Economy office design in a modern style

Creating an economical office design in a modern style is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, because the main design principles are: efficiency, ergonomics and aesthetics. Manufacturers offer a wide selection of finishing materials and furniture in different price segments, which are suitable for creating an unusual interior. Moreover, modern trends have long moved away from old ideas about organizing office space, where there is a minimum of furniture and the decor is strict, faceless and even boring. We will tell you how to give your workspace a unique style without sacrificing functionality.

Basic principles of organizing office space

A modern office is a well-designed space with rooms of different functions that allow you to create comfortable working conditions. After all, for a good manager, it has long been no secret that the a direct dependence of employees’ performance on working conditions and the comfort of the workplace. It is affected not only by the office interior but even by noise, temperature, lighting and smells. 

Naturally, the employee himself creates his workspace, organizes everything in a way convenient for him, and arranges folders, organizers and other little things so that it is convenient for him. But management must provide the employee with everything they need, without forgetting the general principles that will help organize the office space wisely.

• Think about zoning in advance: where the dining area will be and how far it will be from the employees’ places, where the boss’s office will be located, and where the recreation area and meeting place will be. This must be determined in advance, because further stages of office arrangement will be subject to a predetermined “geometry” and changing something in the process will not be easy.
• Departments with different functionality should occupy different rooms or zones if the office is an open-space type. Also, in such spaces, each employee should have a personal space separating him from other colleagues. 
• A unified design style throughout the entire office will look advantageous not only in the eyes of clients, but will also not cause dissonance among employees.
• Furniture should not only fit perfectly into the interior, but also be comfortable and practical, because the employee will spend the entire working day surrounded by it, and productivity will directly depend on his well-being.

Popular Modern Office Design Styles

The choice of design is determined not only by the personal preferences of the business owner, but also by what kind of business the company conducts. It is unlikely that it would be appropriate to design the office of a travel company in a laconic high-tech style, and the office of a law firm in a boho style will seem too frivolous and does not inspire confidence. Therefore, it is worth thinking carefully about your choice of style. It would be a good idea to use the services of a designer. But if you decide to choose the style of your office yourself, now we will tell you about the most popular trends.

Loft style office

This style has remained in demand for several years now. The style of decorating former factory spaces and other industrial buildings, which originally emerged in the United States, deliberately emphasizing the original purpose of these premises, is still very popular. The modern version of the loft style is “softer” and does not use all the elements.

Typical features of a modern loft-style office will be:

• The common space is similar to an open-space, divided into zones.
• Industrial elements in design.
• use of modern art objects in decoration.

The space is not divided into rooms, halls or offices. It is divided thanks to proper zoning using transparent glass, low concrete partitions, differences in floor level or the use of different finishing materials for different zones (concrete, brickwork, plaster, etc.)

Furniture for each zone is selected by its purpose. Preference is given to unusual objects, around which the entire space of the zone is built. These can be bright lounge chairs of an unusual design or made of unusual material (plastic, leather, metal). The main criterion here will be functionality. There should be no unnecessary or unused furniture in such an office.

If the room has elements such as floor beams, old brick walls, hoods, steel stairs, then they can be played up and included in the composition. If not, then you can create the illusion of an industrial space.

Colors. The loft style is characterized by a combination of dark (for example, concrete) floors with walls of neutral colors and shades. And bright accents in furniture and decorative elements will add life and personality to the initially “empty” space. These can be work chairs in bright colors (orange, yellow or green colors go well with brick walls and neutral concrete). 

Decor and decorations must be very carefully and wisely selected. This style does not require a large number of decorative accessories; on the contrary, the interior should contain as few unnecessary items as possible. But large paintings in the pop art style or photographs of modern cities will fit perfectly into this style. Any works (or reproductions) of contemporary art from Andy Warhol to Banksy would be appropriate.

Lighting should support the industrial theme. We recommend using cable lamps, which are ordinary electric cables with light bulbs screwed into a socket, which either do not have shades (then the light bulbs themselves will be decorative elements), or the shades look like geometric plexuses of metal rods. Whatever lighting design you choose, it should be sufficient. In addition to natural light from windows, workers need both overhead light and side light. 

Office in a minimalist style

The main idea of ​​this style is reflected in its very name. This is perhaps the most rigorous and simplest design style at the same time. Its main features are:

• The severity of forms in clear geometry, bends are the rare exception rather than the rule for this style.
• Preference is given to natural materials and textures: wood, stone, glass or chrome steel.
• The color scheme is monochrome, neutral - white, black, gray and their shades.
• Maximum use of natural light or the creation of “natural” light from artificial sources.
• Decor, drawings or patterns are not used in decoration or furniture.
• Maximum functionality of the entire space.

Furniture contrastingly matched to the finish is most often used as decor. That is, dark contrasting furniture is selected for an office decorated in light beige, white or gray shades, and vice versa - dark walls are balanced with light furniture. Of course, being strict in choosing colors doesn't mean you can't use bright colors. Green shades, for example, will help your eyes relax, orange shades will improve your performance, and blue shades will help relieve stress.

Another opportunity to add coziness to the restrained image of a minimalist office is window decoration. The main rule is no drawings, no loose fabric that will be gathered by flounces. For minimalism, it is better to choose plain “Roman” roller blinds made of matte or glossy plain dense fabric. You can use blinds and pleated curtains.

Conclusion

Whatever office design style you choose, the most important criteria are still functionality and care for employees.