The Modern Office: Inspiring Trends of 2019

BIOPHILIA IN THE WORKPLACE

Biophilia in the workplace and biophilic design is the practice of incorporating nature into the office in order to blend both indoor and outdoor environments together, thus in turn providing a more natural work environment.

Studies have shown that working in natural outdoor environments can have a positive impact on employees happiness levels, attitude and in turn productivity levels - therefore it makes a lot of sense that employers are now looking for innovative ways to bring nature inside their work environments.

Biophilia in the workplace doesn't necessarily mean that you have to purchase a number of potted plants and scatter them around your office! Instead there are now a whole range of clever solutions which integrate biophilic design into everyday items and furniture items, this is great news for employers (especially those with limited physical space) as it means that some furniture items can feature biophilia whilst utilising the same amount of floor-space.

Biophilia In The Workplace Examples

Manufacturers shown - Top left: KI. Bottom left: KI. Right: Jennifer Newman.

AGILE WORKING

Agile working is a way of working in which an organisation encourages and enables its employees to work where, when and however they choose – with maximum flexibility and minimum constraints.

In terms of the office environment - this would translate for example, to employees working from 'touch-down' workstations or even from breakout/lounge spaces where they can get away from the often fast-paced and busy atmosphere of desk working.

Agile Working Examples

Manufacturers shown - Top left: Boss Design. Bottom left: Vitra. Top right: Orangebox. Bottom right: Connection.

UNUSUAL/UNCONVENTIONAL WORK SPACES

The emergence of what we're calling "unusual" or "unconventional" work spaces could be as a direct result of the above point; agile working - as there are so many different types of people, there are also a vast amount of learning and working styles that best suit these people. 

This in-turn results in an increase in the popularity of these unconventional work spaces, which we believe could see further growth in 2019. Examples of unconventional workspaces include; any soft seating areas such as bean bags or lounge chairs, and with modern technology meaning everything can be done wirelessly, employees are not limited to only working from areas with power outlets.

Unconventional Workspace Examples

Manufacturers shown - Top left: Ocee Design. Bottom left: Vitra. Top right: Max Furniture. Bottom right: Spacestor.

BREAKOUT & COLLABORATIVE SPACES

Breakout & collaborative work spaces have been a big thing within the office environment for a number of years now, and we don't see that changing any time soon, in fact we're sure that these trends will be on the rise yet again looking forward into 2019.

It would seem that more and more employers are warming to the idea that the office environment can, and should be a fun one, whilst still remaining productive (if not more productive!). Providing employees with areas where they can unwind, de-stress or focus on an important task.

A lot of manufacturers are supporting this view point, which we are noticing from the types of products that are being released. See below for some interesting examples of this;

Breakout & Collaborative Workspaces

Manufacturers shown - Top left: Orangebox. Bottom left: BuzziSpace. Top right: Frovi. Bottom right: Boss Design.