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6 Types of Office Furniture That Inspire Creativity and Collaboration
After being under home confinement during the early years of the pandemic, a lot of people are relieved that they can return to the office. As many people believe, there’s no real replacement for an environment where one can focus on their tasks and see their co-workers face-to-face. But on the flip side, an office that isn’t prepared for the demands of post-lockdown life may not be able to harness its employees’ full potential. That means that the task of creating a conducive work environment for employees is more crucial than ever before.
If you head an office, you’ll want to engineer a space that inspires creativity and collaboration—two qualities that may mean different things to your employees now after they’ve worked in remote and hybrid work setups. One way to inspire both is to choose your office furnitures carefully. The right pieces will do more than just offer flexibility, adaptability, and comfort to your employees—they’ll nurture teamwork and instigate productivity.
That said, here are some recommendations from online buy and sell platform LookingFour for furniture that will suit a creative and innovative office:
1. Modular Furniture
Modular furniture is designed for adaptability in both work and home settings. These pieces can be configured very flexibly, allowing you to quickly change a room’s layout to suit various collaborative needs.
As such, this type of furniture often supports a sense of autonomy among employees. When your team members have the freedom to tailor their workspaces to their specific tasks, it’ll be easier for them to switch from their solo work to shared work responsibilities.
This same autonomy can also be a catalyst for creativity. If your employees have more control over their surroundings, they’ll be able to turn their workstations into sources of inspiration—giving them the creative drive to think outside the box and innovate.
Consider investing in bench-based modular desks that have long, continuous work surfaces. These desks enable multiple members of your team to use them at the same time, encouraging easy collaboration.
2. Adjustable and Portable Office Furniture
Your employees may also get into the right mindset to be productive and collaborative through the use of adjustable or portable office furniture. Standing desks, for example, allow employees to switch between sitting and standing positions. This design helps reduce the effects of prolonged sitting while boosting energy and stimulating creative thinking during collab sessions.
Mobile whiteboards, on the other hand, are portable office furniture items that can streamline brainstorming across multiple areas of the office, accommodating ideas from a wide group of people. These whiteboards can also serve as visual aids during meetings and allow teams to sketch out ideas and concepts in real time. Furniture options like these can help your employees exercise their creative facilities and work together without being limited to just one space.
3. Huddle Room Furniture
If you plan to have a huddle room in your office, you’ll also want to include furniture that’s specifically designed to maximize the space. Padded seating and collaboration tables are great options for informal meetings because they’re comfortable and allow attendees to be fully at ease. Having these types of furniture in the room creates a relaxed setting that encourages open dialogue, efficient problem-solving, and creativity.
4. Acoustic Furniture
In open office layouts, noise distractions can hinder productivity and collaboration. The sound of people typing on their keyboards, individuals walking in and out of the workplace, and the low humming of the air conditioning system can cause employees to break their focus and lose their momentum.
That’s why it’s in your best interest to invest in acoustic furniture and to create a quieter workspace, especially in your common areas. Acoustic furniture pieces are designed with materials that absorb sound, helping them engineer a more peaceful environment.
Apart from providing a physical barrier to noise, acoustic furniture also contributes to a psychological sense of privacy and focus. Spaces that utilize this type of furniture can help employees engage in deep work or one-on-one discussions without being disrupted by the surrounding noise.
High-back lounge chairs, sound-isolating booths, and partition screens are all examples of acoustic furniture that helps reduce noise distractions, allowing for better concentration and greater privacy during discussions.
5. Biophilic Office Furniture
Biophilic office furniture incorporates natural elements into its design, creating a connection to the outdoors. Furniture like chairs with wooden finishes, organically shaped desks, and shelving made from natural materials like bamboo can stimulate creativity among employees.
The presence of nature-inspired furniture within your office environment can also help reduce stress and improve cognitive function among your employees. When surrounded by biophilic furniture that reminds them of the freedom of the outdoors, your team may be better disposed to brainstorming and working well together.
6. Innovative Storage Solutions
Innovative storage solutions play a crucial role in maintaining an organized and clutter-free workspace. But modular storage units, concealed cabinets, and versatile shelving systems can stoke your employees’ creative tendencies as well. With more room to move around, they’ll feel freer to let their minds explore and to work both on their own and with each other.
A well-designed storage system for your office can also support a more streamlined workflow since it makes the space more accessible. Thus, employees can quickly locate the resources they need, whether it's project materials, documents, or equipment.
It can be challenging to create a new office environment that inspires creativity and collaboration post-lockdown. But your choice of office furniture could make a significant difference. Try configuring your office in the ways suggested above, and see what it does to cultivate creativity and collaborative energy among your employees.
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