5 Innovative Ways to Design the Office Lobby

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October 26, 2023

Interior Design

5 Innovative Ways to Design the Office Lobby

It is often said that “first impressions do not have a second chance.” And, the office lobby can provide you with this opportunity of making a promising first impression. Much of the pre-meeting thinking, anxiety, and anticipation happens in the lobby while the visitor is waiting for their invitation into the office. Thus, the design of office lobbies must be such to create a calming and cheerful environment.

An office lobby design serves a dual purpose. It makes the visitor feel welcomed, entertained, and valued in a highly tangible environment. It also acts as a representation of the company’s identity and values. Hence, an office lobby design needs to be meticulously designed for creating a charming impression.

The best office lobby design should be comforting, accommodative, and technologically advanced. The design should strike a balance by making a statement yet not be overwhelming for the visitor.

Why Rethink Office Lobbies?

Gone are the days of office lobbies being designed as mere waiting areas with a front desk. Now is the time to reinvent office lobby designs by equipping them with more purpose. The need to have it all in a limited amount of space is transforming office lobbies into versatile spaces for growth.

Unique Office Lobby Designs

The design of commercial spaces is evolving and how. Modern interior designers are reinterpreting the space as a multi-purpose area that can accommodate the dynamic needs of the millennial corporate culture.

Installation of Workstations

Today’s fast-pacing work life has made multi-tasking a norm. People want to make the most of their time even while on the go or while waiting for a meeting. Thanks to the portability of mobile phones and laptops, it has become easier to cater to this need by letting people work from anywhere anytime. Further, the concept of co-working and shared workspaces has become exceedingly popular in recent times. People want to collaborate and work in an environment that is conducive to growth and healthy competition. By recognizing these developments, the design of contemporary office lobbies is focused on enhancing productivity.

Contemporary office lobby designs are provisioning co-working spaces by installing unique collaborative workstations. The availability of such a working space in the office lobby implies that the company respects its visitor’s time and supports the progress of all.

Standing workstations for offices are the most popular choice for lobbies. These workstations can also be paired with adjustable stool chairs to create an informal working area in the office lobby.

Creation of Experience Zones

Office lobby designs can go a notch higher with the inclusion of experience zones- a miniature version of experience centers. Product-based companies can supplement their office lobbies with experience zones to provide visitors with a taste of their offering.

Experience center is an excellent indirect marketing tool that can offer prospective clients a sneak peek of all that your product can help them achieve.

The experience zone in the lobby can provide a comfortable lounge with subtle product placements. This lobby design idea will also help you gain feedback about your products that can help you to further improve the final product. It will establish your reputation as a brand that lives and breathes its products and values customer feedback.

Lobby as a Branding Collateral

Office lobby designs can serve as a branding statement for your company. Be it a gigantic corporation or a humble startup, every company needs to brand itself as the provider of some service or product. Hence positioning the company as an expert in the domain becomes crucial. For this purpose, every company creates branding guidelines that include the colors, fonts, text height, and logo which become key identification elements of the brand over a period of time.

These elements can find a space for themselves in the office lobby through interior design. For instance, the accent wall in the office lobby can be painted in brand colors or a decal sticker of the motto of the company can be installed on the reception back wall. You can also plan a neon LED-lit quote on one of the lobby walls to reflect the beliefs of the company.

Design for Socializing

The primary purpose of commercial spaces is to work. Hence, most offices are typically designed to make the employees concentrate on work and achieve their targets. However, such stringent design solutions discourage the creation of spaces for celebrations, events, and interactions. For example, employees often find themselves celebrating birthdays in the conference room. The unavailability of socializing spaces in the office leads to boredom and monotony which negatively impacts work.

Designing the office lobby as a space for socialization can cater to the recreational needs of the employees. Using the lobby as a multi-functional adaptive space can help in enhancing productivity. Small corporate events and company anniversaries can be hosted in the lobby thereby saving time and money spent on travel and space.

Tech-Driven Interior Design

The dependency of offices on technology is undeniable. Inspired by this relationship, office interior designs are also embracing technology as an integral part of their ideas. Tech-integrated designs are gaining popularity because of their convenience and time-saving benefits.

Office lobby designs can incorporate audio-visual aids in the form of projector screens, and intercom facilities to provide an introduction about the company to the visitors. Corporate videos, virtual office tours, and welcoming messages can be played to make the visitor feel entertained and comfortable.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has further given a push to such tech-driven lobby designs. Sensor-based doors and sanitization machines are installed for contact-less mobility. All communication has been made digital by the provision of applications for appointment booking.

Final Word

The best office lobby designs incorporate warmth and comfort by inviting nature into the space. So, along with all the above ways, biophilia is a design style you must include in your office lobby. Bringing indoor plants in the lobby or installing a green wall can make the lobby feel lively and act as a stress buster. The plants could also be a conversation starter and help in reducing anxiety among visitors & employees.

If you wish to learn more ideas about lobby design for offices, feel free to reach out to us here. You can also view our website to check out our relevant works.

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5 Innovative Ways to Design the Office Lobby