5 tips for your next office design

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
End of year, CS DESIGN CS DESIGN Salas de estar ecléticas
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Located in Sandton, Johannesburg, CS Design has quickly evolved to become one of the busiest and experienced interior design professionals in South Africa. The firm boasts an impressive portfolio detailing many residential, hospitality, retail, and office projects across the country, as well as some in the UK and New York. 

CS Design was founded by Carin Shardelow in 1996 after she moved back from gaining a wealth of design experience in New York. Back home in Johannesburg, Carin ensures that the main focus of CS Design continues to be interior design, although numerous other options are also available to enhance design results including 3D rendering of plans, creating mood boards and presentations, designing custom furniture pieces, managing renovations, consultations, and workshops. 

Today, we are zooming in on some office designs completed by CS Design, as well as educating you on some tips to keep in mind should you be facing the designing or renovating of an office space, commercial or residential! 

1. Focus on comfortable pieces

Whether you’re working from home or an office, your place where you slay deadlines needs to be perfectly comfortable. After all, we spend 8+ hours a day at work – no need for ‘work’ to equal a bad back, right? 

Start off by selecting office furniture that offer varied postures for comfortable work, like an ergonomic chair, plush sofa, ottomans for kicking your feet up, etc. And ensure table / desk height is proportional to chair height in all areas (yes, even the kitchen / zones where you take lunch). 

2. Encourage employees’ productivity

How will your office space best promote staff productivity? One survey has found that giving employees input into the interior design of their workspace can boost productivity by about 32%. We are not saying that you need to give your staff full power on what goes where in the office, but definitely keep their suggestions in mind. And remember: engaging areas in the workspace are just as important as ones dedicated to work. Thus, don’t be surprised to hear that pieces like a ping-pong table, bean bags, an interior coffee shop, and even a slide can help stimulate productivity (obviously this depends on the type of industry you work in, your staff, etc). 

3. Create a fantastic first impression with your reception

Here is where you can really go big to make guests and clients feel welcome and relaxed. Stone-clad focal wall behind the receptionist’s desk? Colourful sofas sprinkled all around? Depending on your company and brand, there’s a wealth of additions you can consider to make your reception area as inviting as possible.

4. Enter the light

Don’t discount the importance of natural lighting and how buckets of it streaming in through windows and glass doors (maybe alongside beautiful exterior views) can up staff mood and productivity levels. 

In addition, it’s of course important to opt for decent artificial lighting fixtures to ensure there’s no eye strain on staff whether they’re typing at their desks, meeting in the boardroom, or breaking for lunch in the kitchen / designated dining zone. 

5. Have fun with colour

Colour psychology tells us that colour can (subconsciously) affect people’s moods. For instance, blue has been shown to increase calmness while red can stimulate appetite. 

Keep this in mind when sifting through colour palettes for your office design, but don’t let the final results clash with the look of your brand / logo. 

From the office to the home, let’s look at 5 ideas for your next kitchen layout

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