Design Notes
Ideas for offices that work harder: layout, light, sound, and the furniture that ties it together.
Acoustic Panels: The Polite Way to Quieten an Office
Open offices echo because sound has nowhere soft to land. Here is what acoustic panels actually do, and why a few in the right place beat a full refit.
Hybrid Working: What the Office Is For Now
If people are in two or three days a week, the office has a different job. Here is how to plan for collaboration and quiet on the same floor.
Breakout Spaces: Why the Kettle Corner Earns Its Keep
The business case for a proper breakout space: the meetings it prevents, the lunch breaks it rescues, and furniture rated for the hours it will actually do.
First Impressions: Reception Seating That Says the Right Things
Your reception talks before anyone at the desk does. Choosing visitor seating for comfort, cleanability, and the message it sends while people wait.
The Small Office Layout: Making 20 Square Metres Work Hard
Four people, one room, and a decision needed by Friday. Walkways before desks, why 600mm deep beats 800mm, and the corner you should refuse to fill.