June 28, 2022

Top 5 Office Design Trends

Reflecting on the past few years of shutdowns and disruptions, the business world has realized new needs and opportunities in our ever-changing work environment. Remote work is one of several trends that’s here to stay, but what are some of the trends taking place in today’s in-office workplace environment? Let’s take a look at contemporary trends in office design you need to know about:

1. Biophilic Design

A growing office design trend is biophilic design, which entails including nature and natural elements into design, contributing to the health and well-being of occupants.

The most popular biophilic office choices include a living wall of plants, increasing the amount of natural light, or including more organic features, like wood or water. Blending office environments with natural elements is popular with employees searching for natural space as a ‘must have’ for a workplace. Check out these examples of biophilic office designs for inspiration.

Crush floors by Liquid Elements is one easy way to incorporate a natural feel into your office space. Featuring a slip and scratch-resistant textured surface, Crush is available in a variety of colors and aggregate sizes to match any style. Try out organic river rock to set the tone for a more biophilic atmosphere in your office!

2. Community workspaces

With the increase of at-home offices these days, employees now use the office as a space for in-person connection and collaboration with coworkers. Having multiple community spaces promotes teambuilding and can increase employee satisfaction.

Try including spaces like casual gathering areas and formal conference rooms. Take in a few of these designs for more inspiration.

And while you’re at it, check out the Smooth for a comfortable, low maintenance flooring solution. A variety of flooring colors help to designate work areas and split up workspaces or with one color, seamlessly tie your whole office together while highlighting the colors of your interior design elements throughout. Watch how Campari North American headquarters in New York did just that. Smooth is available in standard Mono or Duo colors with customs available. This flooring system is a perfect way to define your office.

3. Sound Reduction

A top distraction cited by many employees is noise. Office noise can include anything from sitting near a printer or proximity to frequent walk paths to bathrooms or break rooms.

Fortunately, advancements in soundproofing technology mean that adding sound deadening around the office can be functional and stylish. Check out a few of these examples of sound reduction in office design.

Reflect  metallic epoxy floors are resilient offering excellent acoustic properties and comfort underfoot. Reflect is a highly artistic and unique floor that provides modern elegance with a number of sought-after performance benefits for the workplace environment. For a standout look visitors won’t forget, consider Reflect’s Artist Series, an exclusive handcrafted floor that will turn your space into a masterpiece!

4. Increased Sanitation Procedures

With employees returning to the office and returning to a pre-Covid work lifestyle, they are bringing with them their newfound attitudes and expectations of hygiene adopted during the pandemic. Concerns over the cleanliness of their office environment and proximity to colleagues has led many employees to practice elevated sanitation, including the increased use of hand sanitizer, hand washing and less handshaking.

Looking to elevate the hygiene in your office beyond some soap dispensers? Start with the floor! Poured-in-place epoxy and urethane floors are seamless and weldless, offering no space for dirt, bacteria, and mold to collect and potentially grow. Cleaning and maintenance are easy and save both time and money.

5. Sustainability

A changing environment affects more than attitudes and personal lifestyle practices – in the workplace it is driving companies to adopt a more environmentally conscious approach to everyday business. Driven in part by pressure from customers and competitors, companies are adopting sustainability practices in the manufacturing of eco-friendly products to reduce both waste and a carbon footprint.

Liquid Elements is a brand of Stonhard, and as such is committed to providing sustainable flooring systems that last a long time and never end up in a landfill. Our seamless, resin flooring becomes a part of a building's structure and is adaptable when the time comes for a change of aesthetic.

With a dedication to a green manufacturing process that goes back three decades, Stonhard and Liquid Elements have prevented nearly 93% of all returned material -- including discontinued and obsolete products -- from going into the waste stream. Additionally, our manufacturing facilities do not discharge process wastewater into local municipal sewer systems.

As a member of the United States Green Building Council and an affiliate member of the HPD Collaborative, we are proud of our commitment to the environment. To review our HPDs or find out how we may help you achieve LEED certification, visit our Sustainable Solutions page.

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While it may seem like a tall task to create a biophilic, sound-conscious, and germ-proof office with plenty of space for collaboration, there may be a simpler solution: start from the floor and build up.

Check out the Liquid Elements website to learn more about our six distinct lines of versatile flooring.