesive way. For example, using “wood look” materials, concrete, and stone. So why are people mixing textures? The combination of several textures and finishes adds interest to a space, and allows for heightened sensory elements.
DYNAMIC LAYOUT:
Companies are known to grow and expand, and sometimes may even have to do this unexpectedly. Since companies have the ability to change, then their furniture and overall layout should too! Dynamic layouts are being seen more and more. The use of modular furniture and layouts make it much easier for companies to move around and expand.
THE UNCONVENTIONAL WORK SPACE:
Employers are showing interest in, and creating more “universal” spaces that allow for employees to work somewhere other than their desk or conference room. This goes hand in hand with the overall changing workplace. Providing an informal, or conventional, work space for employees offers them flexibility and can result in higher productivity rates. The unlimited offerings of technology also make spaces such as these possible, and enables employees to “plug and play” from any type of setting.
OPEN SPACE:
Formal partitions and solid walls are becoming obsolete in the workplace. More commonly found are open partitions, such as wood, glass, and other transparent materials. Some large areas even go with no form of a partition at all. We expect this will only continue over the next year. Offering this transparency in the office can promote a collaborative culture among employees. It certainly offers staff flexibility, and can even more clearly and effectively define a space.
INTERGRATED TECHNOLOGY:
Our everyday world is already technologically advancing constantly, so it only makes sense that the environment in which we work, advances with it. Furniture manufacturers, more and more, are incorporating technology into their products to keep up with the trends. We have already seen furniture with wireless charging built into it, and even “Smart Furniture” (the LiveOS program offered by Herman Miller). Having a technologically advanced office is certainly a way to stand out and impress clients! However, it can also serve as an efficient work tool in many ways for the employees themselves.
So, there you have it. Our world around us is changing, and our office environment is continuously changing with it. These top five trends will continue to develop workplaces across the world in 2018, and we can’t wait to see them evolve!