Designing the Perfect Office Recreation Space

Offices are expected to have recreational spaces for their employees to unwind, communicate, and improve their work relationships. These recreational spaces play a key role in preventing burnout and maintaining a collaborative work culture. 

In fact, having a perfect office recreation space could be why large organizations like Google remain at the top of their game. Fun office spaces keep staff members motivated to deliver high performance. They also help to promote collaboration and productivity in the workplace. 

Placing an emphasis on recreational space in the office can be tricky, however. A poorly designed area may not deliver employee contentment and productivity, which could translate to wasted resources. So how do you make sure that you create a recreation space that fits the needs of a workplace?

1. Encourage Conversations

One of the goals of a recreational area is to give staff members the opportunity to get to know their colleagues better. Through socialization, workers can feel more comfortable working with other members of the team on collaborative projects. Arranging furniture and positioning seating areas properly are key to creating a conducive space for employees to socialize. 

You can incorporate a food and beverage area where people can get coffee and juice or treats like granola bars and chips. Adding a coffee table nearby can give you a functional social space where colleagues can chat. You can arrange a sofa as well as bean bags, and armchairs around the table so people can sit down while having coffee or eating a snack. Or it could just be a place where people can pass the time while they’re away from their workstations. 

Spaces that encourage conversations should be flexible. This is why stools and bean bags that can be easily moved to create informal meeting areas are commonly used in recreational facilities.

2. Stimulate Creativity

Top organizations put a premium on creativity, so it’s natural for most companies to encourage employees to get their creative juices flowing. Ergonomic furniture, bright colors, and smart designs can all stimulate creativity. 

If your client has a theme in mind, choose furniture that brings this theme out. Paint the walls with bright colors to make it pop and catch attention. Attractive art prints or even artisan rugs can be a talking point among colleagues and make your space conducive to brainstorming. For example, Cyrus Artisan Rugs at MN offers a wide range of rug types and styles that can breathe new life into a dull space.

3. Provide a Quiet Space

Recreational spaces are, of course, designed to allow staff members to take their mind off work. This helps them relax a bit so they can return to their tasks in the right headspace. As such, there must be areas in the office that are dedicated to this specific purpose.

Dark furniture and muted tones can be used for small, quiet nooks. This can give introverts a private space where they can gather their thoughts and finish their work independently. Hammocks and daybeds can also be used for areas where staff members can take a quick nap to recharge.

4.Offer Various Activities

Most of us are familiar with fun spaces in the office that include a pingpong table, video games, and even a jukebox. However, the activities that can be done in a recreational facility should depend on the preferences of those who are going to use them.

You can ask the management to hold a short survey about what activities that people on the team are interested in. This will determine the kinds of board games, video game consoles, and other recreational equipment that are going to be in the rec room.

Additionally, you can add a play zone where staff members can be competitive and loud. This should be separated from the quiet nooks but can be near other functional areas like the food and beverage station to encourage more bonding moments.

5. Incorporate Biophilic Design

The point of having a recreational space in an office is for employee productivity and wellness. So it should not come as a surprise that natural elements should be part of its design. When people feel connected with nature, they are more likely to feel calm and well. This results in increased productivity and low turnover rates. 

Companies like Plant Solutions can help you design a recreational space with biophilic principles in mind. This will help you decide on a focal point in your area and choose furniture that complements natural elements well.

The key to designing the perfect recreational space is taking into account every employee's needs in the workplace. It’s best to remember that while some people like to chat and eat with colleagues, some may want to have some peace and quiet. Others need to unwind through food and video games, while some may want to see some natural elements in their vicinity. 

So when creating an office rec space, strive for balance. Keep in mind the company's overall goals — to promote creativity, collaboration, and wellness — and the needs of their teams. It’s just a matter of focusing on your goals and being meticulous during the design process. Pay attention even to the smallest of details, such as the kinds of art prints, plants, and artisan rugs you’re going to use.

What are the factors you should consider while carpeting your house?

Are you planning a new carpet for your home? It is an exciting experience for all of us. Making the right choice brings in that extra energy, freshness and glitz. You can literally transform the look and the feel of the space. 

Now there can be many reasons for getting a new carpet for your house. It can warm up your room and enhance the décor of the living area. However, choosing a carpet can be challenging and making the right decision is vital to get the desired results. 

It would be best if you considered several factors ranging from budget to the look and the maintenance. Let's help you with the important ones here. 

Types

There are different types available in the market, and the carpet that you choose necessarily needs to depend on your budget and requirements. The carpets differ based on density, fibre type and twist type. While the carpet's density determines its thickness, it's the twists in the carpet that determines its quality. Higher the twists in the rug, better is the quality. 

Colours

It is important primarily from two aspects. The first one is that the colour of the carpet can augment your house's overall décor if chosen right. It has to go well with everything else in the room: the furniture, wall paint or even the decorative items. Generally speaking, the light colours will make your room look more extensive, and dark colours will make it look small. The second aspect comes into play when you have to clean your carpet. The lighter tones require frequent cleaning compared to the darker ones. 

Patterns

When it comes to carpets, there can be as many patterns as you may ever think of, and that poses a lot of challenges when you go about picking one. Think of an ideal design for your home that goes well with it. Remember, choosing the right pattern will add to the beauty of the space and manipulate its size. It can make your room look cosier as well. 

Cost

When considering this factor, think about the upfront cost and the expenses that you will bear in its maintenance. The upfront cost will include every expense associated with the carpet itself, its installation, among other things. You also need to pick the right material as the softer textures and lighter tones, require frequent maintenance, which adds to the overall cost. 

Maintenance

You will never like to buy a carpet that won't last for a reasonable time and gives you headaches when it comes to maintenance. Ideally, you should consult an expert or the store salesperson for the relevant inputs. Also, consider the traffic in the area where the carpet will be installed. Certain tones and material are more prone to stain and odour and its best to avoid those. Find out if the maintenance of the carpet can be done on your own or requires professional services. The new carpets come with warranties, therefore make sure that you know the details that entail it. 

4 Eco-Friendly Updates That Also Improve The Appearance Of Your Home

As a homeowner, you of course want to do all you can to keep your home looking great inside and outside. But along with having a great-looking home, you will also be increasing your property's value along the way. Like many other people, you are also becoming more aware of environmentally-friendly ways to do various things. This also includes updating your home, and to help with that here are four eco-friendly updates you can do to improve the appearance of your home.

New Landscaping

If you want to draw attention to your home and also improve its appearance, implement some new landscaping around your yard. By planting some new trees, bushes, and flowers, you'll be doing such things as preventing soil erosion, giving shelter to wildlife, and also sending more oxygen into the atmosphere.

Add New Siding

For more and more homes, adding vinyl siding is an affordable option that is also very eco-friendly. Since most of today's siding is far more advanced than that of years past, home siding replacement can provide much better insulation, resulting in your home being cooler in the summer and warmer during the winter. With many colors and styles from which to choose, this home improvement option continues to grow in popularity.

Add Square Footage

If your family is growing and you feel the time has come to make your home bigger, consider adding more square footage by purchasing a prefabricated metal building. These buildings, which can be used as standalone buildings or actually connected to your home, are made to be extremely energy-efficient. Very affordable, you can expect to choose from many different colors, styles of architecture, and placement of windows.

Non-Toxic Carpeting

As for how you can improve the appearance of your home's interior, you can do so by adding non-toxic carpeting to your living room and other areas. In doing so, you'll be accomplishing many things. For starters, you'll have carpeting made with all-natural fibers and no harmful chemicals. Also, the carpeting will add extra insulation that will help to better regulate your home's temperature. Ultimately, this produces less energy usage and lower utility bills.

Whether you are looking to sell your home in the future or have no plans to leave for decades, taking advantage of these eco-friendly updates both inside and outside your home will pay off in many ways. From making your property more valuable to helping the wildlife outside, you'll know your updates have made a difference.

Guest Post - 7 Tips For A More Comfortable Outdoor Space

The idea of what’s considered comfortable may vary from one person to another.

Some homeowners with outdoor spaces have yards or lawns without the trappings of comfort like furniture or customized solutions for outdoor cooling, but consider them cozy just the same, and that’s okay.

However, if grass, plants, and trees aren’t enough to fit your idea of what’s comfortable, here are a few ideas for a cozier outdoor space.

1. Build A Patio

Few things are as great as having a patio taking up part of your outdoor space.

With a patio, you’ll have a spot in your home dedicated to making you feel as comfortable as you want to be. You’ll have access to fresher outdoor air, you can soak up the sun, or you can just spend the better part of your day there taking in the view or finishing a book.

Patios are also excellent places to entertain guests. Barbecues, parties, or simple dinners with friends on your patio make for memorable days or nights for everyone in attendance.

A patio also helps boost your home’s value, which means you will likely get a good price for your home should you decide to put it on the market in the future.

2. Buy Patio Furniture

Of course, a patio wouldn’t be that comfortable if it doesn’t have the right furniture.

There are many types of outdoor furniture to choose from, including metal, aluminum, wood, wicker, or plastic. Whatever type you go for, you would do well to have them come with seat cushions to make you and your guests even more comfortable.

3. Consider Installing An Outdoor Misting System

Without a doubt, you’ll be spending as much time as you can on your patio throughout the summer.

However, keep in mind that summers are getting hotter. There’s a very real possibility that your patio time won’t be as comfortable as you hoped, not when temperatures are rising.

You can install outdoor fans if you want, but if you want a better way to stay cool outdoors in the summer, you should consider putting up an outdoor misting system.

Outdoor misting systems use the principles of evaporative cooling to lower the temperatures in your patio. A pump will force water out of nozzles at high pressure, generating a mist of water droplets that transform into vapor, which will then cool your outdoor space.

4. Create Plenty of Shade

You may love the sun, but you can’t have too much of it. Your outdoor space needs plenty of shade to make you comfortable even in the middle of the day.

Trees provide good shade, but you can augment them by putting up patio umbrellas, drop shades, or drapes. You can be sure that all of the above will keep you covered no matter how hot the sun gets.

5. Light It Up

If you love spending evenings on the patio, you need to make sure the place has ample lighting.

There are plenty of lighting options for your patio. If trees surround it, then try hanging string lights from them. If you use your patio as an alternate dining area, have outdoor pendant lights suspended from an overhang. Installing garden path lights or globe lights in or near hedges are also good patio lighting ideas.

6. Install A Hammock

It sounds simple enough but taking naps on a hammock that hangs between two trees is probably the most comfortable thing anyone can do while in their outdoor space.

Install a hammock in your backyard, and you’ll have a quiet retreat that you won’t have anywhere else in your house.

7. Get Some Privacy

Good for you if you’re comfortable with the idea that neighbors and passersby can see you while you do whatever it is you do in your outdoor space.

If you aren’t, then put up something that will give you the privacy you need.

A fence is a common privacy solution, but you can also opt for tall hedges.

If your fence isn’t enough, you can always set up privacy screens around your yard.

The tips listed above are not, by any means, the only things you can do for a more comfortable outdoor space, but you can start with them. Over time, you should be able to think up more ideas that will make your outdoor space the coziest place for you and your loved ones.

About the Author

Anna Fox is the Content Marketing Strategist of Señor Mist, a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides high pressure misting systems/fog effects, comfort heaters, patio drop shades, hvls fans and more. When not writing, she makes use of her spare time reading books and hiking with her dog, Blaze.