The Most Creative Layout & Design Ideas for an Open Plan Office

WHY OFFICE & INTERIOR LAYOUT DESIGN MATTERS

The office is your team’s second home. Your team’s lives are connected to the work they accomplish alone and with their team members in the office.

Office interior design and layout do affect everyone in the workplace. Unfortunately, open plans have shown negative employee experiences in recent studies, especially in the realms of noise and privacy.

It begs the question: Is there an open office layout plan that works well for everyone?

At JDG, we believe there is a solution. This is why we’ve explored several inspirational office layouts which are both creative and functional for your team.

ASSESS YOUR TEAM’S WORKSPACE NEEDS VIA SURVEY

Let’s not put the cart before the horse and assume everyone is wanting an open plan right away. Understanding what your team’s roles are and how they are productive should influence your decision on a concept.

A quick survey via Survey Monkey or a Google Form will help guide your decision on your office layout design. Here is an example of a question you may include:

Ask your team: What percentage of your time is spent on the following?

• Quiet Tasks (done alone)
• Collaborating with team members
• Phone calls and/or virtual meetings
• In-person meetings

Examining the results will tell you which jobs and personalities are more suited for open office layout designs than others. Workers that spend a higher percentage of time on quiet tasks and the phone will best be suited to a private layout for example.

CHOOSING AN OFFICE LAYOUT DESIGN CONCEPT

After understanding your team’s needs, it’s time to pick a creative concept that works! New ideas are easy to find and visualize, but breathing life into those Pinterest concepts is another task entirely.

Before going down that route, let’s explore a few of our favourite contemporary office layout design options below.

NEWSROOM STYLE OFFICE

Best suited for: A team that prefers to be fast-paced and collaborative. If communication and impromptu meetings are your team’s needs, look no further than this office layout design. This works perfectly if your team has some flex time to have meetings, brainstorming sessions and conversations.

Features: Clusters of desks, an open space and flexible seating options

How to Implement:

• Keep desks together. Make office layout designs based on clusters of desks and tables.
• Remove cubicles and any room dividers.
• Provide flexible and comfortable seating options like sofas and bean seats while still supplying ergonomic office chairs.

ARTISTIC CREATIVE LOFT

Best suited for: A creative, intellectual team that focuses time on visual work. In this open office layout design, team members can collaborate alongside each other, adding a myriad of pictorial perspectives to projects. Encouraging open ideas by adding whiteboards along the office’s perimeter will encourage the flow of ideas. Your team can find inspiration from one another, even if they’re working on separate tasks.

Features: Extended, colourful gallery desks, whiteboards and abstract art.

How to Implement: Start by thinking like your office space is an art classroom and push individual desks together – or close by – and form horizontal rows. Gather whiteboards, pieces of art, wall graphics, and plants and set them in the main work area. You can also gather input from your team of creatives to customize the design. Print and frame a few extra graphics made by you, the company or your team and place them around the office as a sign of pride and to reflect your imaginative values.

BEST OF “BOOTH” WORLDS: A HYBRID OFFICE LAYOUT DESIGN

Best suited for: A team with a more dynamic style. This is the layout design choice that best caters to a team that values individual privacy as well as team collaboration. It’s a balanced solution that addresses the pros and cons of open plans, clusters, and cubicles.

If your team has a diverse set of work preferences, conflicting tasks, and requires just moderate amounts of collaboration, this is often the best choice possible. Hybrid office layout design plans can be adjusted around staff work-from-home preferences.

Features: Hybrid office layout designs vary greatly. There’ll be individual and team-oriented workstations present.

How to Implement: You’ll often need a larger workspace (in square feet) to cater to each employee’s work style. They often feature some open aspects like worktables, meeting rooms, and open coffee lounges with sofas and plants. Private areas can include partitioned individual workstations with headphones and even fully soundproof office booths for deep focus.

Hybrid offices are the most customizable and easy to change. They grant employee autonomy on how to work and improve employee productivity, mood and satisfaction by catering to needs.

If you need a hand with a Hybrid office layout design or any other office design concept, don’t forget to reach out to the pros at JDG!