Defining and Measuring the Influence of “Resimercial” Design in Today’s Workplace

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Amanda Schneider
Amanda Schneider
Amanda Schneider, LEED AP, MBA is a researcher, writer, consultant and founder of Contract Consulting Group. Amanda is a strategic thinker with a strong background including industrial design, market research, product management, sales, and strategic launch practices with a breadth of furniture companies within the interiors industry. Amanda’s creative process stems from her education in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, while her natural business sense is augmented by her MBA from the University of Iowa.

Amanda Schneider, founder of Contract Consulting Group, shares a sneak peek of the results from their forthcoming study on “resimercial” design.

How do you feel about the term “resimercial”? Love it? Hate it? Let us know by taking our three-question poll at the end of this article!
Image courtesy of National Office Furniture. 

As we explore the evolution of the office planning models by focusing on key influencers of trends, we begin to identify consistencies in trend markers. Starting with the 1960s Burolandschaft’s drive to encourage social interaction and human behavior, the resulting lack of privacy which drove to the development of the “cube” to provide personal freedom led to a feeling of isolation. Moving forward to the start-up culture of the 2000s and technology that allowed work to be anywhere, the objectives of design shifted to incorporate collaboration, individual work, and speed of change. Throughout these transitions, generational difference, social issues of work/life balance, recruitment and retention of valuable skilled employees, and the impact of health and wellness all remained the consistencies that drove our need to better design with innovation.

Today, the impetus behind that innovation is the blurring lines between home and work. The answer? Resimercial design; a somewhat overused term that defines the incorporation of the residential look to a commercial space. As companies look to make workspaces a more inviting place for employees to get work done, we’re seeing elements of residential and hospitality design splashed across design boards and requested by clients. We know that we want a more comfortable feel for the office environment and we have a fairly keen understanding of what that looks like. But have we really taken a step back to look at the measurements of this new movement? Is it having a positive impact on our working life? How have companies that implemented it benefited? And what does resimercial design really mean?

Image courtesy of National Office Furniture.

Earlier this year, National Office Furniture, a leader in the contract office furniture market, commissioned Contract Consulting Group (CCG) to conduct a study on these very questions. As Angie Schuch, Director of Marketing explained, “We saw the resimercial trend not as a trend, but as a new way to view the entire office environment of the future. As employees look to make their working atmosphere a more comfortable extension of their home environment, making the workplace feel more like home is a logical solution. As such, we feel the design elements are here to stay, evolve, and mark its place in history. But we’ve found that today’s data is all anecdotal. We want to measure it for our own benefit but also to share what we have learned to drive industry adaptation.”

Image courtesy of National Office Furniture.

To gather these numbers, CCG conducted a survey of 250 A&D professionals as well as extensive interviews with key influencers in and around the design industry to gain a pulse on the industry’s thoughts on the matter. While the full results of the survey will be available through National’s Continuing Education Unit (CEU) on the topic, scheduled to be released mid-2018, the company shares a few key takeaways from the survey with us today.

As millennials and Gen Zers are owning and dominating new young companies, they want different working environments that reflect the realities of their work lives.

In the case of resimercial design, the driving factor is the desire to bring the comforts of home into the working environment. In fact, the survey revealed that one third of all projects are now incorporating a more casual feel. This drive comes largely from the younger generation of workers who grow up with the notion that work can happen anywhere, anytime, due to technology that simply wasn’t available for previous generations. However, with that “always-on” mentality comes the idea that the actual workplace must also include elements conducive for relaxation.

Image courtesy of National Office Furniture.

These realities include the ability to express ourselves through either entrepreneurial or personal branding. This includes a flexible variety of spaces supporting the role of technology that allows them to work. From work spaces allowing face-to-face collaboration to enclosed spaces providing the ability to do “heads down” focused work, spaces must flex to the way each individual works and rejuvenates best. Perhaps Sally Augustin put it best in saying, “It [resimercial design principles] first appeared in Dot Com offices with younger employees who did not have a strongly attached home identity. They were 20 somethings out of college and didn’t have the responsibilities such as a partner or children to drive them away from the office to home. So they were spending long hours at the office, and it became natural that they would hang out with people in their workplace after they are technically done with their work day. There was naturally a blending of the workplace and home because there was not something driving them to go home to the place they slept. Therefore, the office became a replacement for the home.” Through this transition, resimercial design began to empower employees to not just choose an employer, but more importantly a lifestyle in which you will spend your time.

The benefits are tangible. And impactful.

During the survey, it was revealed that the top three drivers of a casual workplace interior include the attraction and retention of employees, a more advantageous work/life balance and increased wellness. And what’s more, 94 percent of respondents said these design principles are here to stay. Perhaps it’s because people are spending more time at work, resulting in the desire to create a more comfortable atmosphere. Or perhaps it’s because we are realizing that, to attract great talent, we must not overlook the power of atmosphere. Either way, it’s clear that the tangible benefits of resimercial design are driving its demand.

Image courtesy of National Office Furniture.

Understanding of the trend helps define the gaps we’re currently not addressing.

While National cannot share all the results from its study before the release of its CEU, Schuch leaves us with this helpful insight, “I think designers will find great value in the insights this data has provided. Our research helps reinforce the importance of the specification, proving to us that the selection process goes beyond finishes and fabrics and reinforces the importance of the role of the designer. What’s more, we now have visibility into what we are NOT able to provide the design community, and we have the opportunity to expand our offerings to address the void.”

Interested in learning more of the details behind this study, including how the results can help influence your specification? Reach out to [email protected] to schedule your CEU or come see new products influenced by this research at the Chicago Show 2018. Or contact CCG to learn how you can curate similar research to help expand your companies view on industry trends.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts on “resimercial” design: 

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11 COMMENTS

  1. I love how you address that the work environment is constantly evolving, and that having some comforts of home at work is appealing to the young business leaders of today who are constantly on the go.

    • We appreciate your comment, Elena! As young business leaders become more prominent in today’s world, it’s essential for the workplace to evolve in a way that will cater to their needs for success.

  2. As a furniture dealer it is exciting to have these types of projects. The word is out and most of my clients incorporate this in their planning efforts whether your a technology group or wealth management company.

    Helping decision makers across all markets see the importance of employee-centric planning is so refreshing! For many years, clients have been influenced by concepts that are one size fits most and taking into consideration the “HUMAN” side is going to catapult creativity and output. Looking forward to the research:)

  3. A new workspace office design style it’s an opportunity to inspire your employees and remodel your business from top to bottom. We tend to take an office project planning 3 step approach to develop an workplace style where your employees are going to be happier,more productive and love working. Once you work with us, our excellent Delivery pledge ensures we pay attention of each detail of the new office interior design from the beginning to end. Over the past twenty two years, we’ve designed and delivered many new office fit outs across London and the UK, ever-changing the approach that thousands of individuals work each single day. https://grosvenor.uk.com/

  4. Amazing article, nice thought, and ideas. I love the content, these are such amazing ideas, especially that first one. It’s really very useful content and helpful as well. The Ideas and of course the pictures of the office interiors are so Amazing and attractive. So, thanks for sharing. Keep writing and keep updating.

  5. Resimercial Design incorporating the warmth and comfort of home, with spaces that encourage a variety of activities and collaboration, while maintaining a professional space are powerful tools for attracting, nurturing and retaining talent.

  6. I currently work for http://www.oktra.co.uk who are one of the leading office design companies in the UK.

    We have designed offices for some of the biggest creative, legal, insurance, tech and coworking companies so I have been lucky enough to have tried and tested them as well as worked from home.

    I love working from home but I am a big believer in having different working spaces to be most productive. These spaces could be quite rooms, formal meeting rooms to open plan brainstorming areas – these different spaces help us in different tasks and match different working styles. This is one of the main reasons that companies are mixing home with commerical design – it creates a space you are ‘home from home’ and don’t have to leave!

  7. The article highlights an important aspect that many interior designers fail to incorporate in their workplace designs – adaptivity & the ever-evolving needs of not only businesses but their employees too. Ultimately, the workplace design must constantly change to reflect the developing requirements of new job design.

    This article highlights the importance of this – well done!

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