Sustainable office and furniture specialist outlines predicted workplace trends for 2023

An increasingly hospitality-style aesthetic is among the biggest trends for office design and work spaces this year as predicted by a specialist in upgrading such spaces.
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Alex McRae is creative director at Bureau, which says it helps thousands of businesses – including travel giant Skyscanner and investment group Abrdn – refit and relocate offices sustainably.

He expects to see the continued evolution from a corporate aesthetic to a “more comfortable” feel. “Like hotels, workplaces will be designed as spaces you don’t want to leave. We’ll see more community spaces – like yoga studios and childcare facilities – and there will be more of a focus on soft, inviting lounge furniture and luxurious textiles. Workers will sit together rather than at individual desks, creating more ‘we space’ and less ‘me space’.”

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A second trend he is singling out is sensory zoning, predicting that offices will start adapting spaces to suit varying sensory thresholds to become more accommodating to everyone including neurodiverse people. Regarding such facilities, he said: “These will be split into high, medium and low sensory zones, offering everything from collaborative social spaces and outdoor terraces, to private booths and tech-free areas… we’re going to see more office spaces create sensory environments which align with natural circadian rhythms, helping to maximise productivity throughout the working day.”

Like hotels, workplaces will be designed as spaces you don’t want to leave, Bureau predicts. Picture: Ruth Ward.Like hotels, workplaces will be designed as spaces you don’t want to leave, Bureau predicts. Picture: Ruth Ward.
Like hotels, workplaces will be designed as spaces you don’t want to leave, Bureau predicts. Picture: Ruth Ward.

Thirdly, Mr McRae believes a return to nature will gain traction for its ability to, say, reduce stress and anxiety. “It won’t be uncommon to see trellises or fully grown trees in workplaces, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces,” he said. “Expect to see an increase in earthy colours and natural, organic materials – wood, cork, bamboo, rattan and even mushrooms will be used more and more to build commercial furniture.”

Bureau, which has bases in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London, and in November bought assets of collapsed sustainable office furniture retailer 2NDHND, says it aims to reduce carbon emissions by preventing unwanted furniture going to landfill.

Mr McRae foresees firms embracing circularity in workspace design, with procuring and refurbishing second-hand office items key, and he also expects to see savvy firms “nailing the fundamentals of connectivity” amid more commonplace hybrid working. “In work spaces, expect to see power sockets and USB connections on sofas, laptop tables, tech pods and even lockers where [staff] can store their devices.”

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