Professional offices are experiencing lasting changes after Covid shutdowns scattered employees who stayed connected through online meetings and other forms of technology. The office functioned outside the walls of the corporate headquarters. Hybrid work arrangements have become normal for many with the corporate office taking on a new role as a hub. With all these significant work style changes, let’s examine the best office furniture trends, now not just for the main office but also for the home.
Companies in Southern California are adjusting well. In Culver City, Creator IQ allows employees to balance remote work with the main office being a supportive location where there are special times to come in and focus. Offices need to re-think spaces and create a desired destination spot instead of just being a place where people are told to work.
Is there an upside? Yes.
Companies are discovering the best office furniture trends ever. These provide comfort, allow for collaboration, and provide flexibility with hybrid work schedules.
Read on to get ideas to refresh your office, furnish for greater productivity, and give your team an inviting reason to be in the office.
Best Office Furniture Trends: Dynamic Office Spaces
A popular office furniture trend is allowing for inter-office movement.
Photo: Friant System 2 Workstations
Your team may begin at their workstations but decide to move to a more informal area with lounge seating or even the breakroom where they can work on their laptops or take personal calls. Formal conference rooms are giving way to informal group spaces.
Offices can certainly have defined space, but with open layouts and hybrid work arrangements, they’ve become dynamic. Support the changes using the best office furniture.
Best Office Furniture Trends: Collaborative Furniture
Photo: DeskMakers TeamWorx Open Plan Benching
Open office layouts were meant to spur collaboration, but the effort was met with mixed reviews. People need privacy, too.
Photo: OFS Staks Workstations
Cubicles that were seen as dull and gray were redesigned for small group sharing and privacy. One of the best office furniture trends is the ability to have collaboration while at the same time not disturbing others who are working.
Photo: OFS Aptos Open Plan Benching
Bench seating solutions can bring people together for a few hours—while encouraging movement to other areas as needed. Encourage an ebb and flow of work communication.
Resimercial: The Personable Yet Professional Office
Make the office a home away from home. This has been one of the best office furniture trends taking place for the past few years, even before the Covid shutdown occurred.
Resimercial simply combines the look and feel of residential spaces with the durability and professionalism of commercial spaces.
Why is this popular?
Our culture has become more informal and relational while offices are less hierarchical than ever. Employees feel comfortable in a work environment where they can sip coffee while sitting on furniture that have the touches of home, including the fabrics.
Interiors to Brand Your Company
Resimercial isn’t the only design option, though. It’s possible to brand your interior in a way that reflects your company’s overall brand image and design. The promise made to customers on the outside can be made to employees on the inside.
2010 Office has an Inspirations page where you can easily see some of the best office furniture trends in use.
Photo: ODS Lift Height Adjustable Workstations
A minimalist approach is taken with the Scandinavian office while open offices can have a modern industrial look and feel.
Offices in Southern California and nationally make use of local flavors. In Pittsburgh, Google’s office design made a splash when it set up shop more than a decade ago in the 100-year-old Nabisco building. Designers kept some of the original brick, installed industrial-looking catwalks, and had a large picture of the Smithfield Street bridge.
Touchdown: Creating Office Spaces for a Breather
With people coming and going, offices need touchdown spaces. This is another trend where individuals can step aside from noise and distractions to focus or take a break.
Photo: Rouillard Blok Lounge Seating
Small groups of employees who want a meeting away from the formal conference room can use modular lounge furniture to accommodate just a few people, or if need be, make room for a larger group. Make use of moveable whiteboards for charting.
Remote workers stopping in for meetings can use touchdown spaces to work or collaborate while waiting for the official meeting to begin.
Integrated Technology
There’s no escaping our connected worlds and the rapid flow of information. Offices with hybrid schedules and remote workers are making greater use of video conferencing than ever before.
Set aside specific spaces like the OFS Obeya Architectural Structures that are tastefully designed and house necessary technology.
Natural Light and Ergonomic Accessories
Another trend isn’t furniture but it promotes well-being. Maximizing the amount of natural light in a space is proven to be an effective way to boost morale and aid in promoting a healthy sleep cycle for employees.
Use ergonomic lighting accessories to focus the right amount of light at workstations and reduce problems associated with eye strain.
Home Office Furniture Trends
Equipping the home office is another of the best office furnishing trends and has become more important than ever. Some remote workers are full-time while others split time between the corporate office and home office.
Work-from-home furnishings include items that corporate headquarters will have. Sit-to-stand desks and ergonomic chairs can be as useful in a remote office as they are in the home office.
Make sure printers are accessible but not in the way and that the space stays uncluttered with the proper amount of storage.
Stay Up to Date on Best Office Furniture Trends and Office Furnishings
Rely on the team at 2010 Office Furniture to keep you up to date with the best office furniture trends and to plan your office space so you use it well. 2010 Office staff have more than 50 years of combined experience and have served clients who are counted among Southern California’s most recognizable corporations, centers of higher education, and small businesses.
Contact them with your specific project needs and questions.
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Main Photo: Stylex Trim Table
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: DeskMakers, Friant, ODS, OFS, Rouillard & Stylex