Tag: workplace renovations

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Office Design

The Dark Side of Home Renovation Shows: What No One Wants You to Know About Remodels and Renovations

the dark side of home renovation shows
the dark side of home renovation shows
the dark side of home renovation shows

Renovation shows are all the rage nowadays. Starting with “This Old House” in 1979 and then taking firm root in the mid-1990s with the creation of HGTV, they have blossomed into the wide range of programming options available today. Programs like “Fixer Upper,” “Love It or List It” and “Property Brothers” are widely known and popular. Unfortunately, however, they often leave viewers with unrealistic expectations, culminating in a pretty picture, but rarely a complete one. Let’s take a look at the dark side of home renovation shows; here’s what they don’t tell you about remodels and renovations:

Cost is Always an Issue

Perhaps the biggest problem with renovation shows is their misrepresentation of a project’s budget. Many times the actual price of materials and labor aren’t itemized for viewers; if they are, they usually reflect a generous discount, offered by manufacturers and contractors who provide their products and services at reduced costs in exchange for increased exposure. This sets viewers up to be disappointed as they begin researching their own projects and learn that $1,000, $10,000 or even $100,000 doesn’t cover nearly as much as they’ve been led to believe.

…and Time is Always a Concern

The dark side of home renovation shows also conspires to hide the realistic nature of time; instead of accurately displaying the extended time it really takes to design, build and accessorize a space (not to mention inspect it for safety), renovation shows

condense construction timelines to nicely fit a 30 minute or hour-long programming slot. They neglect to mention various steps of the design and construction phases and ignore possible (probable) delays that would extend the time needed to complete a project. In fact, most falsely depict full scale remodels that would take months (or even years) to finish as capable of being realized in just a few weeks (or sometimes just a day)!

Furnishing and Interior Decor Can Be Easily Sourced 

Watch a remodeling program and you’ll likely be under the impression that furnishings and other decor elements and materials are always at hand. The truth, though, is that sourcing the various elements that complete a construction/design project is never easy. Various obstacles can even make finding basic items like lumber, bar joists and installation a complicated and lengthy process. Couple that with the supply chain issues  that are causing at least a two month shipping delay for furniture and other decor items that really make a home or office space stand out, and you can get seriously frustrated pretty easily. 

There’s No Such Thing as DIY

The final fallacy of home office renovation shows is the idea that viewers can replace professionals. The reality is remodeling is hard. While there might be a few steps an average viewer could tackle alone, partnering with a professional makes renovation a much more feasible enterprise. Even when it appears that DIY could be or is an option during a renovation, shows always have professionals behind the scenes answering questions and helping the show’s guests finish their task(s). 

The Key Interiors Advantage

The dark side of home renovation shows doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever attempt a home or office remodel. You just need to be smart. If you realize that these shows create illusions rather than reality, you are better equipped to imagine and achieve realistic results. Of course, a professional design partner helps. The experience and expertise of our designers here at Key Interiors, for instance, enable our clients to design, build and furnish their spaces in a way that meets their budget and magnifies their personal aesthetics. And we do it according to a timely schedule. Please contact us to learn more about the positive — bright — side of good design!

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breakroom design Office Design

12 Considerations for Office Breakrooms

considerations for office breakrooms

 

considerations for office breakrooms

Frequent readers of our blog will note that we’ve talked a lot about breakrooms recently. However, that’s simply because the breakroom is an integral aspect of quality office design. Breakrooms provide people with much-needed space to unwind, snack, chat with coworkers, and refocus during the work day. As such, today we’re going to take another look at this important office area. Here are 12 considerations for office breakrooms that business leaders should keep in mind at all times: 

Coffee Areas

If there’s one thing that employees across all industries value in their breakroom, it’s a quality coffee station. Make sure that your team has everything they need for a good cup of joe in the morning!

Clean Up

Cleanliness is key to a positive work environment. So it’s important for business leaders to prioritize tidiness in their breakroom. Encourage your staff to clean up after themselves and hire a cleaning crew to service your office if need be. Also, installing a sanitizing station in your breakroom might also be a good idea –– for both the short and long term. 

Capacity

Successful companies sometimes undergo rapid growth. Take time to ensure your breakroom is big enough to accommodate everyone on staff. (This concern is worth highlighting particularly while COVID restrictions still apply.)

Refrigeration Needs

Plain and simple, every good breakroom should have a fridge for employees to store lunch items and leftovers. Even a mini-fridge can make a world of difference for a small business. If you choose to provide a refrigerator of some sort, consider power needs and possible water lines if your appliance has a dispenser.

Mood

The design and decor of your breakroom can have a big influence on how your team members feel about it. Remember, the best breakrooms allow people to relax and decompress when they feel stressed. 

Millwork

There’s no substitute for quality craftsmanship when it comes to woodwork such as tabletops or counters in breakrooms. 

Waste Control

Want to guarantee your breakroom stays neat and tidy at all times? Then invest in waste control measures. This can include purchasing extra receptacles for your breakrooms or merely creating a policy of taking out the trash on a regular basis. 

Warming Stations/Microwaves

Having a stovetop, oven, and/or microwave will be hugely beneficial for employees who prefer to make their own meals while at work. Heating up some leftovers can lift an employee’s spirits when they need it most. 

Budget

Creating a breakroom that everyone in your office loves is a tall task. Managing to do that on a tight budget is even more difficult. Thankfully, a little creativity can go a long way toward resolving this issue. 

Seating/Eating Areas

As we touched on before, setting out your breakroom seating arrangement can be especially challenging now because of COVID restrictions. Nevertheless, breakrooms should have plenty of spaces for your team to eat alone or safely with their coworkers.  

Easy-Clean Flooring

Breakrooms can get messy. Do yourself a favor and invest in a floor surface that is easy to clean. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did. 

Custom Appliances

No two offices are the same! Be willing to purchase custom appliances if your team requests them. Investing in a dishwasher, an oven, a blender, a TV, a video game console, or any other sort of device for your breakroom could serve to seriously boost morale around the office. At the end of the day, it’s your breakroom, and you can do whatever you want with it. 

Contact Us

No matter the size of your breakroom, your budget, or your renovation goals, our team at Key Interiors can help you enhance all areas of your office space in a meaningful way. Contact us here to learn more or to get started with us today.

Categories
Office Design

How to Control Sound in Corporate Office Interiors

sound in office

 

sound in office

Noisy distractions can derail even the most dedicated employees. If you’ve ever been annoyed by a coworker’s phone call, or construction from across the street, or even a squeaky chair, then you know just how frustrating certain office sounds can be. Unfortunately, not every company has the budget, time, or space to build new walls to fully soundproof their office. However, it is still possible to control sound in your corporate office interiors without breaking the bank or abandoning your open office arrangement. To that end, here are five ways you can improve the sound distribution in your office (without adding walls): 

Creative Layout

One of the most straightforward ways to control the noise in your office is to utilize creative layout techniques. For example, consider placing noisy items like copiers and fax machines far away from work zones. Alternatively, you may consider implementing designated “quiet areas” in your office to prevent unnecessary chatter. Best of all, rearranging your office setup to reduce noise pollution shouldn’t cost you a dime. 

Sound Masking Devices

Sound masking devices generate “white noise” that perfectly matches the frequencies of regular conversation. Strange though it may sound, adding ambient noise to an office can actually reduce the amount of distracting sounds your team members hear throughout the day. Sound masking devices are relatively inexpensive, and they can be used to insulate certain areas in your office from day-to-day noises. 

Noise-Friendly Floor Surfaces

The acoustic design of a room can have a big impact on how fast and far sound travels in your office. One big factor that affects sound in an office environment is the type of floor surface. Hard surfaces –– such as tile and hardwood –– can actually amplify sounds and make offices seem even noisier than they really are. On the other hand, carpeted floors can absorb sound more effectively and cut down on some of the noise pollution in your workspace. Vinyl flooring is also a solid alternative for business leaders who don’t want to invest in installing and/or maintaining carpeted floors. Even purchasing certain high-quality rugs can combat disruptive noises as well. 

Acoustic Panelling

Another innovative way business leaders can reduce distracting sounds in an open office environment is to install acoustic paneling throughout their workspace. Not only is acoustic panelling capable of absorbing sound well, but it’s also a very versatile product. Designers can discreetly hang acoustic panelling from the ceiling, incorporate it into furniture and cubicles, and even combine it with wall artwork. With professional acoustic panel installation, you can enjoy greater sound control without changing the look or layout of your office at all. 

Plants

Investing in a few plants around the office can both beautify your workspace and reduce distracting noises at the same time. Strategically placed plants can absorb sound just like other soft surfaces in an office, so consider freshening your office up with few low-maintenance plants. 

Contact Us

Creating a worker-friendly office environment that’s free from distracting noises is essential to building a successful company. At Key Interiors, we have years of experience working with a wide variety of companies, and we can help you enhance your workspace setup no matter your office size, priorities, or budget. Contact us today to learn more or to speak with one of our team members about your next office renovation project.

Categories
Office Design

Office Lighting Design: The Best Options for Open Offices

office lighting design

 

office lighting design

COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of modern life, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that it has also caused business leaders to rethink their office design, layout, and –– yes –– even their lighting system. Indeed, though it may sound strange at first, the truth is that a business’s lighting system can have a big impact on employee productivity, utility costs, and even personal safety and well-being in the workplace. The choices you make in regard to your office lighting design will have meaningful consequences for your staff now and into the future. On that note, here are four lighting-related features you should always keep in mind: 

Maintaining Safe Distances

For at least the next few months, maintaining safe social distances within an office setup will be crucial for the well-being of your staff. Thankfully, connected lighting systems can allow business leaders to monitor the flow of traffic in the workspace. What’s more, employees can download certain apps that will let them identify free areas in their office. Data from sophisticated lighting systems will enable business leaders to manage their layout more effectively. 

Minimize the Spread of Germs

Decisions you make in regard to your lighting system can either act to minimize –– or facilitate –– the spread of germs in your workplace. In fact, some lights –– such as UV and Ultraviolet-C Radiation lights are capable of disinfecting air, water, and nonporous surfaces. (This includes “inactivating” the COVID-19 viral strain.) 

Additionally, moving away from manual light switches can be a great way to slow or prevent the spread of bacteria and germs in the workplace. It’s possible now for businesses to invest in apps and devices that allow for team members to adjust the lights using only their phones.  

Lighting Control & Environmental Factors

Lighting a large office area for 10+ hours every day isn’t just a massive expense for many businesses, it’s often inefficient and bad for the environment too. That’s why many businesses are switching to light systems with automated control features and motion-sensor technology. This way, when no one is currently working in an office area, the lights will go out automatically. 

What’s more, quality lighting systems will allow business leaders and managers to access key data points about their energy consumption habits. This data can also be used to create more efficient schedule choices and increase the flexibility of an office environment. 

Human-Centric Lighting

Ultimately, the lighting in an office will affect the mood and productivity of a company’s workforce. Subconsciously, humans require quality lighting in order to perform at their best on a regular basis. Investing in human-centric lighting devices –– particularly LED lights –– can help lift the morale of your team and help them focus throughout the day. Of course, it’s also important to remember just how valuable natural lighting can be as well. Though we’ve discussed many complex and advanced ways to use lighting to improve business performance, simply opening a window on a sunny day can do a world of good for your team. 

Contact Us

At Key Interiors, it’s our mission to help business leaders enhance their office setup during this very difficult time. We have years of experience creating office solutions for companies of all sizes and across industries. Contact us today to learn what we can do for your business.

Categories
Office Design

10 Ways to Make the Most of Private Office Design

private office design

 

private office design

When creating a new office design, most business owners simply want to have something modern, yet conducive to productivity and comfort. However, many business owners don’t consider the benefits of private office designs. Traditionally, private office designs have been associated with a lack of communication between workers and general inefficiencies in office layouts. However, there are actually many benefits to private office designs that managers and business owners don’t always consider. So, let’s take a look at 10 ways to make the most of your private office design!

Implement Modern Modes of Communication

In the past, private offices made it harder for employees to coordinate on projects. Nowadays, thanks to communication software and project management tools, workers can stay in touch with less need for face-to-face interaction. Using private office design could help give more privacy to leadership, allow for social distancing, yet not harm communication as much as in previous years.

Personalizing Private Offices

Few people like to work in a bland office. So, if you have a private office design, why not let employees personalize and customize their own offices? This way, employees can add their own flair and decorations to work in style!

When Key Interiors works on a private office design,  we start with a few questions like the following:

  • Is this office just for one person, or is it for a small team?
  • How many and what kind of desk(s) are needed?
  • Tell us about the personalities of the person(s) that will be working in here.
  • Will this room be used for anything other than laptop desk space? (e.g. reviewing drawings, meetings with several people, virtual meetings, etc)
  • What kind of technology do you need in this room?
  • What is your furniture needs and preferences?

Decrease Distractions

One of the biggest barriers to office productivity is workplace distraction. While workers can still get distracted by smartphones and social media, private offices reduce the risk of getting distracted by other workers. 

Reduce Background Noise and Increase Privacy

There’s nothing worse than being on an important business call and having lots of noise in the background. Whether it’s coworkers chatting or phones ringing, open office designs can make it difficult to hold a private conversation. Fortunately, private office designs practically eliminate the issue of background noise entirely. 

Not only that, but management often needs to have a private conversation without making a scene or having to leave an open office. Private offices help this issue.

Create ‘Office Zones’

Private offices don’t have to be subdivided into dozens of different offices. Instead, you can still have a sense of organization by designating specific zones for individual teams, projects, or departments. This helps combine the benefits of both private and open office designs! You could also provide private spaces that aren’t designated to a specific person all the time.

Increase Informal Meetings

Many workers find meetings to be a waste of time and a distraction from daily tasks. Fortunately, ‘informal’ meetings are on the rise. Now, coworkers can quickly stop by individual offices when they need to exchange information without taking a lot of time out of their schedule.

Contact Us 

As businesses continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more organizations may look to create more private workspaces to protect the health and safety of their employees. Thankfully, it is possible to build a private office design that proves effective for years to come. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of private office designs, contact the experts at Key Interiors today!

Corporate Showroom & Design Center
1072 N. Garfield St.
Lombard, IL 60148
877.288.9919
Hours: 8 am – 5 pm

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81 Mill Street
Gahanna, OH 43230
866.755.9230

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Corporate Showroom      1072 N. Garfield St.
Lombard, IL 60148

Ohio Showroom                      81 Mill Street
Gahanna, OH 43230

Contact

Illinois: 877.288.9919

Ohio: 866.755.9230

info@keyinteriors.us