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Blending the boundaries between work and home

While people going back to the office is a positive move, the physical design of the workspace is now being scrutinised says Ellen Reith.

WHEN the UK government lifted the restrictions earlier this year, there was a lot of hesitancy about returning back to the office. However, fast forward four months and more people are beginning that transition.

With some people having worked from the comfort of their home for nearly 18 months or more, businesses are now recognising the need to develop workspaces that blend the boundaries between work and home.

This approach is based on a trend called resimercial design, which combines the benefits of traditional office environments and working from home; it provides a balance between the comfort of working from home with the social and creative benefits of interacting with colleagues.

However, the aim of this approach 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, to improve retention and reduce absence through improved wellbeing.

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. But there are some common features.

First, the use of materials and finishes that evoke a sense of home, such as natural wood or tactile textures. Products such as Forbo’s 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.

Forbo’s new Tessera Perspective carpet tile range is an ideal option for creating a comfortable, homely, and blended space. The cut-and-loop 670 gsm pile creates a luxuriously opulent texture and seamless broadloom appearance with real underfoot comfort, lending itself to zoning and breakout area definition without interrupting the overall visual of the floor.

Available in eight neutral tones, which are complemented by six rich, decadent accent colours, each colour tone combines two yarn shades, creating a modern, softly striated design.

Perspective can also be easily combined with Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT using the same tackifier and Allura Ease adhesive free flooring without the need for transition strips or inconvenient subfloor build-up.

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 carpet can also help reduce echo, reverberation, and the transmission of sound to make a space feel more welcoming. Tessera Perspective carpet tiles offer 25dB impact sound reduction to aid with this.

For more information about Forbo’s solutions for the office environment, please visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/offices or for further information about its Tessera Perspective collection, visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/tesseraperspective
Ellen Reith is segment manager for offices at Forbo Flooring Systems

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