Obstacles and Opportunities
Obviously, most existing commercial buildings were not designed with a residential approach in mind. As such, adapting a space from a traditional corporate office or other commercial use to a more open, flexible one with the amenities and touches of home comes with challenges. But what older buildings lack in terms of ease of adaptability, they often make up for in charm.
“When you get these great adapted buildings there’s already character built into them,” Barbon explains. “Of course, you may have some challenges with that because it may not have the proper mechanical systems and the infrastructure in place, but there are ways of being able to deal with that creatively and then work with your engineers to be able to achieve that.”
Friedman agrees and points out the success of retrofitting an existing office space to adopt a more residential aesthetic is contingent upon the project itself. However, she adds some existing structures are ideal for that type of transformation, regardless of the inherent challenges they may present to a design team.
“I think it really depends on the project and the space itself,” Friedman says. “Some buildings will lend themselves nicely to a resi-mercial aesthetic, such as an industrial warehouse being retrofitted to a workplace, for example. But if a building has small windows, natural light can be challenging, and another thing that is always a challenge is acoustics. It’s something that needs to be considered from the earliest stages of design but, depending on the building, that could be more difficult.”
Additionally, while an existing space may be ideal for a residentially inspired redesign, the client may not be. “You have to consider the type of client, the type of building they’re in, the brand and how they want to project themselves,” Friedman advises. Further, she says it’s important to understand the type of work environment and culture the client wants to create. If it’s highly collaborative, the resi-mercial trend will work very nicely. “But there are certain work styles that it may not work for, so it really does need to be taken on a project-specific basis,” she points out.
Barbon echoes that assessment, adding the design of any workplace is ultimately an extension of the client’s culture, and implementing a certain design just because it’s trendy is a mistake. “At the end of the day, you can create this new, dynamic space with great lounges and a variety of seating but if the culture doesn’t allow you to do that or the mindset isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how great the design of the space is,” she says. For such a transformation to be effective, Barbon says employees must be empowered to exercise choice in how and where they work within the office. In other words, the old mindset, “If you’re not at your desk, you’re not working,” must be abandoned. Further, she advises the end user must also be taken into account; a multigenerational workforce will influence the culture of the organization differently than one that’s made up primarily of millennials, for example.
Finally, achieving a resi-mercial aesthetic in a workplace setting involves more than just outfitting an existing facility with a few couches and lounge chairs. It must be thoughtfully planned out and meet the demands of the space and end users.
“Just because it looks comfortable, doesn’t mean it’s comfortable,” Barbon notes. “You need to understand the ergonomics and the aesthetics of the furniture; they go hand-in-hand. It’s not just going out and buying a sofa from West Elm and sticking it just anywhere but making sure where you’re placing it also has to function.”
Ongoing Evolution
When asked if the residential trend is a passing fad or a more permanent shift in the way workplaces are designed, Barbon and Friedman agree it most likely will have staying power because of the drivers behind it.
“I think looking down the road people are going to need increased flexibility in where they work,” Friedman predicts. “They’re going to want environments that support their wellbeing and, culturally, the lines between work and office are becoming increasingly blurred. It’s something I think will probably be a more permanent shift because people have more flexible hours and need more flexible spaces, so in some ways the home and the workplace are going to become one.”
Barbon says whether it’s fashion, food or interiors, people will continue to seek choice, wellbeing, and balance in their lives that will continue to drive the evolution of our interior environments to be more human-centric—at home or work. “I believe the workplace will always focus on people because if you think about it, that is probably the biggest investment above technology and the building itself. The idea of creating balance—with one’s life and work, balance within the workplace and with technology—it will impact the design of the workplace and how we work. I think it’s an evolution.”
Photo: Ari Burling