What is Resimercial? Discover the Future of Workspace Design

Resimercial is what can only be described as a counteraction to corporate culture. A combination of “residential” and “commercial”, resimercial design brings aspects of home into the contemporary workspace.

The pandemic has led to thousands adjusting to the comfort of work-from-home, and employees returning to their offices are now subjected again to a corporate environment. Therefore, employers may have to consider adapting to the lifestyle change experienced by their staff.

We like to describe it as both a design and a movement. It’s an ode to the reconsideration of office life and the reality it embraces. There needs to be a new balance between personal life and employment due to those converted to the freedom granted by their past year of work-from-home. Thus, there has never been a better time to discover the wonders of this trend.

Resimercial offices aim to replicate a residential look in a work environment. There’s no one size fits all to this design, but some of its features normally include the following:

• Comfortable seating such as sofas, large pillows and tactile textile surfaces.
• Soft ambient lighting replaces the traditional strong lighting an office would normally implement.
• Flexible space that enables employees to enjoy a multitude of surfaces and desks of varying shape and size.
• Homely accessories like plants, rugs, lamps, and photo frames.

Comfort and functionality must both be met to fully embrace what resimercial is all about. Cafe style booths, collaborative spaces and comfortable desks that can accommodate multiple people are the norm.

Key values such as sociability and warmth are the core component of a successful office redesign: Your new environment will seek to encourage collaboration between workers. Sofas, armchairs and even more creative ideas like hanging swing chairs could be introduced for the perfect synergy to your office.

Work from home has switched the focus

We can’t stress this enough. The shift that came with the pandemic remarkably changed staff mentality.

Many no longer accept the idea of spending their day in a cubicle – they expect the comfort of a home, which is what you should aim to replicate.

That said, to make your space ergonomically efficient, it’s not just a case of adding a few sofas and pillows. Many companies supplement these elements with height-adjustable desks for improved posture, kneeling chairs, and sit-stand platforms for monitors.

Millennials are increasingly fed up with corporate culture

The new generation is changing the rules. The stress and burnout caused by the glamorisation of overworking have left the upcoming generation in need of an employer that treats them like human beings. They want more than a job, they want a place where they feel valued and respected.

For many, a home-like aesthetic is a way to fight the outdated corporate style that prefers profitability over happiness. Resimercial design could be defined as the counter-attack against “soulless” offices.

For some millennial-friendly office designs, take a look at our latest projects here.

It defeats sedimentation

An office lifestyle is harmful. Posture, muscular health and bones are all affected by sitting down for such long periods.

Incorporating non-office features, however, allows staff to change posture and keep moving while still attending to their duties.

Some offices even sport small gyms to promote more movement – which is proven to increase energy and productivity.

Another idea is to introduce bicycle storage and showers for those cycling into work. This also means you’ll be doing your bit for the environment!

Blurring the light between home and work seems like an employer’s nightmare. This could not be further from the truth.

Bringing the home into the workplace environment promotes values and benefits you many have not thought of. Here are some of the advantages you can expect from a home-like design.

A more social setting

A cordial workforce is a stronger workforce. Being able to feel more at comfort with their surroundings allows staff to be less pressured by the fact they are in an office. This results in a more social, vibrant environment that improves happiness and productivity.

For an example of how this works, do some research into the ‘agile’ working model. This is where businesses introduce a range of furniture – such as shared desks, coffee tables, pods and booths – to create an ultra-collaborative environment. Moreover, employees can choose exactly how they want to work rather than being designated a desk, contributing to a more relaxed atmosphere.

A way to meet your employees halfway

Whether or not Work-From-Home is here to stay is up for debate, employers must understand its effects on the employees: Suddenly going from a home office to a corporate one can be shocking and stressful bearing in mind the effects of COVID.

Resimercial is the best way to make your workplace feel more welcoming and similar to what your employees probably grew used to in the past year.

Some companies are even taking things a step further and making the office more of an experience. The idea is to encourage employees to come to work through offering things the home cannot, whether that be an on-site gym, better tech or, in Google’s case a swimming pool!

Boosted productivity

A more flexible workplace has a positive effect on productivity and wellbeing. With nearly 1 in 5 millennials now judging flexibility as the most important benefit, it is wise to invest in what they are looking for.

It’s safe to say that soft seating does make a difference and being able to switch the desk to a coffee table, a hammock or a bean bag chair will make your people thrive. Just make sure you configure the space so it’s tech-friendly too: plenty of plug sockets will be key in enabling people to move around and work on portable devices.

Read also: Office Design Trends and Ideas for 2021.

Fewer Resignations

Blur the line between job and home and watch as less pressure is put on the employees’ shoulders. Lowering stress is a catalyst for innovation and better engagement in their duties.

Staff satisfied with their actions and outcomes are significantly less likely to resign, thus increasing retention and, consequently, wellbeing.

Furthermore, this will be saving you the money you would be spending on training new staff, which is a win-win situation.

Increased happiness

Comfortable seating and rugs are much more than a design choice: They evoke a familiar comfort that aligns with your employees’ home environment, which they will find recharging and invigorating.

In turn, this means increased happiness, less stress and more collaboration between teams.

Switching from a corporate place to a more lighthearted organisation will deeply impact your company culture and create a radically different work behaviour.

Put creativity at the heart of your business, and you are guaranteed to expect a significantly changed attitude to their daily shift as a whole.

It brings peace to the frenetic nature of life

 It’s hard to switch off once your shift is finished, nowadays. Promote your office to become a stress-free zone, where workers are encouraged to have some social down time. Let your staff have a short chat in a place where sociability isn’t just encouraged, it is promoted.

Let office interior designers overhaul stale into vibrant. They can guide you on everything from office furniture to space planning to lighting and aesthetics. Combined, these elements will contribute to a relaxing yet productive environment that will boost employee morale.

Rap’s interior design team is the leading specialist in the creation of revolutionary offices. Our skilled designers will be able to make your office feel like home and positively influence your business’ productivity in the process.

If you are going back to your office, Rap’s expertise is guaranteed to provide you with a full range of services from fit out to furniture, to make your workplace environment stand out. As a team of interior designers, creativity and innovation are at the heart of our culture.

To book a consultation, call us on 0333 600 1234 or email us at refurb@rapinteriors.co.uk