Tag: workplace renovation

How to Keep Your Sanity During Commercial Office Renovations

Post author By Key Interiors
Post date December 15, 2021
No Comments on How to Keep Your Sanity During Commercial Office Renovations

Renovations are stressful. The very nature of the word “renovation” means you are actively repairing something, addressing a problem and, thus, adding to the magnitude of the project as a whole. Make it a commercial office renovation (as opposed to a residential one), and the stress can quadruple, with property owners having to work around the schedules of tenants, staff and clients, not just construction crews. Our team at Key Interiors has helped hundreds of clients complete commercial office renovations; here’s what we recommend to ensure that you keep your sanity during the process:

Define Your Issue(s)

A renovation seeks to fix one or more specific issues within a space, updating it to reflect modern design and decor and/or restoring it so that it functions at an optimal level for current needs while remaining up to code and safe to occupy. Typical issues addressed with a renovation project include:

– Outdated furniture and decor
– Nonfunctional windows and doors
– Worn flooring, trim and paint
– Lighting problems
– Limited storage
– And more!

Before you consider anything else pertaining to a commercial office renovation, you need to establish the type of problem you have with your building or office space. Is it dark and unwelcoming? Have lead paint? Drafty and need new windows? The problem could be anything, but trust us, your commercial office renovation will run a lot more smoothly and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches if you have a firm grasp on what you want to accomplish before you begin. (It also helps you with our next tip.)

Create a Plan

A plan is an essential part of any project, but creating one isn’t always intuitive, especially if you aren’t knowledgeable in construction and/or design techniques. That’s why it’s helpful to partner with an expert at the beginning of a commercial office renovation. A skilled design firm can validate (or not) your concerns and help you devise a plan of action. Our professionals at Key Interiors, for example, work with each of our clients to develop an actionable commercial office renovation plan that is unique and specific to the problem at hand. We also oversee the execution of those plans, managing every renovation project so that tasks are completed in a timely fashion and according to an established sequence of events. Oftentimes, the hardest part of renovating a space is coordinating the various phases of construction with all the people involved. This is especially true when there are employees, tenants and others with — and around — which construction and design teams must work. An experienced partner understands realistic timeframes and deadlines and can help you make sense of the budget, time and safety demand specific to commercial office renovation projects.

Commit to Communication

A good plan depends on good communication. To stay sane during a commercial office renovation, remember to talk to (and listen to!) the people around you. If the office space will have inhabitants during the renovation process, be sure to give them enough time before the project begins to digest how, when and why their lives will be disrupted over the upcoming months. Discuss with them the goal of the project, as well as the projected schedule for the phases of its completion, and continue to remain in touch throughout the project’s duration so that everyone involved can form reasonable expectations and better deal with it if plans change!

Expect Problems to Arise

And, of course, the best-laid plans can — and usually do — go awry. Unforeseen circumstances, such as shipping delays, worker shortages, order errors, and even pandemics(!), can all cause potential setbacks to your schedule to occur. Recognizing ahead of time that these types of events can and will happen enables you to have a backup plan in place, allowing you to roll with the punches more quickly and with less stress.

The Key Interior Advantage

Preparation is the best tool for staying sane during a commercial office renovation. Our team of design experts at Key Interiors can provide the design advice and business

support you need to adequately prepare for any type of commercial office renovation project. We not only understand form and function, we actualize creative yet practical ideas for maximum effect. Please contact us to learn more.

Tags office renovation, strategy for office space design, workplace renovation

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6 Benefits of Using Door Window Coverings in the Office

Post author By Key Interiors
Post date December 1, 2021
No Comments on 6 Benefits of Using Door Window Coverings in the Office

Doors create physical division between spaces, both restricting and facilitating movement from one place to another. There are many types of doors, from heavy, exterior access ones that provide protection against the outside world to less sturdy interior doors that are used to separate rooms. They can be solid or hollow, paneled or plain. They can slide or swing or roll open. The variety of doors is almost endless, with

an array of materials (such as wood, metal, fiberglass and more) used to construct any number of unique entrances and exits. In office settings, in particular, doors are frequently made of glass or have windows in them. The clean, modern look of glass is often viewed as the epitome of sophistication, signaling organic strength by physically illuminating the space it surrounds. Unfortunately, glass doors (and doors with windows in them) can pose a number of problems, effecting the way a space functions and the way people inside of it work. The good news is that many of those problems can be remedied with door window coverings. Take a look at six benefits of using door window coverings in the office:

Increased Privacy

Doors limit interruptions, hiding people from outside distractions so that they can exist in peace. When there is a window in the door to a room, however, the people (and objects) inside are still capable of being seen. Thus, adding a door window covering is a good way to restore the door’s ability to conceal the space behind it, increasing privacy for workers both inside and outside the space.

Added Versatility

Of course, having a window in a door can be useful in some scenarios. Managers might like to see office happenings from the comfort of their desk. Visitors might like to peek in before deciding to enter. However, no one wants to feel as if they are on display all the time. Door window coverings give offices the option to change views depending on the type of window covering they choose to install.

Enhanced Noise Control

Door window coverings also enable enhanced noise control, insulating a space from sounds that occur around it. For instance, thick, heavy fabric has been shown to reduce noise and can be used to create various types of custom door window coverings.

Protection Against UV Rays

There are physical benefits of adding door window coverings, as well. Research shows that sun rays penetrate glass. Adding door window coverings, especially to exterior doors, helps to block harmful UV radiation and protects people from skin and eye damage and even cancer!

Better Light Control

Naturally, door window coverings offer the opportunity for controlling the amount of light in a space. Adjustable shades and blinds can be installed, allowing offices to take advantage of daytime light, yet still manage glare, as well as create a dark environment when needed (such as during powerpoint presentations). Optimal lighting conditions help boost employee morale and improve workplace productivity

Improved Aesthetics

Finally, door window coverings can be used to invigorate a space, adding color, texture and personality to what otherwise could be a drab area. Incorporating curtains, drapes, blinds, shutters or any other type of window covering into an office space is a relatively easy way to customize a room, showcasing to employees and visitors that you value design, as well as function!

The Key Interiors Advantage

Partnering with a professional office design firm is the best way to effectively meld your own business needs with creative — and useful — decor. To learn how you can maximize your budget and fashion a functional, beautiful place to work, please contact our team of design experts today.

Tags interior design, office design, workplace renovation

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Rethinking Breakroom Design: 5 Ideas for a Post-COVID World

Post author By Anina Bidmead
Post date January 26, 2021
No Comments on Rethinking Breakroom Design: 5 Ideas for a Post-COVID World

Breakrooms play an important role in overall office design. Breakrooms allow employees the space they need to relax, unwind, and gather themselves throughout the day. Since more and more professionals are spending long hours in the office, having a quality breakroom is increasingly vital for growing companies. Of course, breakrooms are also places associated with lots of close, person-to-person interactions. And because of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have had to quickly rethink their breakroom practices. (Unfortunately, COVID spread within offices has been linked to breakrooms.) Even as we enter a new (and hopefully final) phase of the pandemic, business leaders must make both short and long-term plans for their office spaces and specifically their breakroom design. Thankfully, we’re here to provide 5 quality breakroom design ideas for a post-COVID world:

Private Breakrooms

Obvious? Perhaps. Smart? We certainly think so! For the foreseeable future, many professionals will be hesitant to spend time in direct contact with other people in their work environment. This behavior may even last for years before we collectively experience a “return to normal” after COVID-19. Given that fact, it’s not a bad idea for business leaders to experiment with private break areas in their office. Alternatively, if you don’t have the extra space required to ensure everyone has an area to blow off steam, you could consider staggering employee breaks to ensure everyone has a chance to collect their thoughts alone at least once or twice during the day.

Socially-Distanced Layout

Even under the best of circumstances, cramped and confined breakrooms are unlikely to help employees think and unwind. As such, making greater use of the space available to your business can be a fantastic way to create a safe, socially-distanced breakroom layout. Plus, spacing chairs and sofas at least six feet apart in your breakroom should allow team members to enjoy their breaks with minimal distraction from others.

New Diversions

In the past, people may have congregated in breakrooms to converse with coworkers, check their personal email, or just kick back for a bit. Now though, individuals who used to visit the breakroom with others may find it difficult to take meaningful breaks throughout the day. To prevent employees from getting burned out at work, business leaders may consider adding certain amenities to their breakrooms to make them more palatable for the time being. For instance, installing a video game console in your breakroom could help some employees relieve stress and connect with friends online for a few minutes. Or adding a TV to your breakroom could let stressed employees chill out with one of their favorite shows. Personal interactions may be impossible to replace entirely, but adding new amenities to a breakroom can nevertheless enhance its appeal.

Virtual Lunches

For many, the breakroom also serves as a de facto cafeteria. Many employees enjoy the breakroom because it lets them snack with their coworkers and catch up with them at the same time. Considering that in-person lunches may still not be possible for office workers for some time yet –– and that many professionals have recently adopted a permanent or semi-permanent remote workspace at home –– holding virtual lunches or “snack breaks” can be a great way for business leaders to encourage camaraderie between employees. Scheduling out moments in the day for your staff to hop on a video call just to chat and shoot the breeze can actually help boost morale and, by extension, productivity.

Long-Term Breakroom Design Plans

So far, we’ve touched on breakroom ideas that assume COVID-19 will play a part in the professional psyche for many months –– if not years –– into the future. Yet, it’s possible that by this time in 2022, office spaces may have returned to pre-pandemic normality. If that ends up happening, then business leaders may be well served to create large, inviting breakrooms for their employees to socialize and interact together. Odds are, people are going to crave person-to-person meetings in a post-pandemic world, so giving them more space to do just that is likely a good idea. While that may not be feasible for the next few months, breakrooms of the future could include even more communal features like dining tables, snack bars, coffee stations, and/or board games. In other words, what breakrooms look like in six months may not resemble office breakrooms in six years at all. So keep an open mind when you approach this issue.

Contact Us

At Key Interiors, we’ve partnered with businesses of all industries and sizes to create office and breakroom design plans that resonate with employees. If you’re looking to revamp your workspace setup, then contact us here for more information.

Tags breakroom design, breakroom renovation, covid compliant breakroom, covid compliant design, workplace design, workplace renovation