Offices are changing and so are the ways that employers and employees are beginning to approach the space. Gone are the days of separate offices and cubicle farms – today’s office environments are comfortable, flexible, and have employees and their productivity at center stage.
This has led to a lot of business owners seeking to change the layouts and interiors of their current spaces. As a designer, your job is to help them realize their goals in a way that’s functional and lasting, avoiding many of the flash-in-the-pan trends that will only date the space within a few years.
There are a lot of ways to design a space, but not all of them are going to meet today’s standards for your work environment. If you’re looking for inspiration for your office, take a look at these 11 modern office interior design ideas.
Modern Offices Interior Design Ideas
1. Natural Materials
There have been a lot of studies done on the impact of using natural materials on interior spaces. Materials like wood are thought to lower stress in people who view them, and in a fast paced office environment, it can be beneficial. By utilizing natural wood wall paneling, a natural element is right at eye level of anyone entering the building, which can make a beautiful statement, and also make sure the material is seen.
2. Color Blocking Modern Offices Interior Design
Using big blocks of bold color is a popular office trend for 2020. This is particularly true when you contain the colors to only certain areas and use a mixture of other materials and more muted colors elsewhere. This setting uses boldly colored walls and cabinets, but keeps the flooring and furnishings neutral so the color really pops.
3. Fluid Work Stations
Rather than insisting that employees remain in one cubicle or at one desk, offices are beginning to set up workstations that employees can move to as needed. These workstations need to strike the note between an impersonal table and a big boss’s desk. This wooden slab table with pipe legs makes a nice pairing with the brick wall behind it to create an industrial vibe. More people working at home, learn how to set up a home office here.
4. Blend of Old and New
When choosing materials for the office, consider the style of mixing older and reusable materials with newer and contemporary materials. This reclaimed wood door still shows some of the signs of its original use and wear, and is paired with a sleek, contemporary handle. Together they create some dynamic interest for the doorway, and help create a transitional design that can work with a lot of different styles in the room.
5. Wide Open Spaces
Rather than dividing offices up into small cubicles, workstations and offices are becoming more expansive in design. This means larger rooms with communal-style work settings in some areas. For example, these two rooms both have large, conference-style tables, separated by a glass wall that still lets the overall space feel very large, open, and airy.
6. Multiple Seating Options
Contemporary offices are all about flexibility, so you need to make sure that employees and guests have a lot of choices for where and how they’ll spend their days. This office features a small lounge area just to the side of the reception area. Employees can greet guests or hold quick informal meetings here, with the rest of the office clearly visible just down the hall.
7. Conference Areas Ready for Wiring
Smart tech is becoming more commonplace in offices everyday, which means that areas like conference rooms need to be ready. This conference table works beautifully in harmony with the brick wall at the end of the space, but it also contains several compartments for smart tech to be integrated into its use. The placement is subtle so that the table can be used for a variety of purposes, without anything getting in the way.
8. Sliding Doors Modern Offices Interior Design
It can be difficult to find the balance between privacy and open spaces in a contemporary office. This space solves that problem beautifully with offices that feature sliding doors and frosted glass windows. The offices get plenty of light, still feel accessible to those working inside and out, yet can still be easily closed off for privacy by pulling the door across the opening.
9. Employee Lounge Areas
Employee happiness and engagement is of utmost importance to many companies, so the employee kitchen and lounge area has expanded to become a crucial component of office design. This includes options for employees to work, relax, have meetings, socialize, or just unwind between tasks. The range of seating options and the expanse of space means that people can pick and choose more easily where they feel comfortable working.
10. Glass Offices and Conference Rooms
People usually need a way to hold a meeting with at least some degree of privacy or separation from the rest of the office space. At the same time, however, making a completely closed off room will break the flow of the open space. By using glass walls to create offices and conference rooms, you can solve both problems at once; it helps to define the space and brings some sound control, but doesn’t visually disrupt the room.
11. Multi-Layered Designs
Not every space or environment is suited to being one, open space. Sometimes you need to layer different components together to achieve the ideal space. This office features glass-enclosed conference rooms, multi-use workstations, and an open feeling to the staircase that lets people see who’s coming and going. Employees can choose to move around at will, and nothing feels off-limits.
Design a Better Office
The demands of the modern office are changing for everyone from employers to employees to the designers and architects who create the space. Flexibility is in demand and that means that designers need to keep coming up with innovative designs. Use these ideas as a way to help incorporate the latest trends into your work, and help make the offices you design into something that will benefit everyone involved.
