I took this picture at one of our clients in Denmark. Their offices are in a building that used to be a paint factory and they have fully embraced that history and esthetic in their workplace design and layout.
Walking around their building I felt inspired and energized. Then I see a traditional beige-and-grey cubicle landscape and I despair for all humanity :)
I don’t want to overstate the role of office design – it is definitely not what makes or breaks a workplace. But I can’t help wonder why companies are so afraid to display some identity, variation, playfulness and (not least) bright colors in their buildings.
It’s not that hard – here are some great examples:
- 10 seriously cool workplaces.
- 12 ways to pimp your office.
- dPOP’s office is underground and AMAZING.
- Meet me in the UFO.
And please don’t confuse well-designed with fancy and expensive. Some companies spend tons of money on really exclusive furniture and still end up with an office that is boring and lifeless.
Where was it? Those paintings look like hugely expensive Dewasnee originals – so no wonder they look good! But great that a company had the foresight to get a famous artist to decorate their offices early.
You can never under estimate the importance of good design when it comes to general wellbeing in an office, from the psychology of colour to airflow, which in turn affects productivity.