London abounds in firms and expert professionals delivering complete, bespoke and great-quality office interior design solutions. Whether you require executing an entirely new office fit-out, or refurbishing your existing office; they offer seamless solutions that meet your goals on time and within your budget limit.

An efficient office design expert or firm serves as a one-stop shop that manages designing, building and maintaining each aspect of your office interiors. They cover the following key facets comprehensively:

1) Lighting

A well-lit workplace not only enhances comfort but also adds visual appeal to it. Lighting impacts the way your employees and visitors feel at your office. Sustainability is another important aspect to be considered. Energy efficient lighting not only saves money and has a long lifespan, but is also favourable to the environment.

2) Furniture

The right approach would be to begin with space assessment and buying furniture that enhances your office aesthetics. Maximum emphasis must be laid on space optimisation, comfort and ergonomics while purchasing and installing office furniture. Optimally functional and flexible furniture will aid enhancing staff productivity and foster in them the right working spirit.

3) Network and Communication Cabling

Communications and IT are at the core of any modern-day business. Customised, reliable and future-proof telecom and data solutions are the need of the hour for smooth business operations. Also, these must be tailor-made for your company, providing you with exactly the technologies that your business needs. Remember to make provisions for reliable data storage and internet solutions. Consider integrated cabling for enhancing safety while ensuring accessibility.

4) Partitions

Partitioning implies dividing available office space for improving productivity and maximising space utilisation. Factors like fire safety and acoustics need to be considered while executing partitioning. The kind of partitioning you need depends entirely on the nature of your business, and the amount of privacy needed between various office sections.
 

5) Storage

Ideal storage solutions complement your office space and fit-out. Safety and security of stored items and the extent of their confidentiality must be primarily considered while designing office storage. Opting for furniture that doubles up as storage is an ideal approach to realise space maximisation.

6) Flooring and Ceiling

Modern flooring and ceiling solutions have the potential to add ample visual and functional sophistication to your office space. Ceilings with concealed wiring and built-in lighting provide a clean look while maintaining functionality. Similarly, raised flooring imparts a smooth finish to your office, while incorporating power and communications cabling within. Sustainable flooring options are available as an opportunity to enhance your environmental commitment.

7) Audio-visual and Power Equipment

Each business has unique power and audio-visual needs. Safe and flexible power solutions tested to highest safety standards are inevitable for smooth running of your business. Appropriate fitting and testing of monitors and overhead projectors is a part of efficient office interior design and fit-out.

Office design experts plan and manage each aspect of office interior designing with extreme precision. They ensure that their clients get going with their daily office operations at the earliest, and with more efficiency and productivity than ever before.

Your office flooring impacts the impression you convey to clients and staff. Besides, your flooring choice has a bearing on the overall office maintenance costs and can also affect health and safety of employees. For instance, you want floors that are durable and easy to clean and maintain. Also you don’t want slippery floors that can be a potential hazard for employees' well-being. And if the nature of your business is such that employees spend considerable time on their feet, you want flooring that maximises their comfort.

So deciding on your office flooring is not easy and depends on a number of factors. Here are 4 tips that can help you in this process.
 

1.    Choose the Floor Depending on your Business

The flooring in the area where you receive your clients such as waiting room, reception areas etc is very crucial because it creates the first impression on your clients.

For instance for a doctor’s waiting area, ceramic or vinyl tiled floors are ideal. Such floors are not only easy to clean and disinfect, but they look bright, clean and sparkling which is important. A dark wooden flooring here, though looks elegant, may not exactly put waiting patients at ease. Patients may end up wondering if there are any impurities on the floor, ‘conveniently hidden’.

But for a real estate agency or a financial company, wooden flooring, elegant, subtle and understated works very well as it conveys an impression of stability, wealth and luxury.
 

2.    Durability is an Important Consideration

If your office receives a lot of footfalls during the day, you need flooring that is tough and that can withstand the pressure. Different people walk in with different kinds of footwear and choosing a flooring material that is rough and tough and which is easy to clean and maintain is the best decision. Concrete and stone floors are extremely durable and so are solid wood and engineered wood options to a certain extent. You may also consider contemporary vinyl flooring options for their toughness and durability.

3.    Nature of the Office Space

As the functionality of the office space changes, you need to change the flooring material. For instance in the canteen or staff room area, you can opt for flooring materials like rubber or vinyl. These materials are available in a variety of colours and designs and create an easy ambience in the room. Further, they feel cushioned under the foot and increase comfort, are easier to clean in case of liquid spillages. And more importantly have inherent anti-slip properties, reducing chances of accidents and injuries.
 

4.    Flooring to Enhance Comfort and Quietitude

In the general staff area, carpet floorings are a good option, as they produce a plush feeling and enhance the levels of comfort, always a positive motivational factor. Besides, carpets muffle the distracting sounds of employee movement and help enhance concentration levels.

The flooring you choose for your office depends on a number of factors including your budget and the effect you want to portray. There are several choices available ranging from expensive luxurious options to no-frills practical and  budget options and of course, the options in between that look luxurious, but don’t cost as much.

Physically moving offices can be a daunting experience. Besides, the cost of a physical relocation is very high. So several organisations are looking at office refurbishment as an option to improve the efficiency of their office space utilisation, enhance operational efficiency and to create a more positive work environment for staff.
 

Are you considering refurbishing your office? Here are 4 important considerations you must look into:
 

1. Why is Office Refurbishment the Right Option for You?

It is always a good idea to start with this basic question clearly answered so that you are 100% convinced that this is the right move. Your premises may have certain unique advantages that you don’t want to lose out on. Certain locations have a positive impact on the business image and moving away can be detrimental. Last but not the least, refurbishment means lesser changes for your staff to deal with (after all, they have to come back to the same office and not go elsewhere). Change is usually unsettling and when changes are minimal (in the context of refurbishment, as opposed to relocation), the staff will adapt faster. And it definitely helps improve morale and productivity.
 

2. Involve the Landlord in the Process

If your current premises are on rent, it is always a good idea to involve the landlord in the refurbishment process right from the beginning. You may want to be sure that you have the approvals for carrying out certain alterations and changes in the premises. Most often, the landlord is in agreement as refurbishment improves the efficiencies of the premises and eventually enhances the value of the office space. Putting forth your detailed plan before him, take the opportunity to renegotiate rental terms, secure lease extension or even obtain a capital contribution. It might be a good idea to engage the services of a commercial property agent, who will:

  - offer a professional opinion on the value your refurbishment will add to the property,

  - consider current property trends and

  - guide you on the negotiation processes or

  - even carry out the negotiations on your behalf.

3. Identify the Right Office Refurbishment Partner

You want an office refurbishment company that has adequate experience and a good reputation for sticking to time and budget. It is good idea to choose a company that is the right fit for you. Too-big an organisation for which the scale of your project is too small is not really the right fit.

Also while choosing an office refurbishment partner, make sure they offer various key services such as furniture supply, IT consultation, design, health & safety etc in-house. Taking recommendations from friends and acquaintances who have successfully completed office refurbishment project is a good idea.

4. Create an In-House Refurbishment Project Team

Create a team from within your organisation that is in charge of refurbishment. This team will be responsible for communicating with the external refurbishment experts as to exactly what the needs of the office are. Choose individuals capable of multi-tasking, and who believe in proactive action rather than reactive comments.

Refurbishment is not easy. But thinking of these considerations well in advance, at least makes the process as smooth as possible.

A lot of people have had the misfortune of experiencing lower back pains or shoulder and neck aches from sitting in an office chair for 9 hours a day. This is usually because most office chairs offer little to no support to the parts of our body that need it the most. Just sitting in a chair that’s a little out or ill-fitted could lead to serious pains in the near future, so I’ve found 5 leading ergonomic chairs that’ll feel like you’re floating on air.

Genius Ergonomic Executive Mesh Chair



This brand new in design Genius Ergonomic Executive Mesh Chair features all the ergonomic adjustments you’d expect from an office chair. These adjustments are: seat height, depth and recline from the single lever control mechanism and the armrests can go in and out, forward and back. This great chair also features a Dynamic Lumbar Support designed to automatically adjust to provide the correct seating position. There’s also a flex-tension neck rest to provide proper support for you head and neck.

The Execuform Medium Back Leather Executive Task Chair



The Execuform Medium Back is Empire's heavy-duty ergonomic office chair, designed for the executive who still requires an affordable ergonomic chair. The chair comes with high-density foam, adjustable arm rests, large moulded seat and back to offer optimum support, a heavy-duty mechanism and a concealed reinforced steel base for strength and functionality.

Connection High Back Operator Chair



This range has proved to be an extremely popular Task Chair for the many years that it has been sold exclusively by Empire mainly because of its low pricing and good functionality. This chair is available three configurations: Medium, High Back and Extra High Back, with the “High Back” options all including an extra large seat. These chairs can also be customised with optional parts, such as a high reach gaslift and foot ring, or an adjustable arm kit.

Embody by Herman Miller



This chair is more suited to a home as it’s almost artwork – it’s beautiful! Michigan-based furniture maker, Herman Miller is perhaps best known for his modernist pieces, but the sustainability-obsessed company is also much-respected in the ergonomic chair market. With its four-layer seat and its selection of many knobs and levers, Embody automatically adjusts to its user's every bodily comfort.

Hille SE Ergonomic Chairs



You know what it’s like sitting in a group meeting, everyone told to pull up a chair, where you’ll sit fidgeting because these sorts of chairs are uncomfortable. Well, with these chairs from Hille – a chair designed to give perfect postural support – you won’t suffer again. This chair is also built to last by a manufacturer that has always made furniture achieve all of these things but still be remain affordable.

So the next time you buy a chair for your office, take the time to choose and perhaps even try one out before buying it. There are many brands offering all types of chairs, so find the one most suited to your body.