The physical workspace is one of the most ignored, yet well designed offices immensely contribute heightening business engagement with clients besides rendering a pleasant environment to the regular user writes Humphrey ODHIAMBO.
Businesses definitely thrive in well planned, uniquely designed and furnished offices. The office designs make worthwhile statements to clients. The setting has some emotional attachment as it inclines towards making the formal working space friendlier to the regular occupants and to clients.
It is a fact that many people don’t stop and take a moment or two before setting up their offices to consider little things like left or right hand orientation. Comfort in an office calls for a well thought-out process. It is never a sheer trial and error game. It’s serious business. Besides the commercial-oriented offices, even hospitals have taken a queue. They need nothing less than enviable interiors.
Be it a home-office or a workspace in a commercial set-up there ought to be a seamless flow of its cleaning and organized pattern of ensuring work efficiency and safety. Spending much time searching for things than actually working is no way a path to succeed in an office.
Radiant appeal
Jackson Ndegwa, whose firm Design40 has caused a glorious stir and indeed a demand for contemporary designed offices with matched flair and comfort speaks about formal workspaces with a passion. Being an inspired entrant in the competitive office design segment of the interiors vibrant market, he affirms that every office has its message. Their radiant appeal emanates from their design and outlook.
Years back, governments across East Africa did set a box-type standard of offices. It was all white spaces less for the doors and maybe some window frames and metallic door handles that had different colours. Another tinge of enhancement was perhaps some red or gray or blue carpets, curtains plus an intimidating table and some furnishings.
Creative and happy
Perhaps it is a number of law-firms that have been keen to sustain that momentum. But who says the government and law-firm offices must be boring? Governments and law-firms need to be in business and therefore deserve appealing office set-ups.
Setting up contemporary offices that would consistently measure with a business’ stature is a mighty task. Ndegwa notes that as the world has now crept into a more interactive environment physical spaces matter. “It’s easier to be productive, creative and happy at work in a colourful, organic, playful environment than in a grey, linear, boring one,” he asserts.
Many companies have buildings that are sleek, modern, architectural glass-steel-and-cement sculptures on the outside – and cubicle wastelands on the inside. These companies according to Ndegwa need to remember that most employees tend to work inside the building not outside.
With that in mind, some of the Design40’s candy innovative designs for workplaces hinge on simplicity, fun, flexibility and practical use for the office users. Corporate branded offices should thus have their own unique perfections. The structural materials of the building with its vibrant and creative interior design should display a sense of privacy, reception area, customer relations area that is discreetly separate from the creative spaces.
Critical in all the Design40 interior plans are the natural light that spreads full and open into the workspaces. The organization usually comes-up with symmetrical design solutions even in seemingly strange mezzanine floors. It is one company that’s keen with matching colours, sweet luxuries and green energy smarts that make the working space enviable.
Setting-up the space
It is important to take some time to consider the tasks that one will want to render in the office besides using the computer. Will you have a lot of printing? Arrange printers so that they are accessible and easy to replenish paper and ink.
Sketching finer drawings of the furniture that one has what might be required down the road provides a useful guideline, as it helps the most in setting-up the available space.
Questions that come-up include: Will you need a lot of storage space? Is a filing cabinet required? What about a board room and the executive officers? Planning that out early matters as it leaves room to grow in a chosen office space says Ndegwa.
Owing to the flexibility of aluminium and glass, they stand-out as among the best office material bets. “It is evident that a number of offices are also using gypsum boards and paint to make a significant difference,” says Ndegwa. For this he reckons one doesn’t have to rush to make inviting office interiors but consider engaging services of a qualified interior designer in-order to have a long-term impact in the office set-up that would uphold the business.
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