Below are the five big trends in office design for 2014. Guess what? I have been ALL OVER these trends for the past two years. Talk about getting cutting edge info before it is cutting edge—read it right here and be ahead of the game. Seriously, the five trends are things I have spent a lot of time talking about (open spaces, mobility) and other pretty obvious ones (more light from the outside and nicer kitchen break rooms). But the last trend is about colors and productivity.
I remember when I first started brokerage. Companies painted their walls crazy colors to designate areas, and to “spice” up the office. Then, five years later, the colors changed and you could tell the era of the space by the colors much like you can on a home with the carpet colors. As it turns out, colors do make a difference on productivity. Below is a cool article sent to me by Roberta Thomas of Evolution Design that talks about the different colors. I can attest to the color red. When I bought my house 15 years ago, the master bedroom was painted red and the carpet was red. We kept it for a year and the intensity of the color was just too much. We had to go neutral on both on the walls and carpet.
Based on reading this, I am now thinking of painting my kids’ rooms blue. Think they will do their chores more constantly? I have highlighted the best comments in yellow below because yellow is considered optimistic and enhances concentration.
Enjoy,
Craig
602.954.3762
ccoppola@leearizona.com
5 Big Trends that Will Dominate Office Designs in 2014
By: Meredith Lepore
January 25, 2014
Office space trends (Photo: Thinkstock)
Offices have clearly changed over the last 50 years (watch any episode of Mad Men and this will be quite clear). But even in the last 10 years we have seen a major evolution for office spaces as companies migrate toward a more open and communicative workspace. “From integrating the latest technology to increased collaboration among coworkers, work environments are changing and so must the way offices are furnished,” said Ann Sennewald, vice president of merchandising at CORT, provider of transition services and furniture rental for businesses. “Offices designed in 2014 must reflect the needs of modern-day employees and invoke collaboration, flexibility, mobility and more.”
Here are the big office design trends we will see in 2014.
1. Open spaces
Cubicles are a thing of the past now. Not it is all about “hot desking” which gives employees the space to move around and work where they want, according to Bris Aluminum.
According to CORT, lounge seating areas are a key furnishing and office design trend that enable collaboration. Lower walls and cubicles foster a team environment. Unassigned tables put between work spaces are also enabling employees to meet and collaborate spontaneously.
2. Mobility
Offices are more mobile in general and so should work spaces. CORT finds that most chairs have wheels, but stools and standing height tables are also becoming popular. Seating that can move with employees is fostering the collaboration and flexibility mentioned above. Today’s employee is also increasingly aware of the health effects of prolonged sitting, hence the focus on ergonomic chairs for employees at all levels and stand up desks.
3. Bringing the outdoors in
People work better when they don’t feel like they are couped up inside all day. Bris Aluminum says greenery and plants will be in a lot more offices as well as access to roof decks.
4. More kitchen and eating rooms
Everyone knows that people commune around food so why not make more spaces that accommodate that? Plus, eating together can bring about more collaboration.
5. Bright colors and designs
No more boring gray or blunt white. Get ready for some colors and fun patterns in offices! So many studies show that certain colors like red and orange stimulate productivity.
…More on colors…
Best 5 Colors That Increase Productivity
Try to think about a color that has the most positive impact on you. If you are responsible for choosing the most suitable color for office environments or your home, you should be aware of the effect of each color on people’s behavior. Which colors increase concentration and productivity? On the other hand which colors cause that you do not want to spend long time in a certain environment?
This article is about Color Psychology and it will explain effects of different colors on human behavior.
The basic division of colors is into warm and cool colors. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. If you want a room that conveys energy and cheerfulness, and encourages social interaction, warm colours are the right choice of the interior paint. However, these colours also evoke feelings of anger and hostility. For example red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Furthermore, when considering use of warm colors in your office or house, you should know that warm colors also increase alertness and to some extent they could be overwhelming. Therefore, people tend to spend less time in a room that is red than in one that is blue. Warm colors are therefore suitable for non-production areas like entrances, corridors and locker rooms.
Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. They are psychologically soothing and tend to create calm and quiet mood and encourage concentration. That is the reason why cool colors are mostly picked as the interior paint for production areas, maintenance shops and can make a reception appear spacious and welcoming.
- 1. Blue color – people are more productive in blue rooms. Blue stimulates workers to a higher performance. What is interesting is that blue clothing is recommended to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty.
- 2. Green color – green symbolizes nature and it helps to evoke relaxed mood. It is currently the most popular decorating color. Thus the backstage rooms where actors are waiting to appear on TV or on stage are painted with green color, as it calms the nerves and people are more relaxed.
- 3. White color – white is popular in decorating because it is light, neutral, and matches with everything. White areas seem more spacious, reflect more light and usually give people optimistic mood. Therefore white and other light colors are used in production areas, small rooms and hallways. White is the symbol of cleanliness and sterility, thus it is used in hospitals and various medical centres.
- 4. Red color – the most emotionally intense color that stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. Red is recommended by decorators as the ideal color of furniture since it attracts attention.
- 5. Yellow color – yellow is considered as optimistic color that enhances concentration, however it is too bright for the eye to be taken in. People lose their temper more often in yellow rooms.
