New Year | New Office Trends for 2022.

As the past two years, in terms of office spaces, have provided a rollercoaster ride for the use of our offices. 2020 brought the office home and introduced the remote working era. 2021 continued with some remote working but as the pandemic flattened, also allowed for some in-office working. What will 2022 bring?

To put it simply, offices will be seeing efficiency, functionality and comfort as the top priorities as the need to adapt to methods such as hybrid working rise in popularity.

1. Sustainability

Employees, employers, designers and other stakeholders are becoming increasingly aware of sustainability within the office as is the environmental impact of materials being used in the office. Prioritising being eco-friendly means that every item you purchase for your space is thoughtfully chosen in view of minimising the damage done to the environment. Using sustainable materials and using energy-efficient methods such as LED lighting and natural lighting will help to keep a high productivity level for employees.

2. Incorporating the comfort of home to the office

Over the past two years, many people have grown accustomed to the habits of working from home, so by adding extra comforts to your office, it can help attract your staff back into the office.

Trending ways to combine the comfort of your home to the office include:

• Warm lighting
• Plush carpets
• Indoor plants
• Comfortable seating

3. Biophilic design

Biophilia is essentially the act of embracing nature and the outdoors and as its easier to bring the outdoors in than taking the indoors out, it’s a great way to embrace nature for what it is. Its time to take a step back from the artificial lighting and uniformed rows of desks, and instead consider natural materials such as wood like bamboo, stone, water and plants within your office space. Even if your space has limited natural lighting, there are many low maintenance plants that thrive in low light areas such as cacti and snake plants. You may also be worried about forgetting to water these, but don’t worry because there are also plants that don’t mind not being watered every day! Consider string of pearls or begonias.

Including these natural resources will help improve the air quality in your offices, as the plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They can also help combat dry-air, a common problem for those with air-conditioning.

Biophilia has been shown to reduce stress, improve focus, improve mental well-being and boost creativity – overall a win-win!

4. Flexible working spaces

After the comfort of working from home, employees want options when it comes to where and how they work. They don’t want to feel like they are assigned a desk and that’s where they have to work all day. By implementing unassigned areas such as booths, breakout areas and café areas, you can offer the flexibility they are looking for. By having different spaces to offer, each different working style can find what works for them to help produce more dedicated, loyal and productive employees.

5. Neutrals

Tried and trusted, neutrals are predicted to stick around in 2022. tans, off-whites and beiges immediately help to make an office feel more comfortable and home-like whilst stimulating a calm state of mind, and being easy to decorate around. Add your company’s brand colour to create the perfect blend of colours.