The phrase resimercial design might not sound familiar to everyone. This made-up expression is a combination of the words ‘residential’ and ‘commercial’. The style implements elements of home design into contemporary work and retail spaces. It has a proven effect on the happiness, productivity, and general wellbeing of the employees. The reason behind that can be the overlapping of design styles from different markets that creates a combination of diverse feelings, creativity with logic and precision. The design style has received attention in retail and commercial design for a few years now. However, since Covid-19 it has gained momentum, especially in office design.
The Effect of Covid-19
But what has resimercial design have to do with Covid-19? For most office workers worldwide, the past 1,5 years meant working partially or full-time from home. These employees got used to working from the comfort of their homes, therefore convincing them to return to the office will require some creativity. They seek comfortable, inspiring spaces that create a calm sensation and can put people at ease. All these components help people to stay creative and motivated while it reduces stress and increases productivity.
Even though historically commercial spaces had more bulky and monolithic furniture, the current trend shows that companies need to satisfy the requirements of high traffic while providing a home-like atmosphere where people feel comfortable and inspired.
The example above is an office design that 5 Star Plus created for ISA last year. Experimenting with different materials and letting in as much natural light as possible allowed us to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere where employees feel inspired and creative.
Features of Resimercial Design
In their detailed analysis about resimercial design trends, Work Design Magazine advises that in order to reach the needed effect designers should incorporate tactile textures, materials, and accessories that evoke a sense of warmth, comfort, and familiarity. They also recommend integrating human-centric, multi-sensory elements. Comfortable seating, soft ambient lighting, flexible spaces, materials with a handcrafted feel, and residential-inspired accessories like rugs and lamps help to establish the desired atmosphere.
An important point to consider is that resimercial design should look authentic while layering the space with familiar, home-feel elements. The result should be aligned with the brand’s culture and design guidelines otherwise, it might look frivolous. The main idea is to make employees feel more secure, valued, and connected.
When designing the office for Advantage Austria and Austrian National Tourist Office, two of our objectives were to create an identity and achieve a powerful professional impact for representative functions. In order to make employees feel comfortable and motivated, we optimized the layout for improved work efficiency, opened up the space for a maximum of daylight, and created a beautiful branded work environment.
The 3 key aspects of resimercial design are the following:
- Materiality: The mix of materials, colors, and surfaces can help make an office more welcoming and feel less like a sterile corporate environment. When it comes to lighting, traditional overhead fluorescent lights can be too harsh and make the space feel washed out. On the contrary, accent lighting can have a positive influence on employees’ wellbeing.
- Natural Elements: Bring in the outdoor world and embrace more plants or elements like wood that is reminiscent of nature. Including as much natural light and fresh air as possible is a great way to connect people with the outdoors and nature.
- Flexibility: Employees nowadays engage in several different types of work activities during their work time which means that they need a variety of flexible spaces. One very practical benefit of resimercial design is that you can mix-and-match furniture, just as in your home.
The office design concept for NuCloud’s office in Poland holds all three key aspects that are the main characteristics of resimercial design. The office is in direct contact with nature, has multipurpose areas, and the wide range of materials creates a home feel and comfortable working environment.
Future of Resimercial Design
Last year has changed our perception of work environments. The implementation of resimercial design that provides comfort, familiarity, and informality increases our motivation for leaving the safety of our homes each day. Considering all these changes, as well as the growth of the freelance economy, and complex expectations of Millennials and GenZ, the only way forward is to plan for flexible working solutions and creative interior design concepts that include areas for working relaxing, eating, and socializing.
