Personalise Your Working Space with 3 Simple Ways

Your working space is your comfort bubble at work. It is the bubble zone where your productivity shows the best — the one place you greet first when you reach the office and the place you greet last when you leave. 

But let’s face it… 

Work can get a bit tiring and dull sometimes that we’d want to call it a day already, and we all need a bit of distraction to stay productive and get the stress off of our shoulders. Since the working space is legally our place to occupy eight hours a day, we may as well spice it up with some flair. Let us show you how to get your space personalised starting with these three simple ways.

1. Bring In the Greenery

A working desk is never complete without the greenery. Not only are they the cooling element, but they are also very effective when it comes to healing the human soul and softening our emotions.  According to a recent study conducted at the University of Exeter, plants are found to have an effective impact on human’s productivity by an increase of 15%. Needless to say, plants are excellent when it comes to taking the work anxiety away, making the employees more focused and energised. 

Keep in mind that work can get very hasty at times and you may find yourself caught up in between times with piles of work. Therefore, go for plants that fit your capability best. If you are a workaholic person who prefers to keep your daily tasks crossed out, succulents may be the plant for you as they’re very easy to maintain and barely need much care. If you’re worried about not being able to care for real plants, faux ones are always available in many stores. Although they are not as impactful as the real ones, they are visually pleasing and would give off almost the same  positive effect.

2. Get Creative with Your Bulletin Board

Most working desks come with a vertical board for the employees to utilise when it comes to reminders and to-do lists. Many of you have probably done this, but for those who haven’t, perhaps you should start considering to decorate your very own board. There are many ways to do this; you just have to flick on that creativity switch in you. If you’re unsure of what to start with, fret not because we got it covered.

Motivational quotes are powerful — they tend to have a positive effect to the human minds and help us to reach our goals. Hence, you can pick out a few quotes that inspire you to become a better worker to get your day going. Hang them up on your bulletin board as your very own daily reminders. 

Too much quotes? Here is where things can get more interesting; you can always bring in anything else that inspire you. Photos of the people you love, places you’ve been or you’d love to go to one day, any or all of them can be displayed on your workspace. Hang them across your board along with the quotes if you want, using a long wire. Fill the board up with your to-do lists, calendars —  and add in some colours to it, you might get your work done faster now that you’re all set for productivity. It’s fun, it’s creative, and it’s cheap!

3. Keep Your Seat Fancy

While many of us don’t literally stay in our working space the entire eight hours, our desks are still our go-to zone in the office. Ergonomic furnitures are vital as they would have a long-term impact on our health. Your working swivel chair may already be ergonomic, but you may find yourself constantly having to adjust your posture at times to stretch or switch positions. Pillows are great when it comes to increasing your comfort level at work. We don’t mean to say you should bring them over to sneak in some naps — maybe, during lunch — but what we meant was having a cool pillow can visually make your space look more pleasing and cosy, and you can pamper your back with it when you sit. 

There are various designs for pillow cushions and seat cushions, so why not bring them both to work? If you want to make your space look glamorous, bring in one of those fabulous faux sheepskin or fur. A little bit of glam wouldn’t hurt, anyway.

An interactive, creative, and somewhat quirky workspace will definitely boost your energy to keep up with the good work for the rest of the day. Likewise, your working space is your comfort bubble at work — so start making it extra comfortable to keep your working hours more fun and productive. Are you inspired to start personalising your space already? Share with us if you have more ideas to keep your desk fancy, we’d love to know!

It’s the 21st Century – Here are Four Ways on How to Move On From These Outdated Decor Trends

Everything changes overtime. So does the trends in design. Many restaurant owners would find themselves caught up with outdated decors that would in turn keep their customers away. While many would consider spending more money and time to renovate their spaces just to keep up with the current preferences, updating restaurants doesn’t have to be time-consuming and difficult. Fret not, we are here to rescue you from such plight. 

1. The Long-Gone Accent Wall

Most eatery places love to display the jazzy and loud accent wall as the wow-factor to impress the customers and perhaps for them to take photos with. Accent walls have had its glory days a few years back with its striking paint jobs and artworks to make the space bright and fun. We still love them, but too much of a thing can become tiring for the eyes to see. Yes, feature walls are an important element in a restaurant but having an outdated one will only make the space bland and in some cases, invisible to the people since they would prefer those other restaurants that are in the run to catch up with the current trends instead. 

How do we move on?

Consider replacing the accent walls with textured ones. Textured walls will definitely give off the punch-effect to the viewers as sometimes accent walls may not achieve the fully-desired effect. When it comes to selecting the materials, natural elements are always everlasting. You can still have concrete-made textured walls as it gives off the rocky surface vibe, which in turn takes you back to nature. If you are opting for a cleaner look, a solid coloured textured wall is a great choice.

2. No More Carpet on the Floor

Walking into an elegant restaurant, you may find yourself pampered with the opulence and luxury of the decor within. Looking down to the flooring nevertheless, you may as well think; “Isn’t carpet already out of the game?”. Well to answer your question, carpet flooring was once a hit even at any other kinds of eatery places. They are excellent at absorbing noise and creating the sense of comfort to the viewers. However, it needs constant maintenance, leaving many restaurant owners in the consideration of a flooring change. A spill of food and drinks can create a damage to the restaurant’s revenue, hence a call of change it is. 

How do we move on?

Lift off the carpeting from the ground to see what lies underneath. It may be a bare flooring which can be beautified easily. Different kinds of flooring will give off distinctive vibes to the viewers. If you are running a elegant fine-dining restaurant, go for natural stones as they are indubitably timeless and will never ceased to incorporate the senses of wealth and grace. They may be really costly, but maintenance is out of question with the natural stones (So worth the spend!). Wooden, rendered cement, and patterned tile floorings are always in style and keeping the viewers interested. It may be the look, it may as well be texture. Keeping your flooring minimal is what you need when it comes to keeping it with the current.

3. Goodbye Framed Industrial Lighting

We know low lighting gives off the intimate feel to the people coming by to enjoy their food, so to say they are great setting for a date. Industrial lighting fixtures started to make its way into many eatery places to display more stylish, adventurous look. We’re not saying it is absolutely outdated, but lighting constantly evolves. Industrial lighting fixtures was a rampant craze; it portrays the rusted and austere mood, no doubt making the customers feel like they are eating in style. Nevertheless, the incandescent lighting fixture has become such a lighting norm that many of us are getting too bored of it and need somewhat a variety. 

How do we move on?

An essential element for a space, lighting creates the atmosphere of the restaurant itself. Low lighting is suitable for an intimate place whereas more lighting gives off a bright and welcoming ambience. Likewise, keep everything minimal so they stay in the trend. You can always have a pendant lighting with distinctive features but never too much of it. Inviting in the natural lighting will boost the atmosphere of the eatery place and definitely uplift your customer’s mood. If you want to control how much light you want to give in into your restaurant, consider having blinds or curtains.

4. Off with the Design Redundancy

Some restaurants love to incorporate uniformity in their design. We’re talking about repeating the patterns and colour palette throughout the interior of their space. Uniformity in design is good, but it doesn’t really help to keep the viewers interested. Many eatery designs these days have come out of their comfort zones to display varieties to their customers and well, everyone’s in love! 

How do we move on?

A great way to break free from this mundane design bubble is to personalise your restaurants with accessories and flairs. You can add in artworks, photography, and any displays that can captivate people’s attention. Remember that details always matter; every design touch you incorporate must reflect back to details, details, and details. Adding in nature-inspired materials or plants will cool down the interior of your restaurant and keep your customers in serenity. Natural healers they are!

We have presented to you the four ways to overcome these outdated trends, so if you are caught up in any of these, you’d know what to do (You’re welcome). If you think you need help on that, give us a call and we’ll be on our way.

How to Personalise Your Themed Cafe to Stand Out from the Rest!

Cafe — a simple, short word that would take you back to the teasing aroma of delicious food and snacks, signature drinks, and of course, the finely brewed coffee. You’ve probably seen many cafes nowadays perhaps with almost similar features yet they’re still distinguishable from one another. We’re talking about the friendly baristas and waiters, free-wifi access, concrete surfaces and wood panelling, pendant lightings, and the list goes on. Did we just mention them being distinguishable though? That’s right. You can always achieve your very own distinctive look of a cafe with just a few simple steps. Let us elaborate on that.

1. Signage

What do you first look for when you pass by any eatery? The signages of course! A signage carries every piece of the branding itself. It is not simply a label that exists for us to read on; it is the most valuable element — a language that communicates an impression towards the viewers. Seeing a fancy signage may make you ponder; is the restaurant serving good-quality food? Are the menus affordable? With that being said, the signage you create must reflect onto the vibe you intend to display to your customers and the concept of your very own cafe. Less is more — when it comes to personalising signages, a minimal wording would always be a showstopper. Using readable fancy or quirky fonts with a great colour scheme and having LED backlighting may also just grab anyone’s attention out there.

2. Design Touch and Flair

The second thing your head turns to when you pass by an eatery is the interior of the cafe. You may pry to see if the interior is on-point, great enough for you to enjoy your daily dose of meal and drink when you sit there. Most cafes display a rustic minimalist concept to the customers. To make your space distinctive from the rest, mix up some local touches that reflect to the location of your cafe. Every place has its own culture, hence why not mingle them with your eatery. Not only will the cafe possibly become a tourist attraction, but also carries its very own character. This is where you’ll need to find the middle ground between your very own preference and the people around.

3. ‘Popping’ Furnitures

The customers always come first. This also includes their well-being, and by that we meant their comfort level. Having comfortable seatings is essential in every cafe, because well — everyone prefers sitting down when they eat. Complementing the seats with customised carpentry works and carefully-selected tables will unquestionably make your space distinguishable from any others. There are thousands of furniture designs out there to fit every theme of cafes, and all you need to do is find one that matches yours perfectly. Selecting the furnitures with the colour and materials that ‘pop’ or shall we say, eye-catching and speak the concept of your space is just the thing you need to do.

4. Lighting

Lighting matters. It sets the mood for the space and has a visual effect to connect people to one another. Warm lighting hue is suitable to be used in cafes as they create a intimate ambience to the viewers. This is great especially for those who love to linger a while more in that particular space — to eat, read, hang out with friends, and bond. To personalise your space with the lighting, relate what kind of ambience you want your customers to feel. Toss in your very own cafe’s concept into it when it comes to selecting the fixture design. It could be pendant, downlight, additional natural or colourful neon lighting, or any kinds of lighting so long they speak style to you and your customers.

5. Feature ‘Instagrammable’ Wall

We know Instagram is the rising app in the current tech-savvy world, where almost everyone is guilty-as-charged when it comes to having an account for that very app. A feature wall works just like the signage, except it is not located high up the wall and perhaps covers one huge wall for anyone to pose with. Designing your very own artwork or graphic design that carries the branding for the feature wall would definitely make your cafe stand out from any other. It can be personalised in any way you please — with simply painted wall and wording, LED backlight or strip light, green wall, you name it. 

The interior elements play a huge role in creating the difference between your cafe and the others. So, choose wisely. Do take note that there are also other factors that affect the appeal of your cafe — Not only the interior design, but also your menu! Serving the best environment to the customers should be as equal to serving the best quality of food with the best customer service.

Are you enjoying this article? Share with us your idea to personalise your very own themed cafe and if you would like us to do so, give us a call.

Office Renovation Trends 2020

Corporate and residential designs are with no doubt, two of the rising craze in the interior design  industry. We’ve seen many designs over the past few years of what’s hot and what’s not. With this being said, not all designs can survive its way as time evolves. Newer and better thought-out design schemes constantly take place as a breakthrough in the mundane design world. Well guess what? Wellness design now takes the reign. 

Currently a massive movement, wellness design influences every aspect of design to enhance the well-being of its users physically and psychologically — changing the general outlook of office and home designs — and it is welcoming 2020 with various trends to follow. This time, we’re bringing you those hottest trends that are widely dominating this year. 

1. Open Workspace

Open space layout isn’t really a new thing, but this trend is becoming a rampant phenomenon in many companies today. This welcomes unconventional work areas where design finally meets experience. Work spaces such as collaborative or known as huddle space are commonly introduced in a rather casual and informal setting to bring an effective means for the employees to interact more frequently, hence creating stronger bonds and building trust among one another when it comes to delivering a good job. As we all have heard before, collaboration is the key to success. The minimal barrier within the workspace — even with the now-becoming-common clearly see-through meeting rooms — are not only there for show, but also to encourage the culture of transparency which closely relates to — as you might have guessed — the values of honesty and integrity.

2. Activity-Based Workspace

A good company resonates on the productivity of the employees as they make the backbone of every company. Much similar to the open space concept, this trend has been around for quite a while but continues to become popular over time. This is where the employees are given the freedom to choose the work setting they would be most productive in, thus executing the conventional rows of assigned desks and opens the door for creativity and innovation, usually in a more home-style concept of workspace. Breakout zone — then commonly called as the staff’s lounge — becomes the social space where the employees recharge their energy from work during their break, in which more companies tend to allow power nap areas so long that their employees stay recharged for work. A great way to value the employees, it is.

3. Biophilic Design

Who doesn’t love nature? We all do. The design industry nowadays revolves mainly around sustainable design as a way to save the beloved Earth. Multiple applications of natural and nature-inspired materials are implemented in office design, by which natural lighting plays a major role in this trend. Not only is natural elements visually pleasing to the eyes, but they are also the cooling factor in a space. Nature brings every soul towards positivity as they are a natural healing element. The colour of green plants even psychologically associates to growth, harmony, and freshness which will definitely boosts the employees’ productivity. Hence, you would probably find natural elements becoming the framework that surrounds most workspaces this year.

4. Mix-and-Match of Textures

Variety rings excitement and innovation. A stimulating design, the mix and match of materials are becoming a rising norm in office design. This is where different textures of wood, metals, concrete, and many more come together, displaying a touch of creativity and invigorating feel to the viewers. In other words, this trend is somewhat a statement that whispers to the employees to think out of the box. These combinations of textures are commonly accompanied with accent walls with a selected colour, usually one that carries the branding of the company.