For many, the thought of working in corporate America is steeped in a variety of stereotypes derived from the monotony of cubicle farms segregated by beige walls and miles of byzantine walkways. Thankfully, these traditional offices are in many ways a thing of the past.
Employers have begun to realize that building a creative office space influences employee satisfaction, creativity, and productivity. The Silicon Valley tech movement started this trend as their new products demanded collaboration, long hours and creative inspiration throughout the workplace. Office design soon became a brand statement about the company culture and the innovation taking place within the walls (or lack thereof).
While not to that extreme, many large companies that traditionally fit the story of corporate stereotypes are building creative office spaces to motivate employees and develop a dynamic workforce. These offices are often located in spaces that were designed before the need to things such as open space, thoughtful lighting, unique materials and new technology. Open floor plans, flexible spaces, engaging use of accents such as special materials and light have all become part of this new aesthetic.
As an interior contractor, we’ve supervised many construction projects that start from beige carpet and grid-structure floor plans. (The images in this article are past projects for Kelly Scott Madison, AOL, and Tenth & Blake) With a little creativity and hard work, they become welcoming creative office spaces that elicit an powerful impact upon both the employees and visiting clients. Our project architects start from the company brand and find unique opportunities in even the most stale environments to improve morale, employee productivity, technology, and comfort.
For us, building these types of spaces is creating something from nothing – developing a living piece of art that is both functional and enjoyable. We’re glad to be a part of the movement plowing up old cubicle farms and changing the way people think about “boring” corporate America.
We'll leave you with some entertaining and informative links about why and how companies are approching the trend in creative office spaces:
10 Cool Office Spaces - Forbes
10 Office Design Tips to Foster Creativity - Inc.com
Knocking down walls: How Gen Y is transforming office space - Finance-Commerce.com