The Office Design Trends of 2019

11 December 2019

Every year new trends are adopted in workplaces all over the world. Here's a look at some of the top trends of 2019.

Today’s workforce spends on average between eight and ten hours inside an office each working day – making the interior design and functionality of the space more important than ever. This is becoming a key focus for office managers around the world. Not only because this can increase the efficiency and productivity of employees, but it also leads to their staff being happier and healthier.

Here are some of the top trends that swept offices worldwide in 2019.

Trend #1: Experience-driven spaces

Initially perceived as a marketing gimmick that would lead to being a distraction for employees, experience-driven spaces are having a huge influence on employee productivity, happiness and motivation to perform. These spaces are highlighted by employee-focused and specialised enhancements aimed at developing overall wellness, cultivating happiness, community-building, and boosting morale for everyone from interns to top-floor executives. In the future, expect larger offices to implement more experience-driven spaces such as in-house fitness/yoga/meditation studios and staff espresso bars.

Trend #2: Green Branding

More companies are taking up the cause of devoting themselves and their brand towards a greener, more sustainable future. As modern consumers begin demanding a higher level of corporate responsibility, they begin favouring brands doing more over those doing nothing. To align their brand with this growing trend of the times, companies are beginning to play a more active role in environmental sustainability and other green initiatives. For this reason, there has been an increase in the use of green walls, plants and natural materials in modern workspaces to reflect the brands changing values and image.

Some examples of the way businesses are tying their environmental sustainably efforts into their offices are:

• Installing green walls
• Accenting the office space with plants
• Furnishing office spaces with sustainably-sourced materials
• Using wood, stone, clay and other natural materials in the office

Trend #3: The pack-up-and-go workspace

A popular trend growing over the last few years enabled through the increase of more efficient mobile technology, reliable online networking and cloud computing is cohabitation spaces. The times of having a dedicated desk per employee are long and many offices are shifting towards fully open desks, where employees simply plugin or dock their laptops wherever they see fit for the day and set about their work. The core features of cohabitation workspaces are they all share the goal of maximising collaboration, creativity, flexibility and promotion of innovative ideas.