- Top four Melbourne office design trends
Ah, Melbourne – Australia’s most liveable city is known for its delicious coffee beans, subpar weather, and vintage-inspired rooftop bars. It’s no secret that young professionals Australia-wide are flocking to work in Victoria’s laid-back capital city, but what you may not know about Melbourne is that it is home to some of the most beautiful and progressive office spaces in the world. Whether you’re considering investing in an office fitout in Melbourne, or if you’re simply seeking some new corporate design inspiration, this blog will get you up to speed on Melbourne’s latest office design trends.
Experience over functionality
Traditionally, office spaces have been designed to maximise functionality. The number-one priority for a new office fitout was simply to provide adequate space for employees to work efficiently. There was little to no consideration given to employee and client experience – that is, the way that people feel in their workplace. In this regard, Melbourne’s offices have always been a step above the rest. With large, open spaces and sweeping designs that encourage a sense of workplace pride, Melbourne’s most forward-thinking offices have found that true productivity comes from employee satisfaction.
A little bit of nature
Nobody likes stepping into a dark, sterile office with mass-manufactured desks and the smell of yesterday’s floor cleaner in the air. Many businesses in Melbourne have recognised this, so a high percentage of recent office fitouts have incorporated a biophilic design – a workplace aesthetic that draws inspiration from the natural world. With drooping pot plants to oxygenate the room, earthy colours and textures, raw, recycled wood, and unfiltered natural light, biophilic office fitouts have transformed the 9-5 experience of many Melbourne workers.
Co-working spaces
Gone are the days when businesses operated from a single address. Co-working spaces are becoming increasingly popular in Australia, particularly in Melbourne, as they have numerous benefits. The first, and often most appealing, is cost. It is much cheaper to rent a desk in a shared space than to rent an expensive office in a high-rise building in Melbourne’s CBD. Secondly, there is the convenience of having access to a fully-furnished, attractive professional space without any office fitout costs on your end. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, co-working spaces encourage open collaboration and teamwork. If you’re lucky enough to have a Melbourne office space with large square footage, you should consider fitting it out to share as a co-working space and make some significant cash!
Free range workspaces
Incorporating all of the above, Melbourne’s most design-forward businesses have invested in free range office workspaces. This means that employees do not have dedicated, static workstations, but rather migrate from room to room depending on their tasks. For example, there might be a collaborative media room for when colleagues need to make a presentation, a separate space for phone-calls, or a room next to Reception dedicated to meeting clients face-to-face. Free range workspaces with open designs have been proven to increase workplace flexibility and productivity. It’s definitely something to discuss with the team before your next office fitout in Melbourne!
