Commercial office design inspiration has been undergoing a major change in recent years. Gone are the days of blank white walls and gray cubicles with more emphasis being put on employee comfort and wellbeing than ever before. Lounges, different types of work areas, and biophilic interior design have all been shown to help employees be happier and more productive in their work.
More companies are beginning to realize this, and are hiring interior designers to help update their office looks and layouts accordingly. This includes making spaces more fluid, including more relaxed atmospheres, and making sure there is plenty of natural materials in the design inspiration.
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Reclaimed wood not only has biophilic properties, it’s also a green material – something that many companies are beginning to adopt as well. Taken from barns, warehouses, and buildings more than 100 years old, reclaimed wood has a lot of personality and character. It shows the marks, wear, and patina of its previous life, while still having years of use left in it.
Reclaimed wood for commercial design can be used anywhere you would use new cut wood. In an office environment, this leaves many possibilities. Whether you simply want to update the decor and style of your office looks slightly, or you’re completely renovating the workspace with employee comfort and health in mind, consider including some reclaimed wood in one of these ways.
Workspace Design Style
Workspace design has come a long way in the last few decades. Smart business owners have realized their bottom line depends on the happiness of their employees. The tables have turned in favor of employees who no longer have to settle for spending their time with minimal accommodations.
Many businesses have started investing in their interior design architecture to catch up with the trends that create new revenue streams.
Whether your office space is in the basement of an old downtown building or in the penthouse suite of corporate America, your office interior design and architecture is an integral part of your business success.
11 Reclaimed Wood Office Interior Design Ideas
Including reclaimed wood in an office space doesn’t have to mean using it on every surface to achieve a biophilic design. You can use it as an accent or as part of your functional decor, like office desks or a bookshelf. Either way, you’ll be sure to bring a lot of interest to your work area, as well as the stress reducing benefits of having natural materials like wood and greenery in the space.
If you’re looking for inspiration or ideas for how you could include reclaimed wood in your commercial office space, take a look at these 11 design inspirations.
1. Support Accents
If your office space uses columns and load bearing walls within the room design, consider accenting them with reclaimed wood. In an office layout like this one, where everything is very minimalist and contemporary, adding some reclaimed wood in specific areas like this adds much needed contrast and interest. Having a space with too many contemporary materials can sometimes make the office decor feel a little dead. This has an effect of making employees feel trapped indoors, and potentially less productive.
Adding natural, reclaimed wood to accents like this gives the office space some personality. It also makes an interesting focal point for viewers, and brings the benefits of biophilic design.
2. Wood Paneled Lounge
Employee and guest lounge areas are becoming increasingly popular as part of a commercial office space. It gives a more relaxed atmosphere for employees who need to step away, and for guests to have more informal meetings and conversations.
One way to help promote that more relaxed atmosphere is through the addition of reclaimed wood. In this case, reclaimed elm wood paneling is used on the walls. The light color of the wood works well with the natural light from the large windows and brings a warmth that would be otherwise lacking in the room design.
3. Break Room Areas
Typically, the most trafficked room in the office is your break room and it needs to be set up to accommodate everyone in the place. From morning coffee to lunchtime and afternoon breaks, your employees expect to have the basics available. Why not spice it up with some ambiance that will inspire your workers with natural accents that make breaktime a pleasant moment of warm surroundings?
Hardwood flooring is the best for handling heavy foot traffic well and is easy to maintain. Keeping the coffee area clean is necessary, so utilizing wood wall paneling above the countertops will provide a backdrop for splashes, spills and wall stains.
No matter how large or small your group, everyone wants to feel proud of their workspace. When bringing guests into your office, they often want a beverage and will notice how you design and maintain your breakroom.
Providing a refreshing break room for your crew does not have to be costly. Communal areas should have inviting accent elements that are not easily damaged from foot traffic or messy ones. Cabinetry should complement the space with a main color scheme.
Sustainable wood cabinetry is beautiful and functional. Cabinets hide all kitchen accessories and encourage employees to be comfortable with bringing their favorite dish or cup to the office while minimizing plastic consumption.
4. Lunchtime Seating Areas
Employees cherish their valuable lunch time and often look forward to the meal they have planned. This is the perfect time for you to encourage your crew to relax and rejuvenate their mind by providing warm wood tones of natural wood paneling before going back to their desk chair for the latter part of the workday.
Wood wall paneling not only provides seating segmentation, but also can be used as a design element. Generic seating arrangements are boring. Adding natural wood design elements with a touch of color can improve the dining ambiance with a simple wood wall design or wooden table tops.
5. Rustic Accents
Too many offices opt for very contemporary decor, without anything that can set it apart or add some contrast and depth. Contemporary materials are easy to use and care for. They give a clean, uncluttered appearance that works well in commercial spaces. But they can also appear soulless, cold, and unapproachable. That’s why adding in a few natural or rustic touches can be so effective; they warm up the space, without detracting from the rest of the decor.
This rustic, reclaimed wood door is highlighted by a contemporary handle. This helps tie the door back into the rest of the decor, and helps create a cohesive look that’s got more interest and personality than it would have otherwise.
6. Conference Rooms
Probably the most important area to create inspiration for your employees is in your collaboration spaces and conference areas. You want your workers to be comfortable, motivated and creative.
Generic conference tables and office chairs don’t cut it anymore. Employees prefer unique tabletops and lighting with playful colors that encourage them to contribute their thoughts and ideas with the group.
Bright and airy spaces give way for designer wood conference tables to be the focus of the space without taking away from the important conversation of the day, bringing coworkers together to share thoughts and ideas without hesitation.
Providing space for your most valued workers that manage to get things done while under intense pressure need a way to put their feet up and rest for a moment before they jump from one task to the next. Only warm hardwood flooring can provide this level of comfort in a casual workplace setting.
Casual gathering work areas in your office design layout can promote mental health and wellness for your employees who are burning the candle at both ends to keep up with their workflow.
Office ceiling design can make a big statement to your employees as well as visiting guests. It shows your potential partners and customers that you pay attention to details and have an appreciation for creative business solutions.
Inspiration comes from your environment. In order to build creative ideas and successful business solutions, you must provide room for ideas to transpire among employees. If you want to increase the caliber of your think tank, then it is necessary to groom your workspace to match your goals and create an overall feeling of enrichment.
Natural wood accents can be used to enhance almost any design style based on its tenure. For a young business seeking that industrial style using mixed wood materials, hardwoods will always compliment with straight lines of dark colors so there are no distractions from the tasks at hand. If you have a more traditional business, this may be a design option that keeps your employees focused and productive.
7. Accent Wall
More companies are beginning to put their motto or inspirational sayings on the walls. This is part of not only the decor, but also the atmosphere they’re trying to create for employees.
By pairing your motivational sayings with an accent wall, you get even more attention there. And by making that accent wall reclaimed wood, you gain even more interest, as well as the benefits of including wood. The position of the wood planks and the rich variation of color make this accent wall one that will catch everyone’s eye.
We love the stories that go along with the ones who came before us. Modern business should never forget the times that preceded us and how much more difficult it was to grow a meaningful business before modern technology.
8. Front Desk Waiting Areas
At first glance, we all look around the front desk area while waiting to meet with our prospective business partners. Naturally, we analyze the success of a company by the way a company presents their office space at the front door. For that reason, it’s important to include materials and designs that will make the right first impression on your guest. Warm, rich, reclaimed wood wall panels fit in well with this contemporary space. But they also create a more welcoming atmosphere, warming up the concrete floors and making the space feel more approachable for guests.
Make sure you create an appealing front desk area with wall paneling that makes a statement to all visitors. You can miss out on new business opportunities if you do not give off your best first impression and let people know your company values.
As more businesses adopt sustainable growth and embrace the need for green architecture, your best bet is to incorporate sustainable wood products and accents into your workspace design.
9. Office Hallways
Nothing creates more aesthetically pleasing walking paths than unique, attractive walls. Throw in built-in seating and a color scheme that enhances the good vibes of unique wall paneling and you can build creative juices as your employees are running off to their next client conference call.
10. Individual Workspaces
The best employees want to enjoy their workspace surroundings all day long while they are away from their home. This includes their own personal workspace, which enables individual style and creativity.
Old fashioned, plastic laminate desktops are lifeless and dull. Your employees will appreciate custom wood desk tops that provide comfort when sitting at an office desk all day long.
Create an environment that lifts the spirit rather than draining energy. Then you can then rest assured your valuable assets will not be running out the door at 5pm if they don’t feel the need to escape their job duties and instead want to stay and finish up that new slide deck or spreadsheet before taking off for the evening.
11. Branding Displays
If your branding needs a boost, the best way to improve your visibility and memorability is to incorporate reclaimed wood elements into your brand imagery displays. Everyone can identify with reclaimed woods that have a story to tell. Adding this natural element to your brand positions you with a talking piece that makes a statement.
People connect with the past more than the future.
With the widespread use of the internet to conduct daily business processes, we find it comforting to be surrounded with familiar, warm elements like hardwoods that can never be replaced by technology. If we help to protect these elements from becoming extinct, we can be proud of our accomplishments in preserving historic woods that should always have a place in our lives.
Create a Better Office Design With Reclaimed Wood From Elmwood
As more companies begin to realize the impact of their office looks on employee productivity and health, materials like reclaimed wood are becoming more important. They help give the office the look and depth it needs, while supporting biophilic design properties and eco-friendly design. Visit Elmwood Reclaimed Timber to learn more, and start including reclaimed wood in your commercial office spaces.