How a Space Makes You Feel

Unhappy vs. happy: these emotions, along with many others, are affected by the space around us. The interior/exterior design of a space is the single most important thing that can influence our mood. This can allow a person to feel calm, trusting, and engaged or tense and distracted. For this week’s post, we’ll focus on a professional environment and how spaces let employees achieve professional success.

According to the Russell and Snodgrass theory—see chart below—only two things matter when designing a space: pleasurableness and energy level.

Augustin, S. (2019). How a Place Makes Us Feel. (1).

When individuals are in a pleasant energized space, they are more inclined to reflect a positive mood. As an employer, you may be curious to know why your employee’s mood matters, as long as they get the work done. For a company to be innovative and creative, however, they need their employees to feel positive as positive moods affect decision making, getting along with others, social responsibility, and career fulfillment.

People would like to live in chosen and preferred conditions, but as an employee in a larger company ecosystem, that is not always the option. This can allow an employer to justify investments that are specific to office layout with the intention to design based on features that are generally preferred.

What Features Can Enhance Your Office Furniture Design?

1. Natural Light – A 2014 study found that people who had windows in their office exercised more, got more sleep, and had a greater sense of overall wellbeing then those whose working in offices without windows.
2. Images of Nature – If you are a small scale company and may not be able to alter the physical space you currently reside in, you can get the above effect from just placing images of nature, potted plants, and natural lighting throughout the space.
3. Workplace Flexibility –Moving around with a laptop or tablet allows employees to change their working environment based on tasks and environmental needs for each assignment. If an employee has a private phone call, they will not want to take that from there low-walled station, they would be more comfortable moving to a conference room, where they can close the door.
4. Wellness in the Workplace – Employees want to feel that their employer cares about their wellbeing. Sit-stand desks, walking meetings, and water challenges are all great examples of wellness events that will bring employees moods up in the office.

Is an Office Furniture Redesign in Your Future?

If you still haven’t been convinced an office redesign is justifiable, I will leave you with this statistic: The Commission for Architectural and the Built Environment and the British Council for Offices found, “with differences in productivity as high as 25% reported between comfortable and uncomfortable staff.”

If you would like to discuss a workplace redesign to ensure the productivity and creativity of your team, contact OstermanCron. From helping you select the perfect office tables, office chairs, and sectional seating options from brand name designers to helping you create a comfortable layout in your current space, we’re here to help!