2020's Top Three Interior Design Concepts to “Professionalize” Your Workspace

From monochromatic color schemes to hanging horticulture, 2020 trends in interior design for professional spaces are as plentiful as they are individually unique. An office environment doesn’t and shouldn’t mean the same thing as it did 50 years ago. Especially in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, employers are designing and re-designing their brick and mortar locations to be simultaneously flexible and progressive. Professional interior design trends continue to evolve, but the data has proven two facts as static: 1.) Our emotions can be directed by manipulating the design of our environment, aka, the office space. 2.) Happier employees take fewer sick days, are more productive, and boost morale and overall company performance. This list of 2020’s top three overarching design concepts to professionalize an office environment is a testament to many modern employers’ desire to mirror their business culture and company objectives in the interior design of their work spaces. 

Communal Spaces Model 

A recent study found that 70% of today’s professionals do their work from home at least one day a week! Increased time spent interacting digitally has left us with a gap in our human needs fulfillment. The loneliness created by too much time spent in a remote world is fully understandable; we’re humans and thrive through connection with one another! In a digital world, many businesses are recognizing their employees’ need to connect, recharge, and empassion themselves once again by designing their office spaces to have collaborative work environments, warm, welcoming decor, and inspiring elements. One beneficial side effect of this is that employees are more motivated to come to work and do so happier, thereby boosting both employee morale and the positive visibility of the company. 

Sustainability Focus 

The environmental wellness design trend, or Biophilic design, is the natural response to transforming interior office space design, shifting its tone from sterile and impersonal to creative and harmonious--a celebration of the human-nature connection. Interior design experts project that this design trend will continue to become inextricably tied to the foundation of emerging modern design. There’s just no way that it won’t, they say, considering its focus on tech to provide energy efficiency and environmental conservation. Biophilic design conveys a clear sense of respect for and celebration of the employees’ total well-being. The use of sustainably sourced materials, vertical gardens, nature inspired flooring, and (of course) live plants are all options when designing a work space from a Biophilic design perspective. 

Dynamic Flexibility Concept 

Multi-purpose areas are all but expected in the interior design plan of a professional space nowadays, but concept of "dynamic flexibility" in design raises the bar on those expectations. This responsive design concept incorporates ergonomic, movable, multi functional elements, which can be tailored to suit virtually any space and need. Employees’ job descriptions are expanding to accommodate for the tangential effects of businesses’ increased use of AI. Giving them the ability to move walls and adjust lighting and technology for these new, varying purposes gives them the required resources and might just provide the breakthrough your entire organization has been waiting for. All we know for certain is that, as the pace of business continues to accelerate, so must your organization’s ability to multi-task. 

Once you decide where your new multi-tasking, eco-friendly communal space will reside within your office environment, you're ready to decide on decor! But, there are an almost overwhelming array of potential fabric selections for everything from couch cushions to drapery! Our best advice is to consult with a local company who specializes in custom upholstery or window treatments. Hiring an expert to help you select and professionally install your selections is the wisest choice for those looking for design help specific to a professional environment. And, going local during these uncertain times says even more about you as a person than it does about you as a business-owner.