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7 Office Fit Out Trends For 2016

With plenty of businesses completely revamping their office spaces, it’s no surprise that fit out trends for next year’s offices are already developing. The days of boring office layouts are on their way out, with new ways of creative office spaces dawning. These new office spaces are often unique and reflect the company’s culture in doing so. They offer freedom to employees with their open spaces and in turn create productive, versatile workspaces. But what are these new office fit out trends and how can they be implemented into the new 2016 workplace design?

Office Tech Solutions

The importance of how we rely on the latest technology, in order to keep up with the marvels of modern businesses drives companies to work faster and harder. The upcoming year will be no exception as tech becomes more slender and compact in order for workspaces to have more freedom. Soon multimedia desking solutions could become more than just a novelty for the workspace, such as the marvelous technology desk.

With technology becoming more compact, it’s no surprise that it has taken off as a portable device. Surface laptops and tablets are incredibly effective, as they can be taken anywhere with ease and can always be in the palm of your hands.

Multimedia screens are another great asset to the workspace, as they allow meetings to incorporate a large monitor and a wireless mouse and keyboard for interactions throughout. An interactive whiteboard can also be used during meetings, in order to transfer effective ideas with ease.

Google Effect

The Google effect is quite a recent trend, in which modern office designs are utilised to their full potential. The new London HQ for Google includes: gyms, a spa, slides and a secret garden. This idea has recently inspired other offices to do the same, in order to promote productivity in employees. Not only is it a funky design choice, but it’s also incredibly effective. Staff want to come to work to use the “office free gym”, have breakfast, stay late and catch a movie in the “office free movie” area, enjoy the “office bar area” – this is all being thought of to provide everything staff need and want. It’s a great concept because it saves time and for business – time is something we never have enough of. Google’s influence has allowed style and substance to become one, with employees having areas to relax and cool off in times of stress. This could be the future of all offices, meaning that our workplace could feel more like a second home thanks to Google.

Colour

Colour is motivational. Many offices have grown tiresome of the typical boring grey fit outs, so instead have decided to implement a wide range of colours in order to turn their office from dull to funky. In previous blogs we’ve discussed colour psychology, in which it’s clear that colours carry emotional traits.
Instead of the stale office colours, the modern office incorporates vivid bold colours with varieties of funky designs imprinted. This allows businesses to really define their brand’s style through the imagery of their office fit out and design.

So what colours are in for 2016?
Pantone have recently revealed their first two-tone colour for 2016, which is now a mix of pink and blue pastel shades; rose quartz & serenity. These colours are incredibly soothing and are very different from 2015s choice, which was a reddish brown Marsala colour (A colour incredibly bold in comparison).
Recently The Pantone Colour Institute announced their nine key trend palettes for 2016, which include:
• Natural Forms: Shades created from natural sources (Such as rosy clay and sheepskin beige)
• Dichotomy: Harsher colours combined with calmer hues
• Ephemera: Pastel shaded colours which can be carried through patterns in the office space or even the office furniture
• Lineage: Dark colours contrasted with touches of bright colours
• Soft Focus: Smokey shades of colours
• Bijoux: Jewel toned colours that gleam and offer intensity
• Merriment: Vibrant colours such as; yellow, pink, orange and bright green
• Footloose: Colours that offer a vacation feel, which gives offices the illusion of the outdoors
• Mixed Bag: A wide range of vibrant and unique colours with funky designs

All Natural

The latest fit out choice of this upcoming year is the funky idea of using natural elements within the workspace. These elements may include: garden areas, living walls, plant installations and designs that give off a natural look. A prime example of this being used is Google’s very own secret garden.  This natural theme allows clean air to fill the workspace, which has been proven to have positive effects on employees. These effects are not just aesthetically positive for employees but they also offer psychological and physical properties. This was discovered through a study from Exeter University (Which was conducted by a few psychologists include Dr Chris Knight).
In a previous blog on Spring fit out themes, we discussed the types of plants that offer a natural feel in the office. We recommend the following plants for the office workspace:
• Aloe
• Spider plants
• Cactus
• Succulents
• Ivy
• Rubber plant
• Peace lilly

Space Planning Done Right

Instead of the typical cramped offices or open wide offices, the recent trend for next year’s fit out has been optimisation. Being able to customise your workspace at your own whim may have seemed like a novelty before, but recently more offices have caught onto the idea of letting employees work how they wish.These workspaces are stimulations for productivity and collaboration, not just through acoustic elements but also through their design.

There is a wide variety of desking that is available for offices, meaning that the office can be designed how the employees wish. Desking solutions such as: hot desking, media desking, bench desking and height adjustable desking are just a few of the types of desks available for offices. Some businesses now value having their staff work from home at times. A home office pod can be a simple solution, versatile, relocatable and with a great second hand value. By having a glass pod in their garden or perhaps a room with living walls, employees can feel the natural surroundings and therefore be more productive due to its physical and psychological properties.

The Importance of Comfort

There is new research by Sax Institute showing that varying between sitting and standing in the workspace can increase your lifespan significantly. This could be why as of late office have become more proactive, choosing funky yet healthy office seating solutions such as the ergonomic office chair or sit-to-stand workstation. Using sit-to-stand workstations can be greatly beneficial to the health of employees due to their versatility and ease of access, not to mention that they are great for comfort. Ergonomic seating is also becoming the norm, as more and more studies prove that seating really can affect your health.

There’s No Place Like Home…

Some offices have decided to defy the typical commercial office design and instead have turned to using a residential fit out theme. This theme includes the idea of kitchen style breakout rooms, fitted with home style furniture that occludes employees so they can have the privacy that is necessary during peaceful breaks. Pods are a great way to incorporate the residential feel due to their vast array of styles. Mentioned in our previous blog on pods and on the last Business Bunker show we appeared in, pods come in a wide variety that have almost endless uses, which can be seen through our office pods solutions download.

Eco pods are the perfect example of how to incorporate pods into the residential design as they’re formed from natural materials and can be used as a garden piece in a home office design. With the eco pod the idea of office pods and the natural feel can become one, with a funky garden and home theme. This could encourage employees to treat their workplace more like a second home, rather than the commonly associated treatment of work. The office environment has come a long way since the older and duller layouts, so we can expect to see these trends flourish into next year. Want to find out more on office fit out trends and how to implement them? Visit our office fit out page or Contact us today on 0333 600 1234