Resimercial Workplace Design
A combination of “residential” and “commercial,” a resimercial workplace design blends aspects of home furnishings into the contemporary office. When well executed, this creates a more relaxed environment that promotes collaboration, productivity, and employee well-being.
The main goal of resimercial office design is to create a workspace that is comfortable and fun to be in, something that employees especially millennials are increasingly demanding.
This trend began with offices increasing their common spaces, and it is now industry standard to provide areas for relaxation and collaboration. However, rather than just putting residential objects in an office, resimercial design is thoughtfully customized for the needs of each company.
FABRIC
It is important to maintain commercial quality and durability in the workspace while still creating a residential feel. Upholstery tends to be the first thing to wear, so commercial fabric manufacturers have started to soften their durable products and incorporate more residential-looking patterns and colors. When designing a resimercial office space, interior designers like to specify lounge seating in subdued colors, such as browns and grays. This color palette for fabric tends to illicit a “homey feeling” versus a stark, corporate white.
In a detailed analysis of the trend, Work Design Magazine advises incorporating tactile textures, materials and accessories that evoke a sense of warmth, comfort and familiarity.
FURNITURE
Another way to achieve an anti-corporate look while maintaining commercial quality, is through office furniture. Choosing a furnishing style that brings a sense of comfort and a residential feel into the workplace is essential in the resimercial design movement. Don’t forget that the furniture must be durable; and most residential pieces aren’t made for the high levels of traffic and usage that offices have.
Residential furniture also doesn’t have commercial warranties, weight capacities, or the fire resistance ratings of commercial furniture. The good news is that many office furniture manufacturers have now incorporated resimercial design into their product lines, so it is easy to choose commercial grade furniture that looks like it belongs in a home.
COLLABORATION
Similar to open office designs and coworking spaces, resimercial design also focuses on collaboration. By abandoning a traditional office design and providing spaces that feel more like living rooms, employers hope to promote comfort; which leads to employee collaboration and creativity. This will then transform the office environment into somewhere that employees look forward to working in.
Many of the resimercial design projects we have completed contain a variety of spaces that offer employees places that best meet their needs. Whether workers want to be productive, creative or just relax, a resimerical space plan should always include collaborative areas.
DÉCOR
Sometimes it’s the feel of an office space that makes it resimercial and comfortable. This feeling can be achieved through ambient features like soft lighting, wall treatments, decorative features, and temperature. Even small design elements with these details can help make an office feel less sterile, institutional and structured.
Regardless of a business’s industry or age of its employees, people want to be comfortable at work, and resimercial interior design allows for that. Resimercial office design can bring a warmth and friendliness into the workplace while still maintaining a professional atmosphere. Many employees are attracted to work environments that feel more like a home-away-from-home and incorporating resimercial design is a great way to step in that direction.
If you’d like us to explore how you could introduce a resimercial design into your workplace, contact the team at VID.
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