How to design and decorate a large office

Are you looking to invest in more office space? Or perhaps you want to rejuvenate your existing large office to create a better working environment for your people. Either way, approaching a big office design project can be tricky.  

From choosing the right large office decor to decorating your feature walls, there’s a lot to consider. Make these decisions easier with our help. We provide advice on how to design and decorate a large office, so you can create a unique, comfortable and exciting working environment people can thrive in. 

What size is a “large” office? 

Any office space over 10,000 sq ft is considered large, although now many offices are around 20,000 to 40,000 sq ft. During the pandemic, businesses were looking to reduce their office space, but growth is back on the menu and large offices are once more gaining ground. Companies are now focusing on how to maximise the generous space they have, looking at new layouts and large office decorating ideas that enable a more flexible, empowering and collaborative working environment.  

The characteristics of big office designs 

Today, large offices tend to be characterised by a wider variety of spaces, including: 

• Collaborative areas 
• Private spaces  
• Breakout areas 
• Outdoor areas 
• Wellness rooms 

This is how you make the most out of your large office – playing with a diverse mixture of areas that turn a run-of-the-mill workspace into an environment people love. Let’s see what this looks like in practice.  

Designing a big office for collaboration  

We recently worked on a 42,000 sq ft office for GKN Aerospace. It wanted to build a UK global technology centre, bringing three hundred highly-skilled engineers and STEM students under one roof. 

 On the ground floor, we built an auditorium for town halls, product demonstrations and events, capable of holding audiences of up to a hundred people, while every inch of the second floor was designed to enable effective collaboration. This included: 

• Flexible working areas  
• Breakout areas 
• A roof terrace 

 We also created a library space for quiet working. Ultimately, we were able to deliver the variety of spaces GKN needed to bring brilliant minds together and strengthen its collaborative culture. This is the hallmark of big office designs. They enable working environments where people thrive through more effective collaboration.  

Wellness rooms for inclusion and employee wellbeing 

As well as spaces geared for collaboration, large offices present the perfect opportunity to focus on employee health and wellbeing. You can create wellness rooms, such as nursing rooms, prayer rooms and resting rooms, to support the emotional and physical needs of your diverse workforce. You can learn more about the characteristics of wellness rooms in our article: 5 Modern Office and Workspace Trends.            

How to Furnish a Large Office

There are a million ways to furnish a big workspace, but specific trends provide pointers, especially when it comes to large office decor. Keep reading to learn about them. Also, discover how to approach company branding for a big office design.  

Using furniture as room dividers

In the past, furnishing a large office was about getting as many desks in the space as possible. Now the emphasis is on creating collaborative areas that are spacious and welcoming. Why?  

After spending so much time working from home, people are now coming into the office to do more collaborative work. Furniture plays a key role in creating workspaces more geared towards teamwork.  

Collaborative spaces work best when they’re flexible, so employees can shape the environment around their preferred way of working and communicating. You can create flexible collaborative spaces by installing furniture, curtains and sliding panels that can be adjusted to transform the space as required. This is also a great way to make sure your big office is a comfortable place to work for neurodiverse people, bringing out the best of their exceptional talents.  

A home away from home

When it comes to large office decorating ideas, home decor is all the rage. It’s no secret that many workers relished working from home over multiple lockdowns.  

While you might not want to encourage people to wear pyjamas in the office, you can decorate your large workspace with home comforts, such as cosy chairs, plants, pictures, as well as bookcases filled with board games and quirky ornaments.  

This is known as resimercial design and while it doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes, it can give a large office a lived-in feel. Also, because you have a lot of space to work with, you can design it in a way that doesn’t feel cluttered. 

Branding your office

You can synchronise your furniture and large office decor with your company’s branding. But it’s often better to keep away from brand colours, focusing instead on aesthetics that positively impact your employees, such as calming tones and homely decor.  

If you’re set on taking the brand all the way through your decor, consider glass manifestation. Glass manifestation is typically used as a treatment for glass walls, windows, doors or partitions to make sure the glass is visible for health and safety. You can also use manifestation to adorn areas of your office with branding, such as logos and colours. Should your branding change in the future, you can easily change the manifestation, making it a cost-effective option to apply your company colours and logos throughout your big office design.  

 5 office wall ideas

To bring your large workspace to life, consider office wall ideas. A stylish wall can help create an environment that’s exciting and evocative of your company’s culture: 

1. Living green walls – a wall layered with real plants, which are scientifically proven to reduce stress, can help improve your employees’ wellbeing as well as add a beautiful focal point to your large office. Plus, if your business is big on sustainability, a living green wall can emphasise this is a defining aspect of your culture. 
2. Chalkboard walls – let your employees use their own creativity to decorate a key wall, creating a more personalised environment and adding an element of playfulness to your workspace.
3. Portfolio walls – showcase your best work to impress your clients when they visit and inspire your employees while they’re working. This office wall idea is perfect for web design, copywriting, illustration and other creative agencies.
4. Quote walls – is there an inspirational quote that mirrors your company’s image perfectly? Feature it on a large wall to empower your employees and support your branding.
5. Curved walls – inject a contemporary feel into your office with curved walls featuring bold colours, fun patterns or jazzy lighting. You can also play around with textures and different materials for an eye-catching effect. 

Spend time thinking about your branding, values and culture to select the right office wall idea for your business: one that strengthens your company image while helping you build a unique and exciting workspace. 

Tell us about your office

We’ve covered the highlights of large office decor and design, but they are still nuances to explore. Why not go over the finer details of your unique office with an expert? They can help you understand the potential of your space and suggest personalised large office decorating ideas. 

 Call us on 01225 485 600 or email us at [email protected] for a friendly chat about your big office design.