2019 was a year of experimentation across sectors, and commercial design was no exception. Keeping the look and feel of offices fresh, welcoming, and thereby productive was the focus of the industry, which involved using state-of-the-art technology and innovation. Boosting employee productivity has always been the fulcrum of a well-designed office space, and this led to 2019 being highly focused on the right palette, materials, furnishing and other style elements to create that savvy space.
Here is a snapshot of trends that ruled the commercial design roost this year:Â
Vivid hues
While 2018 was all about being subtle and minimalistic, with neutral shades like grey taking over commercial walls, 2019 witnessed more colour pop on office interiors. Bright and vibrant hues with striking accent walls trended, to create livelier, more interactive and creative spaces. Moreover, deep jewel tones took over to add life to an otherwise lacklustre room, along with exuding boldness and warming up the space.
Green spaces
Sustainability continued to be the key focus of the year, with commercial offices increasingly embracing it too. This is why a number of them have been going ‘green’ with living green walls that also improve air quality and acoustics, by installing a large spread of quaint and calming plants across corridors, with at least one of them on each workstation. Even those not keen on maintaining an actual plant embraced the idea of a fake plant in and around their workspace, as these have a great impact with bare minimum maintenance required. Additionally, natural light has been encouraged by modern offices, with less dependency on artificial lighting within.Â
Comfort and flexibility
Another commercial design trend that witnessed an upswing in 2019 was on moving away from mundane functionality, and more on creating warm, comfortable and homely spaces for employees via sleek designs. Accent tables and bookshelves along with fluffy sofas and relaxing chairs in different corners of the workplaces were the fad of the year. Café-style high tables also found preference amongst several offices that encourage an ‘open’ work culture. More importantly, 2019 was all about leveraging co-working spaces for playing on design elements of ‘comfort and flexibility’.
Mixed elements
A mix and match of styles, materials and elements within office designs trended this year, particularly embracing the fusion of modern and contemporary with the company’s traditional values. Contrary to monotones of 2018, this year was all about making way for diverse design elements like juxtapose furniture, and strong colours, materials and textures to create a whimsical and boho chic workspace. Another part of this trend was blending old-school glass with metal or antique finishes with new-age furniture. Basically, the ‘combine old and new’ ideology whilst maintaining and respecting employee privacy took commercial design of 2019 by storm.
Smart offices
Technology penetrated sectors to a greater extent this year and commercial design was certainly one of them, with ‘smart offices’ heavily trending. AV lighting systems with customisable settings, IoT sensors, smart lighting, intelligent climate control, robust video monitoring, and smart conference rooms and desks (with innovative features and equipment) were popular design elements under these evolving modern, hence smart offices in 2019.