Resimerical Design's Role in A Happier and More Productive Workplace

It used to be common industry knowledge that workplace design allocation would be 80/20 - 80 percent of the space dedicated to traditional workplace settings such as cubicles and private offices, and 20 percent allocated to common spaces like kitchens, conference rooms, etc. Now we are seeing a dramatic shift, with those proportions (on average) nearing a 50/50 balance, with common areas expanding their definition to include fully-stocked kitchens, relaxation areas, onsite exercise facilities, and more. This raises the question, what is driving the shift, and how do we design for it?

The workplace is a constant ebb and flow of change. Just a few years ago we began seeing more companies engaging in non-traditional workplace strategies, allowing telecommuting and co-working to become common workplace tactics. Yet just as quickly as we saw these workplace trends popularize, some companies, such as IBM and Yahoo, began pulling their employees back into the office. While controversial, their decisions brought light to the idea that team collaboration is a crucial element to successful work, and the way we view traditional office spaces must evolve to meet the changing demands of the way we get work done.

This ancillary-driven world is often characterized by newer, less “corporate looking” solutions. Commonly referred to as “resimerical design,” the trend of designing for a more comfortable working environment is here to stay. It's worth noting that to many of us in the industry, the word “resimercial” carries a somewhat “nails-to-a-chalkboard” connotation. Perhaps it's because people immediately associate the term with the idea of designing a space by pulling consumer products from Target or IKEA, which do not have the same quality as traditional contract projects. However, when we look at drivers, we believe this trend is SO much more than that. Sure, many casual environments involve the curated collection of many ancillary pieces to give each space a unique look and feel, but more importantly, new workplace designs are taking the workplace and making it work more efficiently with how we actually use it. As the lines blur between work and home - and work transitions from a place we go to a thing we do - defining spaces that make people happy while fostering collaboration, innovative thinking, and just a little bit of fun is a must-do for every design. What’s more, we’re beginning to see a connection between happiness at work and improvements to productivity, attraction and retention… more on that to come. So what is resimercial design, and how does its design tactics aid in a happier workplace?

Defining what resimercial is NOT.

For starters, the trend is not as simple as selecting a few residential pieces from today’s hot online home goods retailer and calling it a home-inspired design. Instead, it is carefully selecting a unique assortment of product that not only makes people feel comfortable, but it also makes the office space more productive. As Dave Bloch, Co-Founder and President of INDEAL, explains, “there was some confusion when the “Resimercial” phenomenon came in because it came in with the design trend of Mid-Century Modern. A lot of people linked the two together, but they really need to be separated to understand what is going on. Mid-Century Modern was just the trend of the day, and now it is shifting to more 70’s Modern or Industrial. The trends are changing, but the constant has been this residential look and feel. People do not want their office to feel like an office anymore, they want it to feel homier, more relaxed. The bottom line is they want people to be relaxed so they can be more expressive, so that their ideas flow better, as opposed to the rigid work environment. That is what we are seeing, and we see NO END to the trend.”

Understanding how resimercial design aids in a happier workplace.

All too often, those of us with an untrained design eye can look at a space and say, "Yes! That's it! I love that!" But we can't describe why. Liking a space and feeling comfortable in it is one thing. Understanding why the design makes us feel comfortable is another. Sally Augustin, an environmental design psychologist with Design With Science and author of “The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design” and “Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture” gives us a little insight into why resimercial design can make us feel comfortable, "Our homes are an important influence on our psychological wellbeing. They make us feel safe and comfortable. Our homes play an important role in signaling important messages about who we are as a person. Using residential furniture in the workplace silently communicates to the user that the workplace and, by extension, the employer can have a similar role in our lives."

Resimercial is just part of the puzzle. 

Like anything in design, the answer is not a simple black and white, do this do that response. Creating a happy workplace requires a thorough analysis of the big picture. How is the office space intended to work? Are the workers in permanent workstations, or working pods? Are they mobile? What's the demographic of the workplace? Are the workers young, hip professionals interested in spending ample time at the office, or are they more established in their career, perhaps with families at home? All of these elements, in addition to resimercial design trends, play into the bigger question of what makes for a happy workplace.

Workplace strategist, researcher, author of The Healthy Workplace, Leigh Stringer shares how each element of design must be considered,"The mistake we make in our industry is trying to attribute one element of design to an overarching feeling when it's really all connected. There's the physical, but there's also the psychological aspect. Things like mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, and safety can actually have 2-3 times the impact of the physical space." At the end of the day, she says, it's all about "humanizing the workplace," and it needs to be a very holistic approach."

Happier workspaces equate to increases in productivity, attraction, and retention.

It should go without saying that a happy workplace is a better workplace. Make people feel comfortable, feel valued, and feel like their environment is conducive for creating meaningful work and you’ve developed the perfect recipe for a happy workplace - a workplace to which people actually want to show up, a workplace that not only attracts talented workers, but keeps them longer. As millennials and Gen Z enter the workplace at a time when work always has been a comfortable place to go, with the amenities of home made seamlessly accessible to help them get work done more efficiently, resimercial is becoming a crucial design principle in attraction and retention. It’s not just a nice to have, it’s a crucial office development tool to attract the brightest talent, and help keep them longer.

Bloch attests to these trends with an explanation of improvements companies see after deploying these design principles: “First they are seeing retention and attraction gains - we are hearing that from just about everyone now. The productivity gains - that is still a guess as there are no firm numbers out yet, but pretty much everyone is believing that they are significant.”

At the end of the day, the use of resimercial design to create a happy work environment cannot be successful without taking a step back to understand the audience and tailor the picture accordingly. Elif Tinney, Senior Workplace Director at Gensler, explains it perfectly: "We tell our clients, just because someone else did it and it works for them doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. Create innovating workplaces that function for your environment. Happiness will follow."

This article was originally published in The Business of Furniture, a division of Bellow Press, on February 28, 2018. It is reprinted here with permission.

About the author: Amanda Schneider, LEED AP is a researcher, blogger for the Huffington Post, and the founder of Contract Consulting Group www.contractconsultinggroup.com, a research led strategy firm serving the contract interiors market.