Brisbane’s Top Trends in Office Design & Fitouts

Fitout design is no easy feat, whether it be for residential or commercial. It has to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, keep up with the client’s ideas as well as balance and incorporate the designer’s ideas without clashing or being problematic in the relationship of the two as well as the design in the office as it tries maintaining aesthetics and practically in its core.

Brisbane has been keeping up with the latest trends in office design and fitouts. Office fitout designers kept in touch with the newest and brightest concepts unique to Brisbane and commonly found among the world to provide a globalized yet unique design to the office or workplace. 

Here are the top three trends found in Brisbane’s office design and fitouts. 

Greenspaces

A workspace that takes into account the people is important in the latest trends in office design and fitout. Focusing on the people means focusing on nature since it rehabilitates a person’s health mentally and even physically. A person’s well-being is now of utmost importance and a necessary part of the process of fitout design since it is vital in a workplace’s success.  

Here are few of the trends being done in the workplace in Brisbane in terms of fitout design that caters to greenspaces:

1. Nature

Aside from its decorative nature, plants in the workplace provide oxygen and filtered air that makes one better in performing physically. It also appeals to the sight which betters mood and emotions. It can be placed at the top of a shelf or table or even in a corner or window. The possibilities are endless and it is also aesthetic to have. 

To further such an idea, why not have a tree in the office or if it is not feasible and too difficult to maintain, why not allow for algae to be in aquariums to also have fresh air in the workplace without the hassle of caring for plant waste. 

2. Natural Light and Air

Greenspaces do not mean plants alone but also anything natural such as the light coming from the sun. It not only saves on electricity but also saves your eyesight from blue light since staring at a screen or seeing light from the fluorescents isn’t good in the long run.

Additionally, cracking a window open instead of the ventilation system can work marvels in terms of energy saving, carbon footprint as well as to one’s health since it prevents the intake of freons which can be bad for you since it cuts off vital oxygen to your cells and lungs.

3. Nature Walk

Meetings can also be done not just in the workroom but also in your balcony, your skypark, and even your sidewalks. The office is no longer limited to, well, the office. It is now hybrid and can be anywhere so why not cater to someone in your own office’s backyard where there will be a more relaxed atmosphere rather than the stressful tone of the four walls. 

4. Pet therapy

There is now a concept that also brings animals in the workplace since they provide a calming setup in the workplace. It can be an aquarium of fishes since having water also in a workplace lessens stress and brings tranquility among each other. 

Open Spaces

Gone are the cramped cubicles of long before. 

Open spaces are the top trends in Brisbane since it caters to the collaborative and social nature of people. 

Despite open spaces being mind, it still does not forget the importance of privacy as although open spaces are the norm, there are still rooms to provide for an intimate meeting, a restful recharge or sleep and even a gameroom. It not only caters to the extroverts but also the introverts and ambiverts due to the endless possibilities of an open space with a flexible and modular setup.

This can be seen in couches that can be divided into separate chairs or round tables that can be symmetrically divided into workstations to cater those that are willing to work with others and those that are better with no supervision. 

In open spaces, it does not mean an office with no room for improvement but quite the contrary. It makes employees be able to move freely and swiftly with more communication present rather than the closed off space we have grown to be not fond of. 

Glass has now replaced the wall divide but it still has not forgotten privacy with frosted glasses still present.

It also gives rise to technology in open space where lighting, ventilation or the cooling and heating systems can now be controlled to fit the open space as a whole or in specific areas to provide control in an individual’s working environment since not everyone has the same process of being successful in work. 

Brand Identity and Corporate Culture

Branding is increasingly becoming more and more crucial when it comes to design, and commercial office design and fitouts  must include elements that reflect a company’s values and culture. The company’s branding must be clearly communicated to the people who actually spend the most time there. 

In our previous article, we already discussed that branding has come to encompass an entire experience. The way a person experiences a brand covers everything from the way employees interact with customers to the way the company’s workplace is set up.  In our subsequent articles, we will explore the expected office design and fitout trends in the years to come – expect these three to still be on that list.

Greater Group is a multi-disciplinary global retail design agency. We have been creating award-winning retail spaces, customer experiences and workplaces since 1989, utilising our combined expertise to deliver high-impact, high-return design, fit-out and manufacturing solutions and provide clients with one point of contact throughout. Contact us at contact@thegreatergroup.com to discuss how we can elevate your brand through innovative, future-proof workplace design solutions.