Resources

Interior Design

Concept to Creation: The World of Commercial Interior Designers

Commercial Interior Design is not just about choosing paint colours or positioning a few potted plants; it’s about transforming empty rooms into living, breathing environments where function meets form, and design meets delight. In this post, we’ll pull back the curtain on the journey from concept to creation, exploring the role of corporate interior designers and how their work affects the corporate ecosystem.

Designer

What to Expect When Hiring an Office Interior Design Studio

Redesigning your workspace is more than just swapping out furniture or picking a new shade of paint for the walls. It’s about crafting an environment that reflects your company’s culture, empowers your employees, and invites innovation. But what happens when you bring in a corporate interior design specialist to make this transformation a reality?

Interior Design

Transforming the Office: Corporate Interior Design Explained

Corporate interior design plays a critical role in shaping not just the aesthetic appeal of an office, but also its functionality, employee experience, and brand identity. In the modern corporate landscape, workspaces are no longer merely places to complete tasks—they are environments that influence creativity, collaboration, and wellbeing.

Interior Design

Does your office space support talent retention and attraction?

Does your office space support talent retention and attraction? In the competitive landscape of talent acquisition and retention, the design of your office space can be a game-changer.

Productivity

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Upgrade Your Office Space?

In the world of office real estate, the signs that it’s time to upgrade your workspace are often subtle, lurking in the shadows of daily operations, whispering through the complaints of employees, and hinted at by underutilised desks.

Interior Design

The Colour Psychology of Workspace Design

Colour psychology delves into how different colours affect human emotions and behaviours. This field has garnered substantial interest across various domains, including marketing, healthcare, and notably, office design.

Office

The Three-Day Workweek: A Balanced Approach to Modern Hybrid Work

The workplace as we knew it has undergone a seismic shift. The pandemic acted as a catalyst, pushing organisations to adopt remote work at an unprecedented scale. Now, as the world slowly returns to normalcy, the question arises: what is the ideal balance between office and remote work?

Productivity

Creating a Motivational Workplace: Insights from Self-Determination Theory

In the relentless pursuit of enhanced productivity and employee engagement, many organisations find themselves entangled in a web of incentives and strategies, often overlooking the fundamental elements of human motivation.

Productivity

The PERMA Model in the Workplace: A New Frontier in Employee Well-being

As businesses grapple with unprecedented challenges in a post-pandemic world, the application of the PERMA model in the workplace offers a roadmap to not just surviving, but flourishing.

Productivity

The Subtle Art of Making a Workspace Your Own

Imagine stepping into an office where each desk, rather than marching in monotonous uniformity, sings a different tune. One corner sports a vibrant splash of family photos and postcards from far-flung places, while another hosts a zen garden, complete with miniature rake and serene rock formations.

Office Design

Gamifying the Workplace: The Power of Leaderboards

In the landscape of corporate performance enhancement, a novel concept has gained traction: gamification. Integrating game elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards into work environments is being touted as a groundbreaking strategy to boost employee engagement and productivity.

Interior Design

Designing for All: Universal Design and the Future of Office Spaces

Imagine an office that intuitively welcomes everyone. It doesn’t scream “accommodation” or highlight differences; instead, it operates on a philosophy so seamless that an outsider might never notice its intent. This is the ethos of universal design—a methodology that enhances the functionality of an office for all potential users, making them feel equally valued, regardless of age, size, ability, or other factors.

Interior Design

The Science of Natural Light in Office Design: Enhancing Productivity & Mood

In the intricate dance of office design, where every square centimetre and chosen fitting can subconsciously cue you to feel and perform differently, there lies an under-appreciated hero: natural light. By combining architectural expertise with psychological understanding, we explore how natural light in the workplace goes beyond mere brightness—it’s about shaping how we think, feel, and perform.

Office

The Case for the Office in a Post-Pandemic World: A Manifesto for Bringing People Back

In the post-pandemic landscape, the office has languished as a forgotten relic while the world has embraced restaurants, concerts, and global travel with renewed zest. Despite eager calls from leadership for a return to the nine-to-five, desks remain empty, and conference rooms echo with the ghostly clicks of past presentations. Yet, the potential of the physical office remains significant—an untapped resource in an era desperate for connection and innovation.

Interior Design

Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Design: Breathing New Life into Old Spaces

In an era where sustainability intersects with innovative design, adaptive reuse emerges as a compelling strategy in commercial architecture. This approach involves repurposing old industrial or commercial buildings into vibrant, functional spaces, breathing new life into structures that might otherwise be neglected. As businesses increasingly value uniqueness and historical character, adaptive reuse projects offer an opportunity to create distinctive and inspiring office environments.

Office Design

Finding Flow: Designing Offices for Peak Performance

In the constantly evolving world of workplace design, there’s been a significant shift towards creating spaces that not only inspire but also foster the elusive state of “flow.” This concept, once primarily associated with artists and athletes, is now recognised as the pinnacle of productivity and well-being in the contemporary office environment.

Interior Design

The Gestalt Principles in Office Design

The human mind excels in identifying patterns, always searching for organisation and meaning in our surroundings. This natural inclination is the reason we see faces in the clouds or recognise common forms amidst nature’s irregularities — our brains are programmed to impose structure on disorder.
This intriguing feature of human observation is central to the study of Gestalt psychology, which investigates the way we perceive and arrange the visual information around us.

Interior Design

Navigating the Emotional Geographies of Office Design

In the quest to create more meaningful and productive work environments, the concept of psychogeography offers a fresh perspective, urging designers and organisations to consider the psychological underpinnings of office spaces.

Interior Design

The Envy Office: Where Work Meets Wow Factor

In today’s shake-up of the corporate scene, the traditional, yawn-inducing office doesn’t cut it for the swipe-right, Instagram-loving workforce. Enter the ‘Envy Office’—a chic, selfie-worthy workspace designed to not just lure young professionals back but to make them never want to leave.

a designer sketches architectural drawings on yellow paper.

Interior Design

First a Pencil, Then the World!

In the arena of interior design, there’s an understated elegance to starting with the humble pencil sketch before venturing into the digital realm with Computer Aided Drafting (CAD). This initial step, rooted in tradition, holds its ground as a crucial part of the creative process, despite the technological leaps in design tools.

Interior Design

Office Interior Design Trends for 2024

As we enter the year 2024, there will be significant changes in office design. The highly anticipated “Great Return to Work” is altering our understanding and creation of workspaces. This article explores the shifting landscape and important trends that will shape office interiors in the upcoming year.

Productivity

Optimising Office Acoustics for Productivity and Well-Being

The sound quality of an office might not always be the first thing you consider, but it is crucial in shaping an optimal and efficient workspace. The acoustics of your workplace can greatly influence how you and your coworkers function, interact, and, most importantly, affect your general wellness.

Productivity

The Social Costs of Remote Working – An Analysis

Undoubtedly, there have been social issues accompanying the shift to remote work. This article discusses the potential for both success and drawbacks in remote working, particularly concerning the potential impact on work-life balance when the boundaries between work and personal life become unclear.

Productivity

5 Strategies for Inclusive Collaboration in Hybrid Meetings

In today’s workplace, hybrid meetings have become commonplace, blending in-person and remote participation. While these meetings offer flexibility, they also bring challenges related to inclusivity. In this article we look at 5 steps you can take to ensure your hybrid meetings are both successful and inclusive.

Commercial Leasing

How to Negotiate the Best Commercial Office Lease

Contour Interiors presents a comprehensive guide to the often time-consuming and complex issue of commercial leases. In this How-To guide, Contour outlines the critical areas you must cover in order to save time and money, and how your new office fitout can be included in a new prospective lease.

Productivity

Workplace Mental Health

In this article, we’ll explore the significance of workplace mental health, its impact on productivity, and provide practical strategies to foster a mentally healthy work environment. Join us as we leverage Contour Interiors’ experience and expertise to create workspaces that inspire creativity, collaboration, and support the mental well-being of your employees.

Interior Design

Creating a Workplace That Works for Your Business

As a workplace design and fitout company, we understand the critical role that a well-designed workspace plays in enhancing employee productivity and satisfaction, fostering creativity, and improving a company’s bottom line.

Interior Design

How to Ensure a Successful Commercial Interior Design Project

There are so many moving parts in an office fitout and design project, and a multitude of factors that can negatively influence the outcome. Presenting the ultimate guide to getting your commercial interior design project right the First Time, brought to you by Contour Interiors.

Productivity

Mastering the Art of Hybrid Meetings

In the modern world of work – especially post-Covid – hybrid meetings have become increasingly common. This can create challenges in terms of communication, engagement, and productivity. Here are some tips from Contour Interiors for running effective hybrid meetings between home and remote workers.

Productivity

ESG’s Role in the Workplace

In recent years, ESG has become an increasingly important factor in influencing workplace decisions. ESG, which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, is a set of criteria used to measure the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment or business.

Workplace Design

Sustainability in the Workplace

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on sustainability, with individuals, companies, and governments alike recognising the need to take action to protect our planet. One area where sustainability is particularly important in the workplace. Here’s why it matters and how your company can achieve it.

Top 5 Global Workplace Design Trends 2023

Office Design

Top 5 Global Workplace Design Trends for 2023

The world of work is changing fast. For the better. Here are the Top 5 Global Workplace Design Trends for 2023 for offices and workplaces all over the world, from Contour Interiors.

Productivity

Finding a Balance Between Collaboration and Focus in a Hybrid Workplace

In today’s post-Covid world, hybrid workplaces are becoming increasingly more common. Finding the right balance of collaboration and focus in a workplace can encourage employees to return to the office and allow them to appreciate the environment and become more productive.

Office Design

How to Achieve the Ultimate Office Fitout

If you’re looking for an office space that fulfils your true wants and needs as a company, you need to make sure you cover every angle. What you need is an office space that reflects your brand as a company, fulfils the needs of the company, and inspires and invigorates your workforce.

Office

How Do I Make an Office Relocation Plan?

Here are some common sense precautions to take with your next office relocation project – especially when it comes to timing. Making a comprehensive office relocation plan is all about time invested, deadlines, and pre-preparation… Let us clue you in.

Interior Design

How to Create a Safe Office Interior Design Post-Covid

Even in the so-called “post-covid world,” covid safety remains a critical issue for any office interior design. It can be a challenge to ensure that you have a covid-safe office design because there are multiple factors that contribute to this.

Workplace Design

The Good, The Bad and Open Plan Offices

The modern office has evolved to adapt to the different ways that individuals like to work. Many companies have been re-evaluating their position on open-plan offices to consider whether this type of office layout is the best overall for workplace productivity.

Workspace

Workplace Strategy in the Post Covid Era

Workplace strategy has evolved from a metric mechanism to one which is an integral part of the development around business, talent and the broader economy — a conversation often driven by headlines focused on place, ways of working and flexibility. The world has reshaped and workplaces have flipped from the traditional view of an assigned desk within a heavy siloed workplace.

Workplace Design

How Much Office Space Do I Need?

Finding or searching for the appropriate amount of office space is critical for growing businesses. How much workspace is required is dictated very much by the direction and strategy of an organisation, rather than a ‘cookie-cutter’ solution.

Productivity

The Importance of Workplace Ergonomics in an Office

The goal of applying ergonomics in the workplace is to enhance product design and the layout of workstations in order to reduce the negative effects of exhaustion, fatigue, and minor injuries. Ergonomically designed workstations reduce the likelihood of experiencing pain in the muscles and joints as well as the likelihood of straining and slouching, both of which can be contributors to the development of more serious health issues. In this article we examine the many benefits of workplace economics and how they can be applied holistically as part of a workplace strategy.

Workplace Design

The Many Benefits of Collaborative Workplaces

Collaborative workplaces have a myriad of benefits. When colleagues work together effectively, they get the opportunity to share their own knowledge, experience, and skills. This provides employees with the opportunity to discuss their own processes, and it makes them feel as though they are an integral part of the team. This article discusses collaborative workplaces, and the advantages of cross-functional teams and the resultant increased productivity.

Productivity

The Great Resignation Australia Had to Have?

The COVID-19 pandemic left most employees rethinking their jobs. While the cost of living keeps rising, their wages remain as is. In comparison to other companies and employers, they get lower pay, less opportunities, and a lack of work-life balance that continue to affect employees. More personal reasons like feeling disrespected at work, having childcare issues (for those who have children), being provided with bad or insufficient benefits, wanting to relocate to a different area, and even employers requiring COVID-19 vaccines contribute to the “quit rate”.

Productivity

Workplace Strategy – the Critical Step in the Return to Work

Workplace Strategy is a terminology increasingly used in business circles as organisations grapple with post-covid ways of working and an understanding of the ‘new normal’ workplace. To get the most out of any strategy piece, it is hugely important to understand what workplace strategy is, and the factors that actually make it an effective business tool.

Workplace Design

The Importance of Air Quality in the Office

With offices now re-opening their doors to welcome back employees, an important element that business owners and property managers must consider in ensuring a good RTO experience is the building’s air quality.

Office Design

Modern Office Fit Out Ideas in the Post-Pandemic Workplace

By now, we’ve all heard of the term “modern office” when talking about companies opening their doors and welcoming back employees. Business owners and commercial interior designers have been working hand-in-hand to identify modern office fit out ideas that would best benefit professional office spaces and the people it accommodates.

Interior Design

Office Interior Design Ideas in Australia 2022

COVID-19 has turned the work life of most professionals on its head, reshaping our mindset on how we do our jobs, and more importantly, where. Employers have tested different ways to effectively implement flexible work, considering the need of employees to work remotely. In line with this, they’ve also started rethinking and preparing the office for when the workforce starts reporting on-site, especially since there’s a necessity for companies to accommodate ever-changing workplace best practices in the new normal.

The Importance of Retaining Talent in 2022

Over the past couple of years, the workplace has changed exponentially. In 2022, employers are having to rethink and reshape their policies to accommodate the priority changes of employees in order to attract and retain valuable talent.

Productivity

The Role of Technology in the Modern Workplace

COVID-19 fundamentally modified how businesses operate and professionals work, compelling millions of people to work from home. Technology’s vital part in the workplace is well-recognised, but the pandemic presented unexpected challenges that brought upon new possibilities in this space.

Workplace Design

Workplaces of the Future

COVID-19 has provided numerous challenges to the public, businesses, and governments. Companies all across the world acted as quickly as they could to keep employees safe while ensuring business continuity despite all restrictions on movement and stay at home orders. In this article we examine the Workplaces of the Future.

Legal Workplace Fitouts Post Covid | Contour Interiors

Productivity

The Future of the Legal Workplace

Like almost every industry, the legal profession has encountered numerous difficulties during the global pandemic brought about by COVID-19. Some of these challenges include transitioning to remote work, converting to remote litigation, and facing higher competition for talent.

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