WHEN YOU SPEND $75 OR MORE*How many of your clients want to redesign or update their breakout spaces as part of their office redesigns? A good breakout space can be a valuable addition to any office space, boosting team productivity and creativity. However, a poorly-designed one, which doesn’t fit in with the office aesthetic or company culture, will become an unused, neglected space which provides no value to your client. Today I’m looking at 3 things you need to consider when designing office breakout spaces, and sharing 7 creative breakout spaces to inspire your next office design project. Featured image: PKWARE, Inc. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Your client’s breakout space will provide their employees with a space for collaboration, informal meetings, or simply a space to work away from their normal, heads-down workspace. A change of environment has been proven to boost creativity, so it’s essential that breakout spaces are markedly different from heads-down workspace.
You should consider these three essential elements of breakout spaces: PKWARE dedicates a lot of floor space to their breakout area. With ping pong, sofas and beanbag seating (not pictured), it couldn’t be more different to their employees’ normal, heads-down workspace. Instead, it provides employees with a space to spend time together in a more informal setting - have some fun, or a relaxed chat, without leaving the office. JDA Software is another company providing in-office entertainment for their employees. Additionally, they have chosen a range of seating options to provide flexibility for their employees, and also to bring color into their office - a stark contrast to their heads-down workspace.Design firm: Home Street Bank Corporate Real Estate This breakout space is an interesting example of biophilic design - one of this year’s hottest design trends. The ‘tree’ becomes a central focal point for this breakout space, with lots of different seating options around it.
With different flooring, different seating options and even different lighting, HomeStreet Bank do all they can to clearly differentiate their breakout space from the rest of their office. San Francisco, California, USA. Design firm: O + A. This is a different type of breakout space: as well as providing a collaborative space with sofas, there is also a more private space - the wall nook. Both of these areas give employees at Cisco the opportunity to move away from their main workspace and get a change of environment - individually or in groups.Design firm: Mancini Duffy Most companies won’t have nearly as much space to dedicate to breakout areas as NBC Sports Group. However, this vibrant look could easily be incorporated into a smaller space by using lots of different seating options in different colors and fabrics, to brighten up your client’s office breakout space.Design firm: Studio O+A Uber’s breakout area is a great example of how companies work to improve privacy in open offices.
This closed space is distinctly separate from their main workspace, with enough space for small groups to work together without distracting their colleagues Mountain View, California, USA. Design firm: Boora Arch Google’s breakout space consists of several individual ‘pods’. Rather than offering collaborative spaces, these are designed to give individual workers a quiet spot to work, away from their heads-down workspace. Offering a change of work environment has been shown to boost productivity, and these spaces are designed to keep people focused on their own work, but in a more comfortable, less formal environment.Get The Awesomer in Your Mailbox Every Day: Join our Mailing List! | Follow Us: Facebook | Awesomer Media Sites: Technabob | When you’re a college freshman, black lights, beanbag chairs, and tour posters rule. But once you’ve firmly crossed over into adulthood, it’s probably time to save the Christmas lights for the holidays. We’re not here to judge — instead, we suggest these seven ways to upgrade your decor from just-graduated to full-on grown-up.
(And while you’re at it, check out the most affordable cities for new grads from Trulia‘s in-house economist Ralph McLaughlin.) 1. The beanbag chair We get it: A beanbag chair is comfy — not to mention it’s easy to move and can serve as a makeshift seat at a dinner party if needed. Visually speaking, it reeks of youth — and depending on how long you had it, actually reeks too. About those dinner parties: they’re one of the more enjoyable parts of adulthood, where everyone brings something to share and no one asks for a keg cup donation. Even if your home doesn’t have a formal dining area, you can make the most of any kitchen — even the tiniest ones — with a nice upholstered accent chair. Use it in your living room as a reading chair when you’re not hosting. Remind us: How did these migrate past the 1960s, again? If you’ve got one on rotation, it’s best to keep it in Mom and Dad’s basement (or better yet, donate it to Goodwill) and light your space with the help of a sleek, metal-finish floor lamp that can be placed in a corner on its own or used alongside an easy chair (or bed) for reading.
It belongs in a dorm room — sorry, not sorry. Beds have come a long way since mattress stores of yore, with direct-to-consumer mattress manufacturers Tuft & Needle and Casper, both of which manufacture in the United States and offer good-night-sleep guarantees (plus excellent customer service to boot). If you’re still set on making a futon happen, consider opting for a Japanese-style mattress paired with a platform frame. 4. Concert and movie posters Savor the musical memories, sure — but it’s time to ditch “art” that’s designed to be held up by thumbtacks and masking tape. Not all posters are created equal, however: you can score moderately priced vintage prints at places like International Poster Gallery, or original, funky artwork from up-and-coming artists on Etsy.Keep them in the bank and take to the great outdoors: explore your neighborhood, Instagram app in tow, then print and frame your own photos for a personal (and frugal) touch. Nice in theory, but beds-in-bags are a bit boring and matchy-matchy — plus, the quality tends to be lower than what you’d find in individually purchased pieces.
Instead, mix bedding basics of varying color and texture from places like Crate & Barrel and Wayfair. Home Goods and IKEA also sell sheets, quilts, and shams separately; if you’ve got to the time to dig, you could find a steal. Or worse: those metal hangers that come from the dry cleaners that should be recycled, immediately (or better yet, returned to the cleaners for reuse). Plastic hangers don’t just look cheap — they’re also a great way to guarantee damage to delicate garments. Instead, opt for wooden and padded-satin hangers, which look uniform and help keep clothes in great shape. Pricewise, they can stack up — but they’re also things you’ll buy once and keep for a while, so the ROI is there. If needed in the interim, opt for velour-covered hangers that are just as durable and attractive.we’re not discounting those either. You probably thought to yourself that these items were makeshift, and that you were just using them to store your clothes/electronics/stuff until you got around to buying something better.