The Light and Airy Office Furniture Design Trend

Ask most people what they want in a home, and plenty of natural lighting comes up quickly as a top request. Yet employers utilizing office spaces had up until recent years been slower to realize the benefit of open and airy spaces. Now, modern startups and even companies with long-term success are looking for buildings that allow their team to feel less trapped inside while they work. To get the most from an open space, you also need furniture that doesn’t suck up all the space and lighting. Take a look at our top ideas for the light and airy office furniture design trend.

Open doesn’t have to mean big

Your Toronto office space doesn’t have to be huge in order to look bright and open. Even small spaces can feel more spacious with the right furniture placement and design decisions. It helps to have big windows regardless of the size of the space. But if you already have office space and the windows aren’t large, you can still work with the sunlight you have access to and make a space that won’t keep your team feeling claustrophobic and shut off from the world.

You can still incorporate dark colours

Obviously light colours tend to make a space look more open. White and other light tones reflect more sunlight, whereas darker shades will absorb the light in a room. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have anything dark in the space if you are going for a light and airy look. In fact, selectively choosing a few neutral dark pieces in grey or black can draw even more attention to how light and open the surrounding area looks.

So where do you add contrasting colours? Black leather lounge chairs are a classic look that goes well in any office space. Custom couches upholstered in dark brown leather can also work well. You don’t have to stick with black to create complementary light and dark colour templates. And Louis Interiors custom furniture makers can customize the the dimensions of each piece to be the right fit no matter the size of your office space.

Allow flexibility with modular furniture

Modular furniture pieces that can be moved around and restructured to suit how the area is being used can really open up a lot of space. When a certain area of the office is not being used for a team meeting or other group activities, the furniture can be broken up and moved for use in separate areas. With furniture that can perform multiple duties in different areas, you don’t need as many pieces permanently taking up space.

Go for exposed wood

One particular furniture design element that tends to make a space look more open is exposed wood furniture frames. Chairs, barstools, and loveseats with wood arms and legs take up less visual weight than pieces with the majority of the frame covered with upholstery. With these kinds of furniture, your office look gets a nice blend of comfort from padded seats while still having the airy look of minimalist furniture.

Embrace casual

Office space doesn’t have to be stuffy. You probably want to maintain a professional appearance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate comfort to keep your team happy and relaxed. After all, they spend a lot of time at the office, so it pays off for them to feel comfortable in the space. Having some quiet areas with lounge furniture and fewer electronics and wires can give your team a place to think through solutions without distraction. For workers who use their minds all day, this can actually increase productivity by letting them shift between ways of thinking and allowing part of their mind to unwind and recharge a bit.

In fact, don’t be afraid to take elements from home interior design. Adding some modern dining chairs to the office kitchen area helps teams to utilize the space so they feel at ease lunching in the office when needed. For more ideas on furniture that keeps your office space looking open, inviting, and energizing, talk to our custom furniture makers at Louis Interiors.