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Blog: A Home from Home – The Rise of Resimercial

24.11.20

What is Resimercial design?

Resimercial design is a combination of residential aesthetics, materials, and styles within a commercial office setting. Whilst, not a new trend, we are seeing an emergence of this off the back of the global pandemic and the shift from corporate offices to home working.

The office landscape is ready for change

The office landscape, as far as design goes, has not changed much over the past 80 years. Office design is driven by the way we work, so as we embarked upon an age of innovation and collaboration in the 1940s, the walls came down and open-plan offices have reigned ever since.

Recently, Covid-19 has changed our outlook on these design principles and the way in which we work, as safety and productivity become the primary factors for employers. We are ready for a new age of office interior – the need for collaboration remains, but agile working is being actively reduced to avoid risk.

Many companies are working from home for the foreseeable future, some even permanently, therefore the requirements for workplaces are changing. Offices may become somewhere you visit a couple of times a week. A destination, with lower desk densities, wider circulation routes, meeting rooms geared towards video calls and virtual meetings, more first aid rooms and safe spaces, as well as the addition of physical barriers and screening to help with circulation and create physical safety breaks within the space.

Image Credit: https://officesnapshots.com/2019/11/05/b-s-r-group-offices-tel-aviv/

Getting the team back into the office

Some people are struggling with the prospect of going back to the office. Many are reaping the benefits of working from home – more family time, no commute, safety, and their home comforts. However, there will always be the need for staff to socialise, collaborate, and take advantage of the ergonomics of the workplace.

We see this leading to a rise in Resimercial design – whilst this is not a new design trend by any means, it has been active for several years but has been difficult to implement due to available furniture styles and brands aiming for a vibrant Google-esque office interior. Due to the increase of employees working from home in recent times, suppliers are adapting and creating ranges that are specifically designed with the home in mind, allowing designers and specifiers the opportunity to source a wide range of furniture that will complement a more residential aesthetic, whilst retaining the form and function of commercial furniture.

Image Credit: https://www.workdesign.com/2018/02/resimercial-transformations/

Image Credit: https://meccinteriors.com/designbites/tuesdaytrending-resimercial-design-in-modern-workplaces/

How to implement Resimercial design into your office

The implementation of residential design within the office interior could help people transition from home working to the office; the style subconsciously provides a sense of reassurance and familiarity to support a feeling of comfort and safety in the workplace.

The textures and subtle materials in the schemes evoke a much-needed calmness. From a hygiene perspective, simplified interiors reduce the number of surfaces and cleaning requirements, giving staff peace of mind when returning to the office. This design aesthetic not only gives staff a feeling of informality and flexibility that are conducive to productivity but is an opportunity for brands to consider how the office interior should reflect their ethos and value of their staff post-pandemic.

Our interiors team have already started implementing this trend within some new projects, advising clients on the benefits of Resimercial and forecasting the future landscape of the workplace.