Waking up to the sound of your alarm marking another day at work might never be as tempting as a lie-in, but creating an exciting and fun workplace can certainly put a spring in your step. You don’t have to install slides, arcades and a hammock room – you can make any workplace an inspiring place to spend your days by making a few changes to your decor.
Top of the list is an office sofa. They’re great for brightening up the space and getting the ideas flowing too. Find out how an office sofa could work for you with inspiration from Sofology.
Why sofas should be part of your office space
On average, we spend a third of our day at work, so it makes sense that our environment at work should be just as welcoming and inviting as our homes. Not only that, according to a survey done by Office Genie, a well-designed office can make you feel up to 33 percent happier.
Take Airbnb’s San Francisco office, for example. Combining bright, open spaces with colourful features, each section of the office is designed to take its employees on a journey. Inspired by travel, Airbnb has brought together design features from cultures across the world, all focusing on one underlining theme: home.
Any office can achieve this sense of comfort and belonging, with the help of plush sofas and accent armchairs. These cosy furnishings give us a place to relax, encouraging us to open our minds and dream up new ideas as a team.
Where to put an office sofa
Sofas are an easy way to give your office a lift. They can keep clients calm in reception and provide welcome respite for tired brains in breakout areas. Not only that, they can set the tone for relaxed meetings, dreaming up big ideas in an armchair or brainstorming strategies on the edge of your seat.
One company which knows how to do office sofas right is Google, seen here on Arch Daily. With offices scattered around the world and employees always on the go, the tech giant places huge emphasis on comfort, featuring a wide variety of relaxing spaces where you can quickly feel at home. You could lounge on a corner sofa inside the library, test your Guitar Hero skills in the break room or get focused inside a cosy sofa pod.
What your sofa style says about your company
Choose a sofa that represents your company culture. A traditional sofa like the Hetty can reinforce a feeling of calm while keeping an aura of professionalism – ideal if your office environment is quite serious. However, it can also work in contrast to thoroughly modern offices, especially ones that have a more industrial look, with exposed brickwork and piping.
Businesses with a creative streak could welcome a bold and colourful sofa into the ranks. If your business does focus on creative flair, consider a large corner sofa, such as the Demure, to ensure everyone’s brain has a spot on the sofa.
Other styling tips to inspire your office space
It’s not all about the sofa when achieving the perfect office design. You can use a range of style elements to bring a bit of blue-sky thinking into your workplace.
Feature wall
Providing the perfect backdrop for sofas such as the Cricket, a feature wall can add a burst of colour and fun to an office space. You could decorate with your company colours, get creative with patterns or emblazon the wall with motivational words and values to inspire all your guests and employees.
Office greenery
Adding plants to your office can reduce the overall stress levels, prevent sickness and improve productivity – one of the latest studies, covered in the Independent, was published just last year. Add small potted plants on windowsills and tables, or go full-jungle with palms, spider plants and mother-in-law’s tongue.
Whether big or small, succulents tend to work best in an office space because they can thrive on restricted natural light and limited water. However, you can still achieve the same effect with rubber plants or painted murals, like Zoopla’s London HQ.
Desk style
The right style of desk can offer more than a refreshing change of decor – it can revolutionise the way we work, think and interact with each other. For instance, smaller offices might benefit more from trestle tables. Placed side by side, employees will be more likely to interact and communicate with one another, boosting productivity and communal thinking. Meanwhile, offices that rely on laptops can get on-trend and encourage hot-desking across the business, giving employees more flexibility and the ability to work with new people.
Office layout
Different offices lend themselves to different layouts – but switching it up could do wonders. Even just moving the desks to face a new way or inside a different part of the office can help employees come back to work with a fresh perspective and improved focus. Take inspiration from Facebook – seen in this Business Insider feature – and tailor your layout to support different working styles. Introduce some standing stations and hot-desking benches and encourage employees to move around to take advantage of their brilliant new office space.
Do you have a sofa in your office? Share your work snaps with us on Instagram and find even more design inspiration on our Pinterest.
