Making An Entrance
Making an entrance is all about the pivotal first impression that happens the second someone steps into your reception area. It is the first thing employees, clients, and potential prospects see when they walk into your workspace. Your story starts behind that front door, so it’s a huge opportunity to say something exceptional about your product or service.
Working with a designer is a great way to start this process because it needs to not only function but speak to your brand. The goal is to create an elegant, beautiful and comfortable space that accurately embodies the tone of how you do business. This is often subjective and hard to pin down. So be prepared to ask yourself some important questions about what you want your reception area to say about your company.
Before you enlist the help of a space planner/designer, make some notes on these topics:
STYLE
What kind of vibe does your office have? Is it traditional corporate or more relaxed casual? The decor should feel both stylish and pleasant either way. A lot of traffic passes through the reception area of an office. If you can offer a positive experience with a unique design to everyone who passes through, then you’ve succeeded. It should provide a cozy welcoming feeling. What is trending is den-style furnishings arranged in smaller conversational groupings that embody the comfort zones of home.
LAYOUT
The layout of the reception area is especially important because it often reflects the way the rest of the office is set up. It can also portray a little bit about the management style. Traditional layouts with formal furnishings speak to a hierarchical management style. More casual layouts speak to a more open collaborative management style.
An easy layout that visitors won’t have trouble navigating is key. Depending on how much space you have to work with, creating a natural flow that will lead visitors from the elevator or door to the front desk and subsequently to the meeting area without any obstacles is essential.
And don’t forget the amenities! Colleagues and clients that arrive for meetings appreciate a place to touchdown, gather thoughts, connect to wifi, and grab a coffee.
COMFORTABLE SEATING
We hinted at this a little bit under style, offering comfortable seating is essential. Most reception areas these days multitask, so ensure there are enough seats available for a quick huddle or casual meeting. Make a statement with your seating arrangement and colors. Make sure the scale fits the space and that the seating is comfortable enough to make visitors feel relaxed. and welcome.
DURABLE MATERIALS
High traffic areas like reception need durable materials for flooring, fabrics, and surfaces. Reception areas get a lot of walk-ins and walk through traffic throughout the day, which means there’s a lot of potential wear and tear. Warm leathers and hard surfaces like ceramic tile and hardwoods are making an appearance again in office design with trends toward more natural surfaces that create a style all on their own. Seating materials, front desk materials, and flooring should be selected for high traffic areas and should fit the overall style of your office design.
COLOR STORY
The use of color is a powerful motivator and visual for your business. It creates flow, interest and can create a harmonious message with your branding. Normally, soothing or neutral colors are used in a reception area with maybe just a pop of the brand color and the company logo clearly visible. The soothing colors help with creating a relaxed environment in an otherwise chaotic area.
Creatively finding ways to utilize your brand colors within your office design often starts in the reception area. Walls, couches, seating, front desk, and floor color need to work well together to create a beautiful space where visitors can feel welcome without being overwhelmed. Dark gray walls are trending with pops of color. So are natural leather tones and wood. And let’s not forget the importance of plants and greenery. Biophilic designed green walls make a bold statement and work very well with dark gray walls. It’s the new chic.
You put a lot of thought into your business model. Applying that same vigilance to your office design can set you apart from the competition in more ways than one. With hiring on the uptick, talent acquisition and retention are top of mind. Workplace culture plays a very important role in progressive thinking and business development. Creating an overall workplace design that is tailored for success is more important than ever. When you’re ready to take that leap, give us a call.
MEET JULIE SHEAFFER: She can help you find the best furnishings to make your reception area highly functional and beautiful. If you are ready for a change, contact Julie at 888-910-3769 x 129 or julie@officefurniturenow.com. For more inspiration visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!
