Best creative working environments?

tacojohntacojohn
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hello all.



I've been put in charge of picking out a color scheme and furniture for my companies new offices.



We're a tech company that deals with a lot of high end (rich) residential customers and local businesses with automation and software development.



I'm wondering what everyone likes or dislikes about the offices they work in? Right now we're working with a really open "team" environment/floorplan with no offices or cubes- there are individual "work stations".



I'm open for any input you have- I'm really excited about this- I want our offices to be sweet, easy to work in, and impress our customers.



Thanks for the help

-taco

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    thinkingdifferentthinkingdifferent Posts: 1,604member
    Have you ever seen pictures of workspaces from the 1940's, 50's and 60's? A bunch of people working in one large room. I am amazed that people could concentrate on their work back then. On the other hand, I wonder if cubes make people less productive. Sitting in a cube it's easy to tune out and not have anybod notice. I perfer to work in a large space by myself. Like my house.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    blue is good for calming people.



    a lot of creative people do not like open-plan because too much distraction.



    if you wanna push the envelope, set up different "team" and "individual" "work zones" which are distinctly further away from "chillout/brainstorm" zones.



    fluorescent lighting is a big big no no.



    also client meeting areas (the serious stuff) should be far removed from the crazy ass "chillout/brainstorm" zones.



    the "individual" "work zones" need to be sufficiently isolated to allow creative work to be done in peace, without shutting off someone and leaving them too much to their own devices



    coming back to the colors, maybe blue/ turqouise calming colours in the "individual" and "team" "work zones", and brighter stuff like yellow or red for the "chillout/brainstorm" "fun zones". graphite/aluminium for the serious client meeting areas. also, muted/grayscale colors in client meeting areas good for saying 'were serious' while allowing for the creative work with its distinct colors to shine through during presentations.



    and of course a nice kitchen area very near to chillout/brainstorm zones with a once-a-week freebie for all the staff. i'm not a fan of free drinks, just a cappucino machine is awesome, and of course filtered cold or hot water, and a good selection of teas is essential.



    depending on how open plan the office is, kitchen area may need to be isolated somewhat from the rest of the office due to food smells and should be comfortable enough to try and prevent people from eating at their desks.



    again. NO FLUORESCENT LAMPS. natural daylight is good but blinds essential on bright, glaring days. a view of water or trees in the distance anywhere in the office would be preferable.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    mynameheremynamehere Posts: 560member
    what sort of work is done in this office? (ie: call center vs: a bunch of people on computers)



    Also, how big (sq-ft and people) is this space?
  • Reply 4 of 5
    tacojohntacojohn Posts: 980member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mynamehere

    what sort of work is done in this office? (ie: call center vs: a bunch of people on computers)



    Also, how big (sq-ft and people) is this space?



    Mostly software development and web design/development.



    Not sure on the exact footage (maybe 1800 sq-ft + lobby/server room/conference room/bathroom)- there are 9 people working for us.



    One thing that should be sweet is we're getting a huge fish tank in a wall to divide the lobby from the "work zones".



    Tried to pick out some colors yesterday- the boss wants it to "look like starbucks". So we picked out some saturated colors (a rust color, a pea green color, and a chocolate color). We're going with brushed metal/wood furniture in the lobby.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    ( I develop software for a living...well mostly I just go to meetings...but that is a different matter )



    Beige! Acres and acres of beige! And the more beige it can be the better. The most non-color you can get.







    Seriously...some color is nice.



    What about art on the walls.



    I like windows...looking outside to see the real world is helpful.



    I agree about the fluorescent lighting (I always try to turn mine off).



    Wood is nice to see once in a while.



    Comfortable chairs.



    I have mixed feelings about private offices vs. more open spaces. Pros and cons both. There is something to be said about people being able to "banter about" in a more (physically) open space. There is also something to be said about eliminating distractions. But then, maybe that's whay God gave us headphones.



    And depending on the views on things like quality...keep the place in repair. If the place is falling apart...the slogans/posters/mantras/missions/visions/values about quality seem disingenous (to say the least).



    And one more thing...what about some life? Plant-life? Adds color, texture, dimension to the environment.

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