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Office Design

What’s New in Loft Office Design? 3 Emerging Trends

 

loft office design

Loft offices are a great way to separate your work space from your living space at home, and they work just as well in a commercial office building. Often boasting beautiful views, high ceilings, and a sense of privacy or seclusion, it’s no surprise that more and more individuals and businesses are converting their lofts into fully functional offices. Their new popularity has inspired several new trends in loft office design. For inspiration for your own office loft, here are the top 3 emerging trends in loft office design:  

Industrial Style Loft Office Design Trend

The industrial aesthetic is one of the most popular trends in office design. More recently, it has become a favorite choice for loft offices due to its unique look and efficient use of space. The industrial trend consists of contrasting wood and metal to create a utilitarian atmosphere. For example, using a metal roof with wood floors creates an eye-catching juxtaposition between industry and nature. Metal roofs combined with brick walls are also a common choice. Additionally, exposed pipes and beams can help create this aesthetic at a lower cost than replacing your entire roof. 

Choosing a handful of standout elements such as the floor and ceiling can help create an industrial style without straying too far from the rest of your home or office building’s designs. If you do not want to spend on expensive renovations for your loft, you can still create an industrial appearance with metal desks and wood planter boxes, for example.  

Using Concrete Walls in a Loft Office Design

Concrete flooring has been a common low-cost favorite for some time now, but concrete walls in a loft are a popular new trend. Whether you choose to have one concrete wall as an accent feature or utilize all four walls, concrete is a modern trend that can make your office feel more industrial and work-oriented. It also limits distractions since it is rather plain. Alternatively, combining concrete walls with sleek stone or wood floors is a great way to create an industrial aesthetic. Concrete is essentially a blank slate, so it provides the freedom to choose more colorful furniture or art to display your personality or interests.  

Maintaining Privacy and Noise Control 

Because lofts tend to be above the rest of the office, noise can be a common issue. The open nature of a loft does not provide much natural sound insulation, so a new common trend is to use acoustic mineral wood within the cavity of the floor joints or to use noise-insulating sound mats to help absorb sound from the space below. Soft furnishings such as couches can also break up sound. 

To help with privacy, workstations can be made more secluded with dividers or screens between desks. Screen privacy protectors and clip-on desk dividers can be a more cost-effective solution. Alternatively, making conference rooms smaller and farther apart can help distribute noise more evenly and reduce the amount of people present in or below the loft at one time. 

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Want to modernize your loft office design with one of these trends or your own idea? Contact us for help designing, building, or furnishing your office space. Our team at Key Interiors has years of experience performing office renovations and design projects. Request a free consultation to learn more!

Categories
Office Design

How to Spruce Up Your Financial Advisor Office Design

 

financial advisor office design

Trust is key to any successful business-consumer relationship. However, when it comes to money management, trust between a financial advisor and a client is absolutely vital. Financial advisors have to instill confidence in their clients. As a result, financial advisors may need to prioritize how they communicate and present themselves to clients. The right financial advisor office design can put clients at ease and, simultaneously, bolster productivity in the workplace. On that note, today we’ll explain how financial advisors can effectively upgrade their office to improve their own performance and the client experience: 

Choose Color Wisely 

Color plays a huge role in how people feel when they enter your office. For example, blues and violets have been shown to reduce blood pressure, while reds and oranges tend to increase people’s pulse and respiration. Therefore, it is likely a good choice for financial advisors to choose blues and purples over brighter, warmer colors. Alternatively, financial advisors could paint their walls a neutral color and instead add color to the room with accessories such as paintings or plants. Regardless, it is important to stick to a consistent color scheme throughout the office to maintain consistency. 

Add Accessories to Make it More Welcoming

As we’ve established above, financial advisors should try to create workspaces that allow clients to relax. Of course, welcoming offices can take many different forms. You may decide to invest in newer, more comfortable furniture. Accessories are also a great way to add visual interest to an office. Plants, artwork, decorative light fixtures, and intricate wall clocks can enhance the look and feel of your workspace or reception area. Choosing pieces that represent the financial advisor’s personality or preferences can help the office feel personalized and less clinical or solely business-like.  

Note also that you may benefit from displaying your credentials somewhere near your desk. Many doctors frame their degrees in easy-to-spot locations in their office –– not to brag about their accomplishments –– but to let their patients know they can be trusted. Financial advisors could very well benefit from adopting this strategy too. 

Don’t Forget the Other Senses

Having a visually appealing office is crucial for making positive impressions on clients, but ensuring that it smells, sounds, and feels welcoming is also important. However, these elements should be subtle so as to not overwhelm visitors. For example, using a plug-in room deodorizer with a neutral yet pleasant scent can help make clients feel at ease. External sound should be minimized with either a quiet sound machine or soundproofing along the office walls and ceiling. During a meeting, it can be distracting to overhear other financial advisors or client discussions, so planning the office around sound is crucial. 

Additionally, temperature is an often overlooked but important aspect of making an office feel welcoming and comfortable. Clients will likely have different temperature preferences, so keeping the office at neutral temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees is typically best.  

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At Key Interiors, we have years of experience working with businesses of all sizes and in a wide variety of industries. We can help you enhance your office space to improve client satisfaction while also boosting productivity. Contact us here to learn more about our processes or to get started with us today!

Categories
Office Design

The Top Colors to Use In Your Psychiatrist Office Design

 

psychiatrist office design

Office design plays an important role in the development of many organizations. For mental health professionals like psychiatrists, though, how their office looks and feels can directly influence their own productivity as well as the experience of their patients. As such, psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists need to prioritize their office design and craft spaces where their patients feel comfortable and relaxed. Given all that, today we’ll focus on an important aspect of psychiatrist office design –– the color palette. Here’s how to use color effectively in your office: 

Using Complementary Colors Effectively

Color can be an effective tool in the hands of the right designer. Indeed, using complementary colors or certain shades can significantly alter how a room looks and feels. Complementary colors are pairs of colors that create high contrast when placed next to each other. If you’ve taken an art class before, you might remember that complementary colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel. Examples include red and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue. Complementary colors are a powerful tool for any designer because they can add boldness, visual interest, and contrast to a room. For a psychiatrist’s office, it is likely best to limit your color palette and choose only one pair of complementary colors to add pops of contrast around your office. 

Choosing less saturated (bright) colors such as maroon instead of red and sage instead of green can help add contrast while also maintaining a tranquil and calming atmosphere. When it comes to medical office design, it’s best to utilize soft, natural, and warm colors. As such, many mental health professionals use colors like brown, maroon, black, forest green, and navy blue in their office.

Consider Color Theory 

Although complementary colors can add vibrance and interest to your office, there is another consideration you should keep in mind before choosing your final color palette: color theory. Color theory explains how people perceive color and color meanings. For example, blue is associated with trust, calmness, and stability, while red is associated with love, passion, and anger. Understanding the visual implications behind the color you choose is important, because in a medical office you want patients to feel at-ease and focused. Some of the most calming colors include blue and green, while colors like red and orange can cause nervousness or unease.  

Other Ways to Create Color Harmony

In addition to complementary colors and color theory, there are many other ways to select the color scheme for an office or waiting room. Another option is choosing analogous colors, which are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example, light blue, green, and light green are analogous colors. These groupings are often harmonious and pleasing to look at, making them great choices for a therapist’s office. Analogous color schemes are often found in nature, so they are typically associated with comfort, serenity, and tranquility. Alternatively, choosing a monochrome look with only one primary color and different shades, tones, or tints of it can also create a calming atmosphere. However, monochrome offices can become bland or sterile looking, so throwing in a colorful pillow or wall painting can help add interest to the room. 

Contact Us

At Key Interiors, we have a long history of partnering with medical professionals to create office designs that suit their preferences and address their needs. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities associated with this field, and we can help you build the office of your dreams. Contact us here to learn more or to get started with us today. 

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