Morre Interiors Limited Office Design Trends
At Morre Interiors Limited we pride ourselves on being at the very cutting edge of the latest office interior design and refit trends both in the UK and the rest of the world. That’s how we can continually offer the best service to our clients, creating beautiful, bespoke workplaces for the workforces of the future.
Every year around this time we sit down with the Morre Interiors Limited design team and ask them to look at what design trends they see happening for the rest of the year in office refits. The overriding trend that shows no sign of slowing down is the shift of the office from cold, impersonal spaces into warm, inspired, user focused community environments but here are some more details on what you can expect to see for the rest of this year.
SUSTAINABILITY
Top of the list (again) in many walks of life is “Sustainability” and 2020 will see this reflected more and more in how workplaces are designed and created. We are seeing a global move towards consumers insisting on having access to products created from sustainable raw materials and this is moving in to the work place – businesses are now briefing us increasingly on projects that must include materials and items that are recycled, upcycled or from certifiably sustainable sources.
We are excited to be working on a number of briefs where our clients have specified the requirement for items such as reclaimed floorboards, upcycled furniture and antique pieces for decoration.
This is a trend we at Morre Interiors see continuing for the foreseeable future in line with the global fight against climate change and we are working with manufacturers more and more to ensure that their products meet our clients’ needs.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY IN A REMOTE WORLD
As working practices continue to evolve away from the traditional “9-5” office life, it’s important that the offices we design reflect this and accommodate (and encourage) the “new” way of working. A recent study found that 70% of professionals work remotely at least one day a week and 53% for half up to the week.
Businesses increasingly need to create office spaces that match employees ever changing expectations – re-designing and re-imagining the traditional office space in order to adapt to an increasingly remote world. We expect the requirement to be increasingly geared towards more inviting and comfortable spaces that welcome remote workers into the corporate space. Today’s office typically contains features that not long ago you would only have found in hospitality spaces such as hotels, restaurants and bars – fridges for soft and alcoholic drinks, breakout areas with ultra-comfortable furniture and in some cases a variety of activity features.
To a certain extent this trend is being driven by the growth in shared workspace environments across the world. The standard features you get within a WeWork or Workspace for example are now becoming the norm even in the most corporate of offices – the ubiquitous table tennis table, beer fridges and state of the art coffee dispensers are now old hat, replaced by climbing walls, beach volley ball courts and creches. At Morre Interiors we understand how quickly our clients needs are changing and we strive to meet all our clients dreams as well as expectations.
The benefits of this type of office space however goes way beyond just creating a nice place to be. It helps to attract new employees who respond positively to the range of features, it makes the “head office” a desirable place for remote workers to come to and also in many cases reflects the company’s values and brand.
THE EXPERIENCE GENERATION
Recent years have seen a move away from demand for material “things” towards a demand for “experiences” – you can see this in everyday life and it is set to expand in to the world of office interior design this year. 2020 will see offices contain a variety of types of work spaces all in one building. These will be designed to offer solutions to different working requirements as people demand more variety and flexibility.
The same office space will start to feature not only the traditional meeting room but also non-bookable breakout spaces, high concentration areas and revitalisation zones. The variety of spaces created within a single office space will reflect the different types of work we ask people to do as well as the different needs they have when undertaking different tasks. Library like high concentration zones will contrast starkly with relaxation pods that stimulate creative thinking but will co-exist in the same office.
Millennials are driving the experience economy in their private lives so it’s no surprise to see this seeping into the expectations they have for their workspaces. Creating an experience focused work space can help attract top talent in some industries as well as playing a key part in long term staff retention.
RETHINKING THE BOARDROOM
It’s no surprise that at Morre Interiors London we think that, with all the changes to working practices and locations, the once traditional centre piece of the office, the boardroom, will undergo a significant change as in some cases it loses it’s importance.
Combining the boardroom with communal work stations makes better use of the space, it returns to it’s traditional purpose on specific occasions but it will no longer be the sacred, untouchable room it once was. The demand will be for more multifunctional spaces that can be reconfigured with very little effort.
We have been asked to design boardrooms that are flexible enough to become a series of smaller spaces when required as well as the more traditional room – of course this also requires a new approach to furnishings with the same degree of flexibility.
NATURAL LIGHT
We believe that office interior design trends in 2020 will move quickly towards spaces that make the best use of natural light to bring offices to life and promote a positive work experience. Even in the UK where sunshine is sometimes a rare commodity, offices will be designed to let the natural light flood in and create a healthy feeling workspace that has a profoundly positive impact on mood and morale.
Now this is nothing new in terms of office design, but it is a trend that will really take off over the next couple of years in the UK as more businesses demand an effective daylight execution within their refit or design. This also leads into the trend for making more effective use of any available outside space be it rooftops, balconies or gardens. Although utilising these spaces effectively can be expensive there are huge benefits to the workforce and therefore to the productivity of the company.
So, that’s what we see coming for the rest of the year and beyond. If you’d like to hear more about what Morre Interior Design might be able to do for your existing office space with a refit or if you are thinking of a move please get in touch.
Morre Interiors Limited
50 Liverpool Street
London
EC2M 7PR
T: +44 203 713 7392
M: 07961 814949
E: jmorrell@morre.co.uk