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Eight Office Interior Design Tips

June 25th, 2011 | Taylor Roberts Comments Feed

More and more business owners are recognising the need for their office spaces to be presented to an impressive standard. Not only is it important to impress your clients and customers with a clean and well-maintained office space, offering an inspiring, uncluttered and well organised office helps to increase the morale and productivity of your staff. The benefits of planning your office space to ensure that it is fit for purpose and visually appealing are many and varied. However, if you are a business owner that feels a little bit daunted by the prospect of having to design or redesign an office interior, you are not alone! Interior design is not the domain or forte of more than a few business owners, but the good news is that there are a number of interior design tips that are useful to follow when thinking about everything from the carpet and flooring in your office to the walls and artwork your display. #1: The most important place to start when designing an office interior is to think carefully about the users and what their needs will be. Carrying out this step is vital as it should inform every decision that you make as different users will have need for different interior design

techniques. For example, if the space is to be used by architects, it is likely that they will need large tables and spaces for viewing plans and blueprints. #2: Almost invariably, walls painted in neutral or soft colours are a great idea. Colours such as light beige or a pale shade of blue are likely to compliment any artwork or other pieces that may be hung on the walls. #3: Try to have an office that allows for flexibility and change. Of course you hope that your business will flourish and grow in the future; for this reason, it is a great idea to use movable bookshelves and filing cabinets rather than permanently fixed partitions. Office fixtures that are easy to move or disassemble and use elsewhere make it easy to alter arrangements and the positioning of furniture in the event that your business does grow and change. #4: Carefully consider the flooring that is used in your office. The floor is very often termed the fifth wall and there is now no need to opt for a boring, bland and uninspiring type of flooring as so many versatile, attractive and appealing types of carpet and other flooring are available. Not only are different types of flooring available, many are made from sustainable products and through sustainable practices. #5: Think carefully about the need for meeting rooms. Meeting rooms can take up a lot of space and impose quite a lot of expense to design and furnish and, very often, break out spaces can be more effective and more appealing in design. If you do have meeting rooms you will need partitions, windows, decorating and of course, heating and ventilation. The use of more break out spaces in preference to more meeting rooms helps to create open, communal spaces that will appeal to both clients and employees. #6: To reduce the expense and inconvenience when undertaking office interior design, try not to move air conditioning ducts, lighting, power points and plumbing. Not only is it expensive to do all of these things, moving mechanical and electrical systems can cause all manner of problems. #7: Any interior can be improved by reducing or hiding clutter. It is very worthwhile installing shelving and cabinets to help to file and organise clutter and some offices create an appealing effect by using matching baskets throughout the office. #8: Allow for individuality and the needs of individual workers. Customise the workspaces of every employee to fit with their height and special needs they may have and their role within your company. Provision of a unique and tailored workspace will assist your employees to do their jobs better and will be a reflection of the way that your business values diversity and innovation. Office interior design need not be complex and difficult. By following these simple strategies, a functional, effective and attractive office space can be created.

Opportunities

You could be employed by retail outlets, interior design consultancies or architectural practices. However, many interior designers are freelance either in their own practice or under contract to a design agency. You could use your experience in interior design to move into other related work, such as theatre set design, visual merchandising or exhibition design. You may find the following links useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open new window): There are normally three stages to the plans that the designer will draw. (Depending on who you are talking to they might give different names to these stages, so they are all noted here.) 1. The initial sketch plans (or concept, preliminary or discussion drawings). 2. The developed designs. 3. The final documentation, (tender, building consent, construction or working drawings and specifications).

1. Initial sketch plans

After you have briefed your architect/designer, they will go away and draw up some initial sketches or concept plans. These will give you an idea of how they see the house taking shape. They are likely to include a floor plan and a perspective drawing from various angles. They take into account site conditions, your budget, and any special town planning requirements. This is the time when you:

Sort out what you like and what you want to change on the initial sketches. Changing your mind later, when the detailed drawings have been done, or once construction has started, will be more costly. Consider some of the technical limits that have arisen, such as height restrictions or how the house might fit on the section. Discuss with your designer how the building will cope with the environmental conditions such as protection from the wind, dealing with weathertightness, and energy efficiency. See how it is all going to impact on your budget. Your architect/designer should be able to guide you here. Ask about future maintenance issues, for example, do the materials require special maintenance or what special access may be required. Decide if you feel comfortable with your chosen person to go right through the whole process with them. Dont feel bad about letting someone go. Its not unusual for people to brief more than one person to prepare the initial sketch plans before finding someone they are confident to proceed with.

Apply for a Project Information Memorandum (PIM) from the council. A PIM will include confirmation that you can build the house subject to the necessary resource and building consents. This will normally be done by the architect/designer on your behalf if its in their brief.

2. Developed designs
Once you have a set of agreed concept plans, your architect/designer will draw up the developed designs which include the changes youve asked for in the initial sketch plans. If not already done, now is the time to find out whether you will need resource consent, for example, if the house is going to be built closer to the boundary than allowed on the district plan. At this stage, if the design is particularly cutting-edge, you might decide to get a second opinion for assurance that it is workable. One option is to pay another architect or building consultant to review it for you. You will also discuss the materials you will use the exterior cladding, flooring, roofing, windows, doors and interior fittings and fixtures - with the architect/designer. Also talk about power points, cable jacks, exterior taps, light location, attic access, etc. At this stage you may use a quantity surveyor to estimate the costs of the project before you put the job out for tender and get closer to an accurate budget. To find out about the work of a quantity surveyor look at the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors website www.nziqs.co.nz. Doug used a draughtsman to design his new house in order to save money on more expensive designers fees. However, he got very frustrated over the amount of time it took to complete the plans, which were being drawn by hand, as apposed to using a CAD (computer automated design) system. A CAD system would have enabled alterations to be made instantly, and let him see the effect. Instead, when he made changes, the plans were then re-drawn over the following weeks, and often required further revision and re-drawing. By the time the plans were finished, so much time had passed that the building quotes Doug had originally received had gone up about 10%. He says that, in hindsight, he wishes he had gone to a designer/builder who used a CAD system, could have produced the plans quicker, and who would have had a more realistic and practical idea of the costs involved.

3. Final plans and specifications

The final documentation (tender, construction, or working drawings and specifications), includes detailed drawings as well as specifications for every feature, such as claddings, ventilation, natural lighting, wall and roof bracing, etc. The plans are used:

1. In the tendering process to get quotes from contractors, subcontractors and perhaps quantity surveyors. 2. To gain building consents. 3. By the builder and contractors contracted to build the house as the blueprint for the construction. From 30 November 2010, certain design work will have to be done or supervised by a licensed building practitioner. Your council will be able to advise you on this, or you can go to the Department of Building and Housing website. When the costs come in you may need to revise your plans and talk to your builder, architect/designer or quantity surveyor to see where savings can be made. If you have your building consent, changes to the plans may mean that you need to apply for an amendment to the building consent. At this stage you can go to the bank to finalise your finance if you havent already done so. Good plans will save arguments during construction if the plans arent clear or full enough they can be misinterpreted by you or the builder, leading to disputes over what was or was not priced and which systems and products should be used. This could also create difficulties in getting a code compliance certificate.

Interior design
Many architects work with an interior designer or do the interior designing themselves. Or you may prefer to hire your own interior designer, or do it yourself, but it is important that everyone is comfortable working together. You can decide every detail, right down to taps, in the specifications for the final plans. Or the architect can set aside a fixed sum for some things, for example, hardware and light-fittings. These are known as prime cost sums [define] (PC sums). This leaves you to choose the items yourself. If you choose the most expensive items, you will need to find extra money over and above the PC sums to pay for them. which include the changes youve asked for in the initial sketch plans.

Office Design Tips & Ideas. Top 10 things to consider before you do anything
By Bizint On December 21, 2011 1 Comment In Business Interiors UK News, Knowledge, Office Design News, Office Fit Out & Refurbishment News, White Papers

Office Design Tips & Ideas Top 10

1. Does your workplace inspire the people that work there? Your workspace can have a major impact on your employees motivation projecting the vision and culture of your company. Does your office merely fulfil a need? A place where your employees just sit down to work? Or is it an inspiring environment that breathes a visionary culture of a forward looking business encouraging staff to interact, innovate and fulfil their potential? Which impression would you wish to give potential and existing employees? Read more office design tip & ideas below 2. Do you really need to move? Moving can be disruptive to your business even when managed professionally. With a workplace appraisal of your current space you may be able to find ways to improve your current environment without the need to move at all. If 20% of workstations sit empty, could hotdesking benefit your firm? Is that archive better stored off-site? Would a serviced office fill your temporary need more efficiently? 3. Getting the budget wrong You dont move office everyday, so can you be sure you have thought of everything? There are plenty of things that you need to consider, preferably before that budget is signed off. By getting a good handle on all the costs and timescales involved at an early stage you can avoid any surprises in the future. 4. Trying to do everything yourself You have a day job, the last thing you need is more headaches. Relocating or refurbishing an office without the correct partner can quickly eat up large chunks of your time. Chasing any

number of suppliers is the last thing you want to do. Make sure you deal with a company that can provide a one-stop shop, one point of contact and takes responsibility for everything. 5. Choosing the wrong partner Ask for references. Look at completed projects. Speak to previous clients. Choosing the wrong firm to assist you with your office move can be a costly mistake. A little bit of investigation will quickly reveal how professional your chosen firm really is. 6. Internal communication Change is difficult to manage in any organisation. By involving your staff from the outset they can buy into the process and really look forward to enjoying your investment in a better working environment. On the flip-side too much consultation can slow decision making down and produce piecemeal results. When the right balance is struck your office move will be a very positive experience for the whole company. 7. The Importance of furniture Many construction orientated fit out firms simply do not value office furniture as a major part of the office environment.With offices becoming more open plan, the main functional asset of your interior is your furniture. Throwing tables and chairs into your design simply does not understand the functional needs of your organisation. How flexible is the solution? Is it easily reconfigured? Does it need to be? Is visual or sound privacy important? Are the storage resources appropriate and to hand? Be sure that your office interior designers have an intimate knowledge of all the latest developments in office furniture. 8. Economise but dont compromise In the US in 1997, employers reported a total of 626,000 lost workdays due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. That constitutes the largest job-related illness and injury problem in the U.S. Clearly ergonomics is a very important factor in office design. For example, buying the cheapest chair not only sends out the wrong signals to your employees (their perceived value to the company), but it may be costing you money too Spending a little more in key areas can have a dramatic effect on your productivity. 9. Employ a firm that can both design and build your project Traditionally an Architect or Designer produces the specification and a builder tenders for the work. By using a firm that both designs and builds your project you can reduce costs and time by up to 40%. You will also have one point of contact at all times from A to Z and the responsibility for your project will always remain in the same place. 10. Image

The office is the visible framework for people, processes and the companys culture. It is a strategic resource and can exert a decisive influence on a companys results. How your office looks and functions is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal to create a favourable impression with your clients and, even more importantly, the people who work for you. Be sure your designer truly understands your company culture and your brand and can project those values through your office solution