Tag Archives: modern office design ideas

Key Elements of a Modern, Functional Reception Space

The reception area is the entrance to your business, and generally, the first impression clients get of your business up close. The longer your clients and visitors are likely to sit here, the more important that the area create a comfortable and enjoyable experience. In 2020, we must add to that, a “safe” experience as well, especially as pertains to your employees. Businesses that rely significantly on a reception area for guests, potential hires, VIPS, and clients, should go the extra mile to ensure waiting and being received is pleasant, safe for all concerned, and says or presents something about your brand..

That being understood, there are a number of common elements that make for outstanding reception area’s, even on a limited budget. Here’s a few thoughts from the experts at BE.

Invest in a Proper Reception Desk

Reception desks are very specific pieces and come in all shapes and sizes from a wide variety of different manufacturers. Reception desks are generally a bit higher than a normal desk and can go from between 28” and 34” high. Key considerations include whether there will be more than one receptionist, will they stand or sit? What kinds of work will they be doing when there is no one to receive? What kind of phone system will you have and will the desk require a computer, special video, building management consoles, or other equipment? At BE we help companies select from hundreds of styles with all these capabilities and more, even custom built items.

The reception desk is functional for sure but it should have a style consistent with your brand and the impression you are trying to create. Stability, for a law firm, and creativity for a marketing firm, etc…

New to some reception desks in 2020 are sneeze guards though many desks used in the healthcare industry have long had these in some form or another. A sneeze guard is typically a clear acrylic barrier that is both easy to clean and prevents direct exchange of bodily fluids however they may be discharged. These can be easily retrofitted to most existing reception desks so no need to chuck out your old furniture if it suits you in all other respects. Sneeze guards on your reception desk protect your clients but mostly they protect your employee’s and are probably something that will be around now, long after COVID-19 is done.

Seating

Seating choices in your reception area are dictated by a number of things:

How many people will be waiting simultaneously?
How long will they typically wait?
How often is your reception area used?
How comfortable do you want it to be?
Are your visitors typically alone or in groups?

Your answers to the above questions may dictate whether you use couches or chairs, how separate the areas are, whether they share lighting and tables while they wait.

Then there are the matters of color, company brand style, durability of fabrics and for 2020 the cleanability of the furniture and materials used. As the area with the highest potential for bringing uninvited microbes into your business, your reception seating needs the most diligent cleaning protocols of any area of your company. New furniture and materials make this much easier, while allowing you the diversity of colors, patterns and materials to design to your heart’s content.

Functional Colors

In a recent study “Impact of color on marketing,” it was found that up to 90% of choices made about a particular product or brand all other things being equal, are based on color alone. Your reception area is a gateway to your business, and your color choices need to be deliberate based on what you are trying to acheive. Do you want a calm, functional space? Then look for mostly natural, muted colors and add accents of color with chosen pieces. Do you want to be dramatic? Then rich, vibrant colors are the key. Whatever your choice, it should be consistent with your brand image, and the impression you are trying to create.

Accessories

Make sure your reception area is up to date with modern lifestyles. People often want to recharge – their phones, laptops, earbuds, or iPads while waiting. Install easily accessible USB or power outlets wherever you can. A key element to a modern reception area is good Wifi. Your customers won’t mind the long wait as much, if they have a hot coffee, a place to charge their device, and good Wifi.

Signature Statements

Consider investing in signature items in your reception area that makes space truly yours. Things like fresh bouquets, a functional art piece from a local gallery, a bold company graphic, or a statement chandelier can leave a big brand impression.

Businesses don’t need to sacrifice their style to make a reception area accommodating. Spend time and the money to make this room as clean and welcoming as possible while keeping your company style and brand present

Modern Reception Design Ideas for the New Office Reality

BE Furniture is a full-service corporate office design and contemporary office furniture company, offering a wide range of environmentally-sensitive, healthcare conscious, and innovative products for reception areas and so much more.

For more information, please contact us today or visit our website at https://befurniture.staging.wpengine.com/

Shifting to New Design Category Called “Resimercial”

It’s the New Year! Which means it’s time to take a look at the different trends and modern office design ideas shaping the office design industry. One of the most interesting and exciting trends that is set to make a huge impact in 2020 is resimercial office design. Our contemporary office furniture company has briefly talked about this trend in previous articles. Here’s a more in-depth look at this trend as well as why it’s becoming so popular.

What Is Resimercial Office Design?

Office design is shaped around the office culture and what we want from the workplace for our clients and employees. In the past, offices have been designed for the following purposes:

To overwhelm and intimidate (think of the grand old law firms and banks),
To be a hive for employee activity (think of the beehive-like cubicle farms of the recent past), and
Even to be fun (like the tech offices of Silicon Valley, full of pinball machines, parks, and funky art).

Now, the trend is towards creating warm and welcoming spaces. the purpose is to create sleek, yet comfortable and engaging spaces that allow people to not only relax, but to also let their productivity and creativity flow. This is what Resimercial design is all about – creating a sense of sanctuary and bringing a sense of the home into the office.

What Makes Resimercial Design So Popular?

This office design style has gained a lot of popularity over the last year, primarily because it challenges our modern “always-on”, high-stress way of life. The demands of the office are higher than ever before, and office spaces can help accommodate this reality by transforming the workplace into a space that employees will actually enjoy. With plenty of home comforts, the Resimercial office helps reduce stress, boosts focus, and promotes productivity.

What Features Are Key to Resimercial Design?

As with all design trends, resimercial builds on previous office designs. But, it brings them together with a unique focus. This includes:

Comfortable Seating

Ergonomic chairs are matched with comfortable lounge-like seating spaces, arranged in cozy nooks and spaces for downtime, relaxation, and informal meetings. Expect to see soft fabrics, decorative pillows, and rich textures.

Flexibility

Spaces need to be multi-use, just like rooms in a home. Large spaces can be made more cozy on a day-to-day basis by using movable walls and opened up for large meetings or events with ease. Employees should be able to pick a space that not only works for them, but that also works for their particular task.

Soft Lighting

Natural lighting is very important! It’s supplemented by soft ambient lighting as well as personal lighting like lamps to create a softer, gentler glow.

Accessories

From libraries of books to artwork, indoor plants, rugs, and coffee tables, the resimercial design is brought to life with homelike accessories that evoke a sense of welcome, familiarity, and home.

Will Resimercial Design Work for My Offices? Our New Jersey Team Can Deliver a Custom Design

At BE Furniture, we assist our clients in achieving an optimal workspace for their business. Whether you are looking to remodel your office design completely or replace your furniture with a contemporary office furniture fit-out, our experienced team can handle it all.

For more information about our design services for contemporary office interiors and reception areas, which include corporate office furniture, movable walls, glass partition wall units, desks furniture, and more, please contact us today or visit our website at https://befurniture.staging.wpengine.com/

AI and Human Intelligence Come Together to Create the Next Generation of Office Spaces

AI is an incredibly effective way of crunching data to give us a better understanding and insight into everything from workflow and in-office processes to productivity and customer service. One of the leading modern office design ideas of our time is to use this data to create corporate office interiors and workspaces that foster innovation and engagement, making the workplace more effective and adaptable than ever before.

Why the Workplace Needs to Change

Offices have been evolving since the industrial revolution as businesses try to find new ways to compete, grow, and achieve success in their industry. Today, this transformation is being driven by technology, where a sophisticated and connected environment allows for faster and easier communication, rapid decision-making, and automated processes.

Not only the way we work today, but also the technological similarities between our homes, places of leisure, and offices have led to a blending of all three, with organizations embracing a home-like design, work-from-home flexibility as well as the idea that employees can work from almost anywhere that they choose.

Human Design and AI – Leading the Way to the Smart Office

Just as AI has paved the way to the smart home (a home that is interconnected, automated, and allows for unparalleled customization), so it’s also critical to the development of a much larger and more complex project – the smart office.

Machine learning and analytics pave the way for unprecedented data gathering and analysis, allowing office designers to make strategic decisions that optimize work processes and the use of their available space. Through smart sensors, you’ll be able to know very specific details, like how often different rooms or even different seats and desks are used, and all this detail will build up to create a holistic view of building space utilization.

AI also allows designers to test out different office layouts and concepts in great detail according to your business and industry, using predictive analytics and advanced modeling based on your organization’s unique data. This can be critical in the event of an office redesign or relocation debate, delivering a cost-effective and customized model that allows organizations to evaluate their interests, performance goals, and employee satisfaction priorities in line with different physical space options.

Seeking State-of-the-Art Contemporary Office Interiors? We Can Help!

BE Furniture is a New Jersey-located company that strives to meet all your contemporary office furniture and office design needs. Our team can assist you with everything from corporate office furniture selection, architectural walls, and contemporary office interiors to office fit-out services and furniture recycling. For more information on the latest contemporary office interiors, please contact us today or visit our website at https://befurniture.staging.wpengine.com/

5 Tips for Creating a Sustainable Workplace

Sustainability is more than a trend in the business world. In fact, it’s becoming a staple that guides every aspect of the workplace, from building design and eco-friendly heating and cooling to partnering with green businesses for everything from office supplies to contemporary office furniture. Here are 5 great ideas for creating a sustainable workplace:

Help Your Cleaning Go Green:

It’s important to have a healthy, hygienic work environment, but that doesn’t mean you have to use harsh or harmful chemicals to reach that goal. Partner with a cleaning company that uses environmentally-friendly products and stock your kitchen and washrooms with Green cleaning products, soaps, and hand cream. It not only helps the planet, it’s a health benefit to employees who suffer from allergies and sensitivities to chemicals too.

Start a Green Transport Initiative:

If your employees are all driving their own cars to work, your company’s carbon footprint is going to be considerable. Start an initiative to make transport a little greener. Why not encourage carpooling and public transport, incentivize coming to work by bicycle or walking? This is a great opportunity to get employees involved and ask what support they’d need to achieve these goals – and rewards too!

Implement Green Energy Management Policies:

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), buildings in the USA account for a massive 40% of the country’s total energy use, predominantly for heating and cooling, lighting, and electronics. Implementing an energy management policy will help reduce your carbon footprint and save on monthly bills. Ideas for this include awareness stickers placed by office machinery and lights, as well as motion sensors and automated systems to control lighting, heating, and cooling. By zoning your building and customizing your energy use, you can prevent excessive heating and cooling or unnecessary lighting when no one is at work.

Local, Healthy Foods:

Sustainable dining is another great green trend for offices, where you stock vending machines and kitchens with healthy, locally-produced food and snacks. Use reusable dishes rather than Styrofoam or plastic, and ensure packaging is recyclable.

Green Purchasing:

Buy or hire equipment that is energy-efficient, refurbish your office by upcycling items and using eco-friendly paint, add plenty of plants for greenery and air quality benefits, and buy from suppliers that offer eco-friendly office supplies. If you are refitting your office, find a partner that not only offers the latest in modern office design ideas, but also offers an environmentally-friendly approach, including recycling your current furniture.

Need an Eco-Friendly Partner Who Can Create World-Class Contemporary Office Interiors?

BE Furniture is a full-service corporate office design and contemporary office furniture company, offering a wide range of environmentally-sensitive and innovative products and services for innovative boardrooms and contemporary office interiors. We also offer office furniture recycling services to ensure your old office furniture is disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner. All of our contemporary office furniture is covered by a lifetime repair and maintenance program to ensure that you get the most out of your new investment.

For more information on our services for contemporary office interiors, please contact us today or visit our website at https://befurniture.staging.wpengine.com/

Your Office Remodeling Checklist

The time has finally come for that major office remodel you’ve been considering for ages. As the time comes to get down to the actual work of redesigning your workspace, you may find yourself a little daunted by the process that’s ahead of you. Where do you start? In what order should everything be done? What do I do with my old furniture? Here is our handy office remodeling procedure checklist to help you organize everything into manageable steps and get the job done as quickly and efficiently possible:

Establish your office remodeling objectives and make sure the entire team is clear and agreed on them.

Why are you remodeling? Chances are it’s about more than just wanting a change. Do you need more space? Do you want to harness new office designs to make your team more comfortable and efficient? Are you unhappy with your current available meeting space? Does your office space reflect poorly on your company and your company culture? It could be one or all of these and more. Whatever is motivating you to get into this undertaking, get clear on it and communicate it clearly to your employees, as well as your office designer/ renovators. This clarity will really help you to make all the necessary decisions going forward. It will also ensure that you have your team’s buy-in and that you are creating a space that furthers your business and personal objectives.

What Do You Need?

With your objectives in mind, it’s time to devise a strategy to carry out the remodel, while also making a complete list of everything you will need in the process. Building on your overall goals, you can set measurable strategies that can break everything up into more easily accomplished steps. If it’s more space you need, decide how you can best rearrange or refurnish your area to maximize the available room. What needs to move where? What furniture can stay and what needs to go? What arrangements need to be made for the removal of the old furniture? What new furniture do you actually need, and in what quantities? Can you manage the remodel on your own or will you need the services of a professional office designer?

Get Input from Employees

Nobody understands the needs of your office space better than those who occupy it and work in it every day. Your staff probably have very strong ideas about what would make their working experience better and more efficient but they may not voice their opinions because they don’t feel it’s their place to do so or they may think their opinions are not needed. Open up the discussion to them. Not everyone will have something useful to say, but those who do may be able to offer some valuable ideas.

Budget

Now match your objectives and strategies to your available resources. Speak to the finance department and get a detailed and specific budget for the project. You may have to prioritize some aspects over others: perhaps a new conference room is more important than a revamp of the open-plan working area. Then again, your office designers could work with your budget to help you do both – or create a cutting-edge, ultra-modern space that combines both into a single space. Don’t let your budget be a hindrance; rather let it work in tandem with your tastes and requirements to build the best possible space with the money you have to hand.

Find Your Team

You could buy the furniture you need and carry out the remodel yourself but you surely have all kinds of other priorities in your business. That is why a true office design partner who actively manages all elements of your build is so important. Bring in some experts who partner with your team but dedicate themselves to the job while you get on with your actual billable work. For the most painless, professional office build-out you should consider a team like BE furniture who will handle all aspects from culture and brand discussions, to color and furniture selection, layout and design of all spaces, supervision of construction and scheduling, and finally removal and disposition of your old furniture, even office cleaning.

Coordinate your team and space for the remodel

Once all the decisions have been made, you’ve devised your strategies, you have a redesign team in place and the furniture has been ordered, you now need to coordinate the process to ensure that the remodel happens as efficiently as possible with minimum effect on your productivity. Work out a plan that divides the project into logically sequenced, bite-sized chunks. You can minimize downtime by working on a department-by-department or room-by-room plan, and always having a temporary workspace that your staff can go to while their primary spaces are being worked on. Your project coordinator will work in line with your priorities and procedures to ensure the smoothest possible transition.

Unlike most office furniture distributors, BE is a full-service office design firm. With a highly experienced staff of both creative professionals and project management professionals, we can design and coordinate your office remodeling project and oversee it through to completion. Whether your project is large or small, you will be glad you put BE furniture on the shortlist of modern office design consultants and distributors to contact.

Please contact our Office Buildout Consultants today!

How to Start a BYORB Project for Your Office – And Why You Should

Office managers are often torn between the portion of the workforce that values convenience and the people who are green-minded. As most people know, offices create a lot of waste in the form of everything from packaging and containers to coffee stirrers, paper, and garbage.

Changing employees’ perspective on waste reduction needs to start small. Implementing a Bring Your Own Reusable Bottle initiative is a great place to start if you want to combine modern office design ideas with actionable waste reduction strategies. Here is how to go about it:

Create a Sustainability Task Force

This is especially helpful in a large workforce where everybody doesn’t know each other’s name. Before you launch the Bring Your Own Reusable Bottle project, create a sustainability task force who is willing to start by bringing their own reusable bottles to work. Your waste reduction strategy is much more likely to stick if you have a group of people who are excited about the initiative.

Make the Transition Gradual

Sometimes, change can lead to anxiety. If you predict that it might be challenging to get everyone to switch to reusable bottles, leave a pack of plastic cups near the water cooler in plain sight for everyone to see. The chances are good that when the plastic cups are finished, people won’t know where to find more and it will simply seem like less effort to bring their own reusable bottles to work.

Get Your Own Made

If you have a budget for your Bring Your Own Reusable Bottle initiative, then this is a no-brainer. What better way to encourage employees to reduce waste than by giving them a personalized water bottle or a water bottle with the company logo on it?

Give employees the impression that you are serious about their future and the future of the company’s sustainability program with contemporary office interiors and furniture. Contact BE Furniture for more information today.