Arguably, one of the biggest downsides to working in an office is excessive noise and lack of privacy. Large strides have been taken to address this issue with modern, flexible office arrangements, but an open plan office is always going to be subject to increased sound levels. Many offices are fixing these issues with private working areas where workers can focus without interruption. Office pods, in particular tick all the boxes, as they’re minimalist, convenient, cost-effective and can retain the utmost privacy in the middle of a buzzing office! Here are 5 key considerations when choosing your perfect office pod. 1. Acoustics One of the key reasons you’re making the investment in an office pod is to ensure soundproofing. Ensure that your chosen office pod provides an effective acoustic solution to ensure an undisturbed and productive working environment for users. You can choose between pods that are ideal for private work or pods that are utilised for phone or video calls. Either way, they’re both packed with leading sound insulation standards and are private without being confined or isolated. 2. Function Office pods vary greatly in their functionality. Some are designed for one-person phone or video calls while others can seat up to six people for private collaboration or brainstorming sessions. The requirements of your business will dictate what you ultimately need. Longer video calls may require a solo office pod that provides a bit of extra comfort; multiple-user pods work to ensure that sound is kept both inside and outside the pod for minimal disruption. You can even opt for a soundproofed meeting room pod for the perfect cosy environment. The primary factor is that everyone can work peacefully without having to compromise on sound levels. 3. Design Once you’ve decided on functionality requirements, you can start to consider the overall design. Office pods are usually portable in nature which means that they can be moved around the office to suit your needs. With that in mind, it’s always useful to consider the space that might house your office pod. Most modern office pods provide design-led aesthetics, but you can opt for colours, sizes and designs that best suit your existing office space. It’s up to you how luxurious you want to go, but there are options for mobile device designs with beautifully upholstered walls, large flat panels, soft rounded corners and optimal comfort. Choose to be as daring as you want; you might even opt for a London phone box! 4. Ventilation Soundproof pods rely on some sort of ventilation to control the temperature and keep things smelling pleasant! Users will appreciate the option of being able to adjust the air flow according to their personal preferences. As long as the pods ventilation runs constantly, the interior will remain crisp and fresh with new air from the office space each time it is in use. Make sure that you choose a pod with advanced ventilation options or motion sensor activation. 5. Portability Most pods are portable in nature but it’s always worth double-checking before you make your purchase. The reason they’re such a profitable investment lies in their overall versatility; the ability to relocate them with ease while negating the requirement for construction work. Take a pod with you anywhere and you instantly have your flexible and adaptable private phone space or meeting room! Look out for built in rollers for easy relocation or hidden glides for easy reconfiguration. Feel inspired? Office pods are unique, modern and versatile solutions that work for every office space, in any sector. They’re also a great option for hybrid working models. Whether you’re interested in purchasing a pod for your office space, or seeking a subscription based office furniture solution to keep your options open, Fluid Furniture has a number of cost-efficient options available for both buying and renting. Contact us! We’d love to discuss your flexible office requirements so please get in touch with a member of the Fluid team.

Agile working has become the most effective framework for forward-thinking businesses. There are numerous studies out there highlighting the vast benefits of creating a cohesive space where everyone contributes to a successful working environment. The agile office space should provide human-centric, flexible working spaces that can be utilised for specific tasks. Long gone are the days when offices were merely ‘staff containers’, workplaces now focus on nurturing the wellbeing of staff and actively promote flexible furniture, social interaction and collaboration. Let’s take a look at our 5 tips to creating your own agile office space: Social interaction When you think back to offices of old, there was a single hub for lunchtime interaction that would often be overly crowded and noisy. When staff returned to work, it was heads down! Modern offices have stepped away from this model, and now incorporate numerous areas that can be utilised for interaction, meetings and brainstorming. Google’s HQ in NYC has designed an office space where no one is ever more than 150ft from food! This encourages workers to converge in the café, lounge, breakout area and chat more over food! Some businesses are even implementing pool tables to encourage active collaboration! By creating a light-hearted collaborative environment, with biophilia and refreshments, workers are at ease and more easily able to converse. Wellbeing Happy, healthy employees thrive in a positive working environment that caters to their wellbeing. When you invest in your workforce, you’re rewarded with greater productivity, increased staff resilience, good employee engagement and a reduction in absence. An agile office space is all about balance; collaboration and interaction versus solitude. There’s a time and place for everything, and an agile office should address that. Give workers the chance to take some time out when they need to focus, or simply need some headspace. Flexible furniture that features private curved screens and acoustic properties are particularly attractive to those that like a bit of solitude without the background noise. If greater privacy is needed for intensive work, you can opt for a stunning visual haven that attracts users with ease. Staff benefit from acoustic properties and a cosy hub to hide away from fellow workers for a short while. The idea is to ensure that you’ve provided a space that can adapt to human behaviour, and time out is essential for everyone at some point during their working week. Ergonomic furniture One-size-fits-all doesn’t equate to an office space! Everyone is different, thus requiring different seating, tables and environments. All of this can be adapted with the use of flexible furniture, but ergonomic furniture enables an even greater variety of working arrangements. Back in the day, everyone sat at their desks for seven hours straight. Over time, that has proven to cause a number of issues such as back and neck pain and weight gain due to immobility. Modern agile spaces feature stylish, supportive office chairs or armchairs with integrated tablets for optimal comfort. Height adjustable desks are great dynamic desk options that users can adjust accordingly to suit their requirements; ideal for versatility and space efficiency. Comfort allows your workforce to make the most of their working day. In turn, productivity will increase. Flexible office design The modern agile office should be innovative and offer a multitude of options for relaxation, collaboration, quiet space and zoning. Social hubs such as breakout areas are great cohesive places where employees can come together. They key is in choosing agile furniture pieces that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate any type of usage. Office pods and booths have become a key component of the modern indoor space as they’re a great investment. They’re a highly adaptable workspace where employers can access video calls, private calls and webinars in a quiet, focussed area. However, they can also be utilised for a greater number of users and provide a homely, comfortable area to relax in. The same area can be utilised for a meeting later in the day! Their ease of reconfigurability (and the associated cost savings this allows) means that a pod can be easily relocated from one part of the building to another if need be; an easy transition that can only be afforded with flexibility. One piece of furniture. Multiple uses. Zoning options are also taking the workplace by storm as businesses embrace inventive ways of creating space for impromptu meetings and much needed chill-out time. Digital focus To support the new hybrid working model, businesses need to incorporate a digital-first culture to keep workers engaged and productive. This relies on technology that can be accessed through adaptable spaces and well-managed shared spaces if necessary. Media walls allow you to integrate technology into meeting room areas. As a small, agile unit, they’re a great means of presenting or participating in video calls and conferences without the need for an allocated room or office. With fixed desking a thing of the past, co-working is at its best is when workers can hotdesk in any suitable area, particularly when they need to jump on a call! Agile tables with integrated power points make this easy with workers able to plug in and go! The same can be said of smart office pods; employees can connect with people anywhere in a soundproofed environment. Agile furniture that incorporates technology means that employees in the office and home-based workers, clients or customers can connect as though they’re in the same room! A final thought for the future of the agile office… With hybrid working firmly set to stay, businesses are faced with numerous challenges when considering how to create positive, engaging spaces that provide the necessary flexibility and technology. Choosing an agile office is the solution to all of these challenges. It’s just about making smarter, long-term cost effective decisions for your workspace. Inspired? Please get in touch with a member of Fluid Furniture and we’ll gladly assist you in your plight to creating an agile office space.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed the role of the office. No longer is it a space designed purely to keep staff working there as long as possible, it’s now a space where people come to collaborate and connect with internal and external networks. Against this backdrop, the quantity and quality of options facing companies looking for a workspace have never been so broad. From co-working spaces and serviced offices to full-scale Cat B fit outs, prospective tenants have never had so much choice. In recent years, one type of office fit-out has become increasingly popular: Cat A+, or Cat A Plus, fit out. Read on to find out what it is, why it’s good (or not), and whether it’s for you. What is Cat A Plus Fit Out? Cat A Plus fit out is somewhere between Cat A (the fit out of essential utilities within a workspace, such as raised access flooring, air conditioning and lighting) and Cat B fit out (a fully-fledged workspace carried out by the tenant, unique to them, right down to the little details). It’s basically a plug and play workspace provided by the landlord before they even know who the tenant is. Cat A Plus typically includes fitted tea points, receptions and workspaces, including furniture and IT infrastructure. All the tenant needs to do is move in their IT, equipment, staff, and any nonstandard equipment. It is quick, easy and removes a lot of hassle for the tenant. The Benefits of Cat A Plus Fit Out Tenants can move into a space with minimal adjustments and investment, reducing the upfront costs, and giving you the ability to move in quickly, and easily with as little hassle as possible. Lease terms are also typically more flexible, given the space will largely stay the same from one tenant to the next, so it’s less hassle for landlords to switch occupiers (more on that later). Landlords will also have the design expertise and insight to create modern, effective workspaces that cater for the requirements of the changing requirements of the workspace. Multiple Cat A Plus spaces are also often located on the same floor of one building with some shared facilities, creating a natural networking hub for similar size companies. One of the key factors in the lower costs and greater flexibility is the lack of dilapidations. In traditional fit out, the space has to be fitted out from Cat A condition at the start of each lease and returned to its original condition (dilapidations). With Cat A Plus, there is no need, given the same equipment can be used for multiple tenants. This efficiency also increases sustainability, given the reduced wastage. The Drawbacks of Cat A Plus Fit Out While Cat A Plus has lower upfront costs, over time it often costs more. Think of it like renting versus buying a house: renting is cheaper initially, but more expensive in the long term, and much less long-term security. Another key downfall of Cat A Plus is the lack of customisability. Landlords often have very strict rules on what can and can’t be done to the space, which tend to be restrictive. With the modern office’s heavy emphasis on culture and experience, and the rise of hybrid working meaning engagement is more important than ever, the need for companies to have a workspace where their staff feel at home has never been more important. This is very hard to create in Cat A Plus workspaces, which tend to be generic to appeal to a variety of potential tenants. The flexibility offered by Cat A Plus spaces can also be an issue, given the lack of security it offers. Shorter lease terms and lower switching costs for landlords mean you are much more likely to have to change office space more frequently than you want, given the amount of disruption it can cause your business. Is Cat A Plus Fit Out for me? In today’s current climate, the flexibility of Cat A Plus has many advantages, providing companies with a short-to-mid-term solution while they assess their long-term future. Cat B spaces on the other hand provide a workspace that is custom-designed to your needs and wants and is unique to you. No other company is in your situation, and no one has the same requirements as you. So much has changed in recent months in the workspace, and making the right decision for the future of your company has never been so important, or difficult. That’s why we’re here. If you have any questions about your future workspace or need help to know what to do, get in touch or call 020 3916 5005

2022 Workplace Trends The workplace of today is almost unrecognisable from what it looked like 2 short years ago. Long rows of desks, employees filing in every day, and close-packed crowds were daily realities. In the time since, successive lockdowns and partial re-openings have created extraordinary levels of change in workspaces across the country. The debate about the future of workspace will continue to rage over the coming years. There are several trends that have emerged into the general consciousness and will shape the evolution of the workspace over the next 12 months. Here, we examine 7 of the most important and how they will affect your workspace in 2022. Flexibility If there has been one constant in the workspace over the last 2 years, it has been constant transformation. Over the last 2 years, many staff have grown accustomed to having a high degree of control over their personal workstation. Whether at home or in the office, many workers had the space and freedom to customise their workspace for the first time. These people are now reluctant to give up that control over the environment they work in. But how can you offer staff that level of control when most staff are back in the office? The answer lies in FluidSpace. This customisable design philosophy allows organisations to shape their immediate working environment to their own needs. On a company-wide level, the system enables entire spaces to be reconfigured overnight with no new furniture. This level of flexibility gives companies the confidence they need to invest in a great workspace for their people while minimising the risks. Sustainability While sustainability is more than a current trend, it’s important to recognize the impact this will have on workplace design in 2022. With many companies re-imagining their workspace model in a hybrid world, sustainability needs to be at the heart of every project. In 2022, sustainability is about more than going paperless. When redesigning their office, companies need to consider the environmental impact of their project. Furniture can be a key part of this. There is a wide range of sustainable furniture options that utilise ethically sourced and recycled components. In addition to this, modular furniture systems are more sustainable than traditional fit out. When your needs change, you can simply adapt your office without having to strip out and reinstall partitions. When your business relocates, you can take it with you, further improving your sustainability credentials. Workplace Technology The relative ease with which staff and clients adapted to virtual communication 2 years ago came as a complete surprise for many. What is no surprise now is the importance of virtual and hybrid communication in 2022. With some staff in the office and others at home, there is a real chance that remote workers will be less involved. To counter this, advanced technology solutions like virtual tours and even extended reality studios will be central to keeping staff engaged and involved, wherever they are. Another area where technology can help deliver the next generation of the office is workspace logistics. Such solutions as room booking and desk booking help to manage the potential complications of hybrid working and hot desking. Touchless identification systems increase security and traceability throughout the building. This keeps staff safe while minimising surface contamination risk. Workspace to Attract Employees The “Great Resignation” is in full swing and many of the established perks are rendered irrelevant by hybrid working. Companies are looking for other channels to attract and retain talent. An increasingly important part of this is the office. Creating an experiential office is set to become a major trend this year. More than making an office look cool, it focuses on everything the user will experience throughout the day. Experiential office design gives us an insight into what the office of the future will be: a destination in and of itself that your people will want to come and work in because of the experiences they can be part of when at work. In addition, there is an increased awareness of mental health and wellbeing (and the workplace’s role in this). This has created a need for staff to feel more secure and protected than ever when at work. Companies that cater to this by developing a caring workplace and culture will benefit from improved staff engagement. Co-working & Community Spaces Undoubtedly, the greatest drawback of remote working has been the reduction in face-to-face interaction between colleagues. Over time, this has led to an erosion of social capital. Building a great culture has always been difficult, and a dispersed workforce has made this challenge even worse. The key to building a great culture in 2022 will be community spaces within your office. In this age of hybrid working, your staff won't be together all the time, so it is essential to make the time that they are together count. Particularly for staff that have joined over the last 2 years, the opportunity to connect with colleagues and network internally will be of immense value to your business. At a time when employees are under more pressure than ever, it’s crucial to provide them with the opportunity to switch off and relax when they need to. Not only is this essential for their wellbeing, but it also benefits you as a business, boosting productivity and guarding against burnout. Hybrid Working A key trend from last year, hybrid working is set to come of age as one of the most popular working models in 2022. Throughout all the lockdowns last year, companies and workforces never had the chance to establish a settled way of working. As the situation settles in the coming months, companies will have a once-in-a-generation chance to reset the way they work. A key part of a successful hybrid model is the recognition that there is no “one-size-fits-all” model. To command that certain staff be in the office on certain days will stymie productivity and engagement. Ensuring your workspace and systems are set up to provide your people with the freedom to work however they perform best will be crucial to maximising the performance of your teams in 2022. Wellbeing & Human-centric Design As with several of the other trends on this list, the wellbeing trend is not new. This, however, is the year that will establish its influence on the workplace for a generation. The pandemic and remote working have vaulted personal wellbeing into the priorities of workers. Companies that recognise this and make this their priority will be in the best position to attract and retain talent. Alongside this, the prevalence of technology in the hybrid working model will create a danger of becoming disconnected from colleagues. In creating a human-centred workspace, you will be ensuring that your workers feel supported and, in turn, productivity levels will heighten. Through human-centric furniture curation and design, you can have a huge positive impact on the well-being of your people. Offering your people varied and dynamic environments to support them in their roles and considering their comfort can significantly increase their wellbeing and consequently their capability to perform. The Workplace in 2022 The amount of change seen in workplace design over the last 2 years has been staggering. 2022 offers the opportunity to create the ways of working that will shape the next generation of workspace. Flexibility, hybrid working and sustainability will have an especially large influence on workspace design in 2022. Never before has there been such rapid change in the way we work. Changing worker priorities, volatile economies and a pandemic all have contributed to the current situation. Companies that embrace these 7 key trends can create a working environment that maximises performance. This will put them in the best position to achieve their goals - not only in 2022 but for the rest of the decade. In today's uncertain climate, workspace design is shifting to a new future. Companies are navigating new challenges and opportunities. With the majority of organisations assessing their real estate strategy, we can help you manage the optimisation of your existing office space or the design of your new workspace. Explore our workspace design capabilities to learn more about how we can support your furniture needs in 2022.

Office Pods & Booths Every day, we have potential clients requesting a quote for office pods & booths. They may be moving into a new office, refurbishing their existing space, or looking to tempt their staff back to the office after years of working from home. Ultimately, they're looking for the cost of office pods. We’ve helped many to understand their office pod requirements, installing in workspaces across the country. If you’re just starting your research, we understand that the process of specifying, purchasing, and installing office pods can seem confusing. The cost of office pods can vary, depending on many factors. The two main factors that you need to consider are style and size. Other important factors include furniture, acoustics, extras, and compliance. It’s important to note that the unit cost of pods will decrease with quantity, as long as the finishes are similar. Style The first consideration is style. There are many different types of office pods and booths, from fully contained phone boxes to open-topped or sided configurations. The enclosed versions tend to be more expensive. This is not only because of the increased quantity of materials used but the superior acoustic performance. If you are looking to provide your staff with a space completely free of distractions, or somewhere to hold a confidential meeting or phone call, a fully enclosed pod will likely be your best option. If, on the other hand, you are wanting a variety of touchdown spaces to break up an open plan area and to give your staff somewhere to have quick catch-ups or even a bit of variety, then open-topped or sided versions may be better for you. Size The one factor that will have the biggest impact on the cost of any booth you are looking at will be the size. Again, this is mostly down to the materials required in the construction, but as the rooms get larger, the furniture and extras inside the pod have a greater influence on the cost. Solo booths for focused work are some of the most popular options on the market today. There are two main types: standing-room-only phone booths, and slightly larger seated versions, with a task chair or bench and a small desk. Medium-sized versions with room for 2 or 4 people are also incredibly popular, as they provide an opportunity for more informal or private conversations. Acoustics The greatest benefit of office pods & booths is privacy, and acoustics are a large part of this. While the open-plan office has encouraged far more collaboration between staff, it has led to an increase the noise levels. This was unpopular before the pandemic, but with staff having become used to working in peace and quiet, it is now a serious issue for many companies. Closed pods are great for acoustic privacy because they provide an enclosed space. However, the use of soft upholstery and fabrics mean that even open configurations have good sound absorbency. Many pods will range from 20db to 45dB or more. However, more is not always better. Many staff find it helpful to have a low level of background noise, otherwise, it can be very disorientating. Generally, around 35dB is the optimum point for most situations. Furniture Furniture is a very variable element of pods. While some have only a small table to fit a notepad on, others have height-adjustable meeting tables with integrated screens and BYOD technology. Many booths come with integrated furniture, and the only way to customise is through finishes. However, with many of the larger pods, there are often different options for furniture. You can even get them empty and install your own furniture configurations. There is no one “best” furniture configuration for pods, as they vary so much in size and purpose. For phone booths, a small poseur height table is often integrated for taking notes or using a laptop. For slightly larger options, ergonomic seating is essential, with a small desk or meeting table often helpful. For the larger option, the best configuration will be completely dependent on your needs- not too dissimilar to a meeting room. Other Features While often overlooked, optional extras can add significant cost to the price of office pods. Many have an option for integrated power modules. Another popular option is lighting that is automatically operated. In recent years, many pod manufacturers have begun to install integrated technology into their pods, from simple monitors to fully equipped AV setups. While they do increase the cost, many companies find power and lighting options worth investing in. They make the pods & booths more convenient to use, as well as enhancing the experience of users. For companies looking to provide a premium experience for those working in the office, high-technology pods can provide high-quality environments for hybrid and virtual meetings. Safety Very few companies are aware of the safety and compliance regulations surrounding pods. This can make the installation much more complicated, which comes with a cost implication. In this situation, fully enclosed pods differ significantly from open-topped or sided configurations. All enclosed pods have to meet the same requirements as a normal room they have to be ventilated, and this is often achieved by a fan system in the roof. In offices with sprinkler systems, the situation around this is sometimes complicated and will depend on the landlord requirements, the fire strategy, and the design of the pod itself. Want to Learn More About Office Pods? Office pods have become a key component of the modern workplace. They enable privacy in a world where office real estate space has become compressed. They also encourage collaboration, lower stress levels, make space for confidentiality and boost concentration levels – all crucial factors of a successful office workflow. Another benefit is the ease of reconfigurability and the cost-savings that this brings - an office pod can be easily relocated from one part of the building to another whereas a built meeting room cannot. As you can see, there are several different factors that will affect the price you will pay for office pods & booths. The two most important are style and size. These, along with quantity, will largely dictate how much office pods will cost your business. To find out more about the office pods and booths, check out our top 5 office pods for hybrid working, or for indicative pricing of a wide range of pods, download our price guide.

What is Office Space Utilisation? The traditional definition of space utilisation is the occupancy of your office divided by its capacity. In other words, many people are in your office compared to how many there could be. However, this traditional definition has a serious flaw: it does not take into account the wellbeing and performance of your people - and the inevitable impact this has on your company’s productivity and profitability. For many companies, their 2 highest costs are (by a distance) people and real estate. Having motivated, high-performing staff is essential to long-term business success. Now more than ever, the performance of your people is affected by the environment in which they work. Many companies of all sizes are grappling with how to maximise the return on their two biggest investments. Often these priorities seem conflicting, but, human-centric workspace design is at the heart of every effective space utilisation programme. How to Measure Office Space Utilisation So, if it’s not just a case of working out how many more people you can fit into your office, how do you measure true space utilisation? In an age of social distancing, technology, and hybrid working, your people are no longer tied to their desks like they were in years gone by. The offices of some of the world’s most advanced companies feature space-consuming environments such as huddle spaces, breakout areas and even sleep pods. However, this isn’t because these large companies have money to waste. These companies have used advanced space occupancy techniques to analyse their staff’s needs and what would make them most productive, and this is a commercially sound decision. Modern circumstances have rendered previously valid metrics of space utilisation irrelevant. The solution is to completely change how to think about maximising the return on our workspace investment. Instead of determining the value by the density of staff, the answer is to measure how it is actually being used (and how that can be improved). By analysing how your people use your office, you can understand what parts of your office are delivering a high return on investment and which areas are underperforming. So while there is no one-size-fits-all definitive measurement for how well you are using your space, there doesn’t need to be. What matters is that your space is designed to reflect and enhance the way your people work, so that you are maximising their short-term and long-term performance. How To Improve Your Space Utilisation The most effective use you can make of your space is to create a workspace that reflects and enhances the way your people work. Your company and your people are completely unique, and so is the way you work. By understanding what your people need from your workspace, you can judge whether the increase in productivity is worth the investment required. By providing an office with a range of environments to suit the varied needs of your people, you can help keep them refreshed, focussed and healthy. The modern office needs to be designed to adapt and evolve. Cutting-edge workspaces complement the needs of staff rather than forcing them to conform to a rigid and unsuitable design. Technology has a crucial role in making sure that you’re maximising the performance of both your space and your people. Through using space utilisation technology, from apps to intelligent activity sensors, you can build up an accurate picture of what your people need from the space. also, the effective use of modern technology can enable effective collaboration and agile working, which dramatically improves your office space utilisation. Space Utilisation In Your Workspace In the 20th century, the prime space utilisation consideration for business leaders was minimising the cost of real estate. However, in today’s knowledge worker age, the emphasis has shifted to maximising the performance of your people, as this can have a far greater impact on your profitability. The benefits of an engaged, motivated workforce far outweigh any extra space costs incurred. The traditional workspace, with a choice of a desk or a boardroom, is ill-suited to the flexibility and serendipitous communication that your people need. Dynamic teams need dynamic environments that they can reconfigure to suit their requirements at any time. With a wide variety of mini-environments, FluidSpace™ can seamlessly adapt to meet the needs of your people throughout the day. If your business requires flexibility and adaptability in this time of change and uncertainty as well as an environment that empowers and connects your people, FluidSpace™ can create a solution that works for your company, your people, and your future. Want to know more? Get ideas for your own FluidSpace™ with our inspiration guide or get in touch to find out how you can make your office as effective as you possibly can.

Take interior inspiration for your office from the biggest show on Netflix. The Queen's Gambit, a series about a 1960s female chess prodigy, is the most-watched limited series in Netflix history, with 62 million viewers in its first four weeks of release. As furniture experts, the extravagant set design of The Queen’s Gambit really caught our eye. Bold, floor to ceiling looks, heavy patterns and clashing colours, on paper it sounds too elaborate to work, but these over the top details are cleverly harmonised throughout for an aesthetic that delights the senses. While a juxtaposition of both bohemian and traditional styles captures an underlying struggle between young ideals and old-fashioned ways that defined the 60s era. Soft, feminine details against a backdrop of moody industrialism, perfectly represent the protagonist’s struggle in the male-dominated world of chess. Get the look: Bold Patterns From the show: Floor to ceiling patterns create vivid scenes throughout the show. Get the look: Be brave and use full wall murals with foliage patterns to make a statement. A Statement Chair From the show: The show features so many stunning chairs, turns out playing chess involves a lot of sitting down. Get the look: Make sure you’re sitting comfortably with this retro number. Teal & Pink From the show: Teal and Pink are used throughout the set design for a consistent theme. Get the look: Style your meeting room with a stunning teal and pink sofa. A sense of drama: From the show: Clever lighting creates a sense of foreboding drama Get the look: Don’t be afraid of the dark, add drama with deep, moody tones Accessorise with a Chessboard From the show: Unsurprisingly, virtually every scene contains a chessboard, the must-have accessory of 2021? Get the look: Accessorise a team space with a chessboard for a great talking piece. Get More Design News and Insights >

Workspace in 2022 When you think about improving the performance of your people this year, the environment they work in is probably high on your list. But with so much change and uncertainty at the moment, it is difficult. Justifying a big investment in your office is tough when your requirements may change completely within months. In response to this situation, we have developed FluidSpace™. This adaptable design concept means your company can invest in a great workspace for your people – with much less risk. Over the last few months, we’ve applied this concept at numerous companies. This has helped them to boost staff performance both now and in the future. But what actually is FluidSpace™? How is it different from traditional fit out? And which is better for you? Read on to find out! FluidSpace™ vs Fit Out – What's The Difference? First, it’s important to understand the difference between FluidSpace™ and traditional fit out. Ultimately, both solutions aim to make your workspace meet the needs of you and your people. The way they go about this, though, is different. Fit out is a well-known and well-established process. It’s the process of making an interior space usable for its occupants. Typically carried out when a company relocates or opens a new office, it takes the space from a bare shell to a ready-to-use environment. Fit out involves a large scope of work. Category A fit out is the installation of essential utilities within a workspace. This includes raised access flooring, suspended ceilings, and lighting. Category B fit out involves utility adaptions, partitioning, flooring, decoration, branding, kitchen areas, and of course furniture. FluidSpace™, on the other hand, is a design concept. We have developed FluidSpace to solve many of the problems that companies face when doing a traditional design and build project. It uses modular and zoning furniture to create rooms and zones. FluidSpace™ does not completely replace fit out. Category A fit out will still be required. Elements of Category B fit out will also be needed, such as flooring and tea points. However, using pods and zoning furniture replaces the need for partitions and reduces the need for utility adaptations. This has massive implications for the design of your office. Benefits of FluidSpace™ The key advantage of FluidSpace™ over design and build is the unparalleled flexibility it offers. Stripping out and replacing partitions is very disruptive. Moreover, it creates the need for a lot of other works, including decoration and patching flooring. Often, partitioning will also require relocating electrical and air conditioning equipment. This can be very time-consuming and expensive. With FluidSpace™, your entire workspace becomes modular. You can reconfigure it regularly to adapt to your changing needs. This is especially valuable given the current uncertainty. The Great Resignation, changing staff priorities and the threat of future variants make it very risky to commit to an office design that is costly and difficult to change. FluidSpace™ gives you the confidence and adaptability you need to invest in a great space for your people. Your entire workspace could be entire re-arranged in as little as a weekend. FluidSpace™ is also much easier to implement in a sustainable way. Traditional fit out materials such as plasterboard and aluminium are very difficult to source sustainably. Huge amounts of these materials are sent to landfill during refurbishment and fit out projects. By utilising furniture to create zones and spaces, FluidSpace™ eliminates the need to strip out partitions when renovating workspace. While it may seem that FluidSpace™ is expensive to implement, it is very cost-effective over the course of a 5-year lease term. Your entire workspace can be reconfigured multiple times without having to buy any more furniture. Adapting a traditional design and build project at a later date can be costly and distracting. A large proportion of the costs in a traditional workspace fit-out project are often the mechanical & electrical section. HVAC, lighting, and fire services all must be modified and extended to suit the layout and meet Building Regulations. By using storage and acoustic pods to create different spaces, many of these costs are no longer necessary. This saves both time and money during the construction phase. From a tax perspective, this is also very efficient. As furniture is considered for capital allowance purposes as plant and machinery, it qualifies for AIA (Annual Investment Allowance) and can be taken off profits before tax is calculated. This creates savings of up to 25% for your project! Benefits of Design and Build There are, however, advantages of design and build over traditional fit out. FluidSpace™ alone won’t take your building from shell and core to finished space. Some elements of fit out will likely be required, including tea points, flooring and decoration. You will probably also need to adapt sprinklers, HVAC and electrics for the initial installation of FluidSpace™. Traditional fit out is also more customisable than FluidSpace™. While there are many options, FluidSpace™ is ultimately a range of products. The fabrics and finishes are customisable, but your control over the structural design is limited. Aside from colours, branding is also limited with furniture, especially for logo design. While sustainability is easier with FluidSpace™ designs, it is still possible with traditional fit out. Many components can be sourced sustainably and recycled components can be used throughout. These designs tend to feature more wood and natural materials, which come with the added benefits of highly biophilic designs. Design and build projects tend to have better privacy than FluidSpace™ designs. Office pods are a key feature of FluidSpace™, but these aren’t practical for large spaces like boardrooms. Zoning furniture rarely provides a complete barrier between different zones, meaning that noise from collaborative areas could filter throughout the office. For companies requiring many individual offices and/ or a corporate design scheme, FluidSpace™ is less likely to be an option. If you have many senior staff that require their own permanent space, pods are unlikely to be practical. The products used in FluidSpace™ tend to be modern, with modern design features that might look out of place in a traditional setting. Which type of Fit Out is Best for Me? While there is no one correct answer to the “which is best” question, there are a few key points that can help you to decide which is the best for you. If you are prepared to invest in the wellbeing and performance of your people but are concerned about the current uncertainty, then FluidSpace™ is a great option. You can create a workplace that enables your people to perform at their best. The modular design enables it to be adapted should your needs change in future. If you are confident about the way your people will use your office over the coming years and/ or have a more corporate image, this may not be the best option for you. If you want to know more about FluidSpace, download our free FluidSpace™ guide - a lookbook to give some inspiration on how to create a flexible and agile workspace without building walls. If traditional fit out is more appropriate for you, visit our Workspace Design page to learn more.

Whether you are relocating offices locally or nationally, we can ensure that your project is carried out smoothly and efficiently, with minimal disruption to your team. We’ve put together a brief handbook to guide you through the complexities of office relocation. What does this guide cover? The Changing Workplace 5 Drivers of Change in Your Office Relocating Your Office Furnishing Your Office

Why Wellbeing Matters One of the most significant trends of the post-pandemic workspace, ‘workspace wellbeing’ has become a much more talked about concept over the last 15 months. The mental and physical challenges caused by working at home alone for months on end have prompted much thought around how to maximise workforce wellbeing in a post-pandemic era. While wellbeing is often defined as health, whether physical or mental, it actually goes much further than this. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that “Workplace Wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organisation.” All of your people have different goals, values, and ambitions, so the meaning of wellbeing differs from person to person, as well as the best way to achieve it. However, the benefits of having a motivated and engaged workforce are huge, and the payoffs of investing in the wellbeing of your people can be massive. There are several elements of a successful workspace furniture strategy that can boost wellbeing (and consequently engagement and productivity) in your office. Ergonomics Ergonomics have a direct impact on the health of your team. If your furniture has inadequate ergonomics your people will soon feel it in their backs, necks, and shoulders. Insufficient ergonomics can also lead to higher levels of fatigue through inactivity and poor posture. Not only does this lead to long-term physical problems, but the irritation and distractions caused by poor ergonomics further damage the emotional health of your people. This leads to higher levels of absenteeism and frictions in your workspace, causing a devastating downward spiral. However, high-quality ergonomic furniture can ensure your people have the correct posture, not only avoiding health issues but improving focus and productivity. Not only can investing in an ergonomic workplace eliminate health issues, but it can also improve the wellbeing of your people by removing harmful distractions and frictions throughout their day. Variety Cramming workers into bare desk cubicles like battery hens is (thankfully) rare in the 21st century but expecting your people to remain motivated and focussed all day every day at the same bland desk damages their wellbeing. At the other end of the scale, many modern workspace designs favour more outgoing people, and while this boosts the productivity of extroverts, it harms their ability to focus as well as impacting the effectiveness of the more introverted members of your team. To create a supportive environment, your workspace must maximise wellbeing for all your team, no matter their role, superiority, or personality. By providing an office with a range of environments to suit the varied needs of your people, you can help keep them refreshed, focussed and healthy. The modern office needs to be designed to adapt and evolve. Cutting-edge workspaces complement the needs of staff rather than forcing them to conform to a rigid and unsuitable design. Social Spaces The greatest disadvantage of remote working is inarguably the inevitable diminishing of the social capital that holds teams together and is the bedrock of synergy. When isolated, your people will become less engaged and collaborative, and that can also happen in the physical office. More time spent at a desk doesn’t necessarily mean more work produced. By keeping your people mentally fresh and open, they can become more innovative and productive in their roles. A great social space can offer a retreat from the pressure and sometimes blinkering mentality of the day job. In a fresh and inspiring environment, your people can connect informally and build a sense of community and culture. At a time when employees are under more pressure than ever, it’s crucial to provide them with the opportunity to switch off and relax when they need to. This will improve their emotional wellbeing, creating real connections with co-workers that make work a much more enjoyable place to be. Create an Experience! Poorly designed workspaces limit productivity and reduce motivation by adding unnecessary friction to our working day. A bland, featureless workstation can become overwhelming if staff are expected to just sit there, all day, every day. Many companies underestimate the importance of office design and select off-brand and/ or unimaginative designs. When surrounded by this environment, your people lose interest and focus, damaging motivation and productivity. In a time when many employees have had their eyes opened to the benefits of working from home, the workspace needs to offer what the kitchen table can’t. Experience is assuming an ever more important role in workspace wellbeing. With the needs of your people and business evolving as we emerge from the pandemic, adaptability will be key to maintaining a great office experience. Through flexible furniture, you can create premium experiences for your people, maximising their wellbeing. Workspace Wellbeing & Furniture Furniture can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of your people. At a time when the need for skilled and innovative workforces has never been greater, a cutting-edge workspace will increase their wellbeing, enabling them to achieve their full potential and create amazing results for your business. A user-centred workspace that prioritises wellbeing can have a dramatic positive effect on the happiness and performance of your people. Through human-centric furniture curation and design, you can have a huge positive impact on the well-being of your people. Offering your people varied and dynamic environments to support them in their roles and considering their comfort can significantly increase their wellbeing and consequently their capability to perform. By placing wellbeing at the centre of the way you think about work, you can ensure your people can all pursue and achieve their own definition of wellbeing. This will have tremendous power in your workspace, unleashing a level of engagement and synergy you never thought possible. In an age when the only thing your competitors can’t recreate is your people, maximising workspace wellbeing will offer you a definitive edge in your market. Not sure where to start? Learn more about our furniture consulting today. Gaining a deep understanding of your requirements and the way that your business operates is the key to providing tailored furniture solutions that will create the most significant impact on your operational performance.

Why Does Collaboration Matter? The importance of collaboration is not new - it’s a well-worn buzzword in the world of work and has only become even more talked about since we were all forced to work from home for several months. However, there is a reason collaboration is talked about so much. As the old saying goes, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Siloed teams that work separately and without proper communication leave huge amounts of value on the table. Making a true connection and collaboration a top priority is crucial to keep the silo effect from setting in. There are countless studies detailing the close correlation between collaboration and productivity. Without meaningful collaboration, companies aren’t able to maximize their potential and achieve their vision. Collaboration is not limited to physical proximity, and physical proximity doesn’t guarantee collaboration either. But collaboration is much smoother and easier when team members are in the same space. Your workspace has a crucial role to play in enabling and increasing collaboration in your company. There are several key elements to increasing collaboration when considering your workspace strategy: Variety In an age when the office is competing with the kitchen table, it needs to offer something the kitchen table cannot: variety. No longer is one worker doing one task alone, all day, every day. Today’s workforces demand a much higher degree of flexibility and customisability. They are working on a variety of complex tasks with a variety of people, and need a variety of spaces to support them. Two of the biggest shifts in the 21st century have been around making everything more experiential and more convenient. When everything from films to food is “on-demand” and people value experiences over possessions, the workspace is no different. There is a huge variety of collaboration furniture available to suit any budget and strategy. By creating a variety of teamwork and semi-private zones within the office footprint for staff to plan, discuss and share ideas, the workplace becomes a hub of creativity and innovation. Zoning Possibly the greatest drawback of the now ubiquitous open-plan workspace is an absence of clearly defined spaces, given the wide variety of requirements that individuals and teams have. While the purpose of the workspace now includes more connection and communication than ever, your people still need some time and space alone. Zoning is the best way to deliver the space your people need in your office. This design technique uses shelving and open decorative and storage systems to create clearly defined boundaries, without the need for the expense and inflexibility of walls. In an age of uncertainty, they can be reconfigured and adapted to suit the changing needs of your team, helping to future-proof your workspace. Zoning can revolutionise how you use and occupy your office, helping to break up your space and helping to create areas designated for specific types of work and activities. By splitting your workspace into dedicated spaces for collaboration, semi-collaboration, and focussing, each space can develop its own energy and atmosphere. Technology Technology is inevitably at the heart of making your workspace more collaborative. In the new age of hybrid working, with people working at different hours in different places and different styles, connectivity- both technical and emotional – is more important than ever. One of the key concerns with hybrid working is that remote workers may be side-lined and lack engagement due to a lack of communication, and technology is the only way to bridge that gap. The Covid pandemic took its toll on collaboration. From the overused video calls and messaging apps to the hybrid meeting pods, organisations are now compensating for this loss using inventive technology. Whether it’s through immersive mixed reality collaboration environments or innovative video meeting pods, you can increase collaboration and connection in your workspace through technology. It’s essential to have both formal and informal meeting spaces that are designed for effective collaboration and equipped with digital tools that empower teams to work together no matter where, when, or how they’re located. Flexibility Serendipity is the cradle of creativity. The power of collaboration is that it can happen anywhere, anyhow, anytime. Not just meetings- in the breakout area, secluded huddle space or even a corridor or lift. Informal encounters are often the best opportunities to exchange thoughts, share information and communicate. The modern office needs to be designed to adapt and evolve. Rather than having dedicated spaces for teams and tasks, it’s a more open environment with collaborative areas for teams. It’s an office design that adapts to the needs of staff, rather than forcing them to conform to it. Simon Sinek updated the famous quote “music happens between the notes” to “work happens between the meetings”. Trust, on which collaboration relies, is built in between meetings, not in meetings. That’s one of the biggest challenges about remote working – “in between the meetings” doesn’t happen. Faced with the complexity of the digital age, your people need the facilities to do what they need, where they need, seamlessly. Through empowering flexible communication, you can give your teams a great opportunity to collaborate synergistically, creating amazing results for your business. Collaboration in your Workspace Collaboration is the fuel that drives any successful organisation, and creating spaces where people can work together has never been more important in the workspace. It has an unrivalled power to achieve incredible things and bring your people closer together. The amount that can be achieved through synergy is almost limitless. Collaboration brings teams with different backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives together to overcome obstacles and creatively problem-solve to achieve great things for your company, in a way that individuals cannot. As the element of your workplace that your people interact with more than any other, furniture has an essential role in increasing collaboration. Through skilful use of collaboration and social furniture, we can create an adaptable and flexible modern workspace that fulfils the needs of you and your people. Explore our collection of workplace collaboration furniture to get some inspiration for your perfect workspace!

During the course of the Covid pandemic, a large number of organisations transitioned from office-based working to operating remotely in order to reduce the risk of transmission. This strategy helped ensure that footfall within the workspace remained minimal and prevented areas from becoming too populated. However, with many organisations now looking to encourage their people back to the office, a hybrid approach has been developed, whereby employees combine their time between home and the office. While this has been deemed a highly effective strategy, it has come at a cost. The rapid onset of the ‘Zoom’ generation may have proven its worth in efficiency, but it has denied office-based workers the opportunity to socialise and collaborate on a more personal level. It is likely that some form of hybrid working is here for the foreseeable future. With so many organisations unsure of what their real estate portfolios will look like in 12-24 months, many are now considering how to effectively redevelop their existing workspaces whilst maintaining the flexibility that enables them to quickly redeploy as required. It is a process that can be daunting, but in adopting an organisational framework, you can remain confident that you are taking the appropriate measures. We have a number of suggestions for making your office agile and flexible. Our range of furniture ensures that companies have the flexibility and confidence to create agile and contemporary workspaces for their people without the requirement of expensive constructional work. Zoning Furniture. Zoning furniture has become increasingly popular within office environments as a means of creating individual space without the need for building fixed partitions. Whilst traditional methods of construction are functional and efficient, they offer little in the way of flexibility. They are expensive to build, expensive to remove and often require permissions from landlords and Building Control to both construct and remove. Standard office partition systems often cannot be reused once they are removed, rendering them completely inflexible for regular workspace changes. If you wish to take office zoning to the next level, Palisades offers endless configurations for creating demountable divisions. This allows for the simple and attractive division of space into zones and neighbourhoods for specific working styles, without building walls. By incorporating many of the accessories available, different levels of privacy can be achieved depending on the requirement of the space. Collaboration Furniture. One of the key reasons to bring people back to the workplace has been to enhance team collaboration and culture. Gone are the days of asking employees to sit at a sterile white workstation from 9-5, instead the days in the office are expected to be for team meetings and brainstorming sessions. With this in mind, the furniture systems need to be able to be easily reconfigured to suit a multitude of different requirements. From a small team meeting to a large company "town hall" event, the ability to be able to quickly and easily change the space is paramount. An excellent example of this is Away From The Desk. This soft upholstery based furniture system is designed to answer the rapidly changing needs of the workplace as we migrate away from personal desks with their fixed and tethered technology towards shared, collaborative spaces and furniture. It incorporates a huge range of modular pieces that can be easily moved to create a workspace that will support many different tasks. For the ultimate in flexible collaborative seating, the Huddlebox tiered seating solution enables you to utilise existing space, corners and build upwards thus saving on floor space. It can be scaled to accommodate any number of staff with a choice of eight simple modules. It is a great option for safe collaboration areas and enables you to adhere to social distancing measures. For extra comfort, seat pads and cushions can be added in a variety of colours to add a fresh, organic look and feel. Cubby’s offer much needed storage space and bring some of the environment into the office using biophilic design. Office Pods & Booths The last few months have seen a huge increase in the development of office pods and booths. These highly flexible furniture systems create acoustic offices and meeting rooms without the need for building traditional office partitions. There are many benefits of such systems, a few of which are detailed below: Reduced need for expensive M&E changes - many of the pods come with integrated lighting and ventilation, reducing huge amounts of cost in building offices/meeting rooms. Minimal dilapidation costs - as these systems are demountable, they can be simply dismantled and relocated to new locations without the huge expenses typically associated with office dilapidations. Inherently sustainable - many of these pods are now being constructed from sustainable materials, as opposed to the unsustainable materials used in traditional office partition systems. Some excellent examples are seen below: With the constant need for companies to change and adapt, modular and reconfigurable office furniture solutions are priceless. Our flexible options can help you to create collaborative and safe workspaces which, in turn, support the health and well-being of you and your employees. Agile working is all about creating a space that provides choice, and with our many fantastic options that is what we can offer you.