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Resimercial Office Design

September 2022

Tessera Struktur 2

Offices are inevitably changing in response to how we now work on a day-to-day basis. Here Karen Wilding, our Segment Marketing Manager for Offices, explores ‘resimercial’ design, why it has grown in popularity and the key features of this approach to office design.

Over the past decade, work patterns have evolved to include more flexible and remote working, as well as moving away from the traditional 9-5 day. And these changes to the way we work have also started to influence how our offices are designed and used.

One office trend that has been growing recently is resimercial design – the blending of residential elements into the commercial environment – which has been embraced by major brands such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, and can be achieved through the type of spaces created as well as through the look and feel of those areas.

Tessera Perspective

The aim of this approach to design is to reduce stress and improve productivity by making employees feel more comfortable, and allowing them to work in a way that best suits them. Ultimately, the aim is to create a more pleasant and relaxing environment, which can help improve employee retention and reduce absence through improved wellbeing.

Another reason why resimercial design has become so popular is that it can combine the advantages of the traditional office environments and working from home. Mobile technology allows many people to work from anywhere. However, the trade-off is isolation from colleagues and the loss of things like easy and ad-hoc collaboration. Resimercial design allows a balance between the comfort provided by working at home with the social and creative benefits of interacting with colleagues.

The way resimercial design is achieved differs from office to office based on the needs of the business and its employees as well as the culture of the organisation. However, there are some common features.

Firstly, the use of materials and finishes that evoke a sense of home, such as natural wood or tactile textures. Products such as our Allura Wood Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) collection offers a way to achieve the look of wood without the associated cost or complexity.

Another key part of resimercial design is creating various spaces that broadly replicate areas found in the home. For example, creating break out areas that evoke a typical kitchen setting through the use of the right flooring and seating. Also, ‘living room’ areas, where colleagues can work, collaborate or meet socially, can be created with sofa seating, softer ambient lighting and carpeted floors.

Allura dark vintage gymfloor

Allura luxury vinyl tiles installed at the Insight Direct offices

Allura dark vintage gymfloor

Allura LVT and Tessera Cloudscape installed in Furniture Clinic offices

Furthermore, sound is an important consideration in the design of spaces and choice of materials. Finding peace and quiet, as well as comfort, is often what makes a space feel more like home. Elements commonly found in residential settings such as soft furnishings and our Tessera carpet tiles can also help reduce echo, reverberation and the transmission of sound to make a space feel more welcoming.

While the way we work and how our offices are used has been changing for many years, the events of the last year have provided many businesses with new perspectives on how work could evolve further. Resimercial design principles will continue to play a part in this as organisations seek to strike a balance that provides the best environment for their employees and help encourage return to the workplace.

Tessera Perspective

At Forbo, we have a wide range of office flooring to meet the needs of all areas of your office design. Use our product finder to help you select the right flooring for your project.