Most people will spend a large portion of their lives working. Because of how many hours employees spend in the office, there is a need to make sure the office is designed in a way that has little negative impact on health, productivity, and happiness. Since offices can impact innovation and creativity, they have to be designed in a way that fosters both of those things. There are many ways to do this and below we will look at a few tips to help you design an innovative office space.

Light Matters

Natural light has been shown to affect employees positively. Natural light not only makes people happier, but exposure to it causes people to sleep better and longer. A study published by Northwest University also showed that people who were exposed to natural light are more physically active and have a better quality of life compared to those exposed to little natural light or a lot of artificial light.

Experiment with Different Materials

We understand that different materials can affect the way we feel about a space. It is therefore important to spend some time and money trying different materials in the workplace. Fortunately, there are endless types of materials and innovative ways to use these materials on different surfaces and fixtures, such as furniture, doors, walls, and more.

To keep costs down, companies can repurpose materials and mash them together to create unique pieces that foster creativity.

When doing these experiments, do not forget about the floor. As it might be hard to redo the floor every time you need to improve creativity, experiment with different soft furnishings, carpets, and other materials instead.

Opt for Flexibility

With laptops and smartphones becoming part of a normal workday, people no longer need to be confined to their desks to be productive. With reliable Wi-Fi connections, any surface or space in the office can be turned into a workspace. Since it has been proven that people work best when they are given the freedom to customise their workspaces, companies that want to improve their productivity should let employees design their own workspaces.

For example, companies can let employees choose between standing or sitting desks or even choose office chairs that work best for them. Fortunately, there are uncountable makes and models of office chairs sold by companies like Lakeland Furniture, so your employees can get one that serves their needs best. Lakeland Furniture also has a massive selection of different types of home and office furniture while giving you the chance to choose between new and clearance furniture.

“Active Designs” for the Win

Active designs are designs that improve employee mobility. Numerous studies have shown people are more creative when they are mobile and have constant physical activity. Standing desks are a great place to start, but beyond that, it is important to leave as much open space as possible. This encourages people to walk around. Do not forget to encourage people to use the stairs rather than the elevator.

Break Down Barriers

A big problem in offices that are down on creativity and innovation is that there are too many barriers. A common example is frosted glass around the conference room when upper management is having a meeting. This barrier breeds fear and stress, which hampers employees’ ability to be creative and innovative. Instead, use clear glass so your employees can see you; that reduces stress and speculation among your employees.

In doing this, it is still important to have spaces where people can enjoy their privacy. This is especially important for introverts.

When designing the rooms, it is important to design them in a way that people can run into each other throughout the workday. This ensures people can access the CEO or other executive officers for a chat, or to even find out what they think about an ongoing project. Doing so helps employees exchange ideas and see things from different perspectives.

Create Multipurpose spaces

Multipurpose spaces make employees feel included, which increases their happiness. Happiness has been shown to boost productivity, so this is a good way of doing just that. In these spaces, ranks should be stripped away so people feel like they are in the company of their peers. If some employees feel like they are below others, it will kill the whole point of having these spaces.

These multipurpose spaces are very important for cross-collaboration where the area can be turned into a brainstorming space just by changing the arrangement and orientation of the seats.

The office is no longer what it used to be. It is no longer about commanding employees to do as the CEO or manager wishes, but spaces to let employees unleash their creativity for the good of the company. This is why modern offices are being designed in a way that fosters collaboration and interaction, as ways of improving creativity and innovation.