CHICAGO—In the past several years, office users across the nation began transforming their spaces from old-style cubicle designs into more collaborative arrangements. In addition, many sought to shrink their footprints by using space in a more efficient manner. And as office users look to the year ahead, experts say that other changes are underway.
“The trend is that people are making offices more home-like,” Ruth Minnick tells GlobeSt.com. Minnick is team leader for business development at Rightsize Facility Performance, a Chicago-based office interiors and facilities services firm which helps corporate clients transform or decommission their offices, “They want their office space to look like Soho House, with offices that are vintage and green, like a home living room.”
Rather than furnishing an office space that is completely “matchy-matchy,” she adds, many businesses will opt for a more curated look. This can mean mixing vintage bookcases with modern desks, ergonomic chairs and colorful wool rugs. These companies will end up providing employees and visitors with a more organic and comfortable decor. This also means that people will glam up their walls with beautiful wall coverings and artwork.
“One of the top priorities we are seeing from our clients is wanting employees to work from different places in the office,” says Minnick. She expects big changes in 2015 since mobile technology is only going to become more advanced. New products like the Izzie + Mobile Technology Cart, for example, make it easy for people to wheel equipment from conference rooms to open areas.
Users can also expect advances in the field of ergonomics. Minnick expects to see an influx of standing desks in 2015, as well as more chairs designed for peak lumbar support. “Employers want to make people comfortable and productive at work, and paying attention to ergonomics is one of the best ways to do that.”
Furthermore, technology has made fabrics more durable and environmentally sound. And Minnick believes natural finishes and more durable and budget-friendly fabrics, some made from recycled materials, will become more popular. “The good news is that between flooring, wall coverings, faux grasscloth and fabrics, the finishes are better quality than ever,” she says.
Rightsize operates a 200,000-square-foot showroom at 5000 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Chicago, a design studio and sales office in River North, and provides workstations, desks, seating, file cabinets, conference and reception furniture, as well as continuing to take on decommissions, furniture buybacks and deliveries. As reported in GlobeSt.com, the company completed several major acquisitions last year and expanded into other parts of the Midwest.
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
