2020 has been a year with many changes—some good and some bad. It was a year that literally put a pause button on our lives, and everyone was forced to stop and contemplate. Life slowed down, priorities changed and spatial definitions of the personal and professional seemed to be blurred. 2020 is a watershed year when it comes to professional workspaces. Office fitouts in Sydney and across the world have undergone a sea of changes. This is primarily because of the global pandemic that has pushed everyone into the confines of their home.

2021 is the year when the post-pandemic world has begun its journey into a more resilient future. Along with many personal lifestyle changes, one big change that people of Australia will see is the transformation of the office fitouts in Sydney, Melbourne, and other places. The post-pandemic workplace design is seeing a new wave that is people-oriented, futuristic, and evolved. The process of a changed office space has already begun, and the aim is to build an office that is safe, ready and resilient to counter the present and any future crisis. The main focus now is to take care of human health and at the same time create an environmental consciousness.

New design trends in 2021

New design trends will be dominating office fitouts in Sydney and all other major cities of the world. In 2021 offices will see some revolutionary changes. Here are a few trends that will be seen while designing the workspaces:

Downsizing the workspace: With many offices forced to retreat to work from home, large office spaces seem to have lost their relevance. Many businesses are now seeing the benefit of working from home and do not plan to call the entire workforce to office at a time. This means that large office places will be replaced with smaller office spaces that will be used by a small section of the staff and will be functional for team meetings and client meets for which you need a formal workspace. With blended working coming in vogue with the staff working from home, 2-3 days a week, there is no need to accommodate all the staff at one point of time. Hence, it is estimated that workspaces might be reduced by 30% to 40% of their original size in 2020.
Fostering the human connect: Workplaces will slowly lose their professional distant look and feel and will be redesigned as more humane spaces. This means that designing of cafeteria, sleeping pods and collaboration zones will receive as much importance as the design of workstations and conference rooms. The office fitouts in Sydney and other places will be designed in a manner to make everyone feel at home. The health and safety measures will be increased multifold and the spaces would be made more friendly and welcoming. Especially with employees meeting each other after a hiatus of a year, it would be necessary for employers to have more collaboration zones to foster team spirit.
A feeling of home: With almost a year of remote working, it would be difficult for employees to adapt to the old workplace. They would crave for a home-like environment. Although, one cannot create the work-in-pajamas workplace, interesting design ideas will evolve to give the workplaces a feel of home. Home-like furnishing and finishes will dominate the workspace. Residential furniture like coffee tables, lounges and wooden chairs would dominate the workspace. Ergonomically inclined furniture would be more in demand.
Smarter spatial planning: With social distancing being the call of the day, office spaces will be redesigned to address this need. Employers now want spacious workspaces to ensure employee safety. This would in turn impact real estate too as larger floor areas would be needed. Designers and architects are now collaborating and coming up with smart plans to address this need. Double decker spaces are also being explored in office buildings to address social distancing and also increase office space.
Technology integration: With blended home/office workspace becoming the norm in 2021, there would be an increased focus on acquiring state-of-the-art high-end technology that would make interaction between colleagues from home and office seamless. Online working was learnt overnight in 2020 and has slowly become the way of life. Hence office spaces would now have to accommodate increased technological infrastructure.
Burolandschaft for the new office: Burolandschaft is a German word that refers to an office space in 1950s Germany with no rigid lines and rows of desks. It is an open office space free from partitions. Offices now would like to adopt such style offices to increase social distance and dissolve the quintessential office look and feel.

With these new trends evolving the office fitouts in Sydney, you are sure to enter a new office space with new hopes and new zeal to build a more resilient workplace that can adapt to sudden changes and take up new challenges.

Experts from Arkade Interiors are always up-to-date with the latest design trends to give their customers the latest designs for office fitouts in Sydney that will certainly stand out and give your clients a warmer welcome. Call us on 1300 889 209 or write to us at info@arkadeinteriors.com.au for premium services at budget-friendly rates.