Balancing Aesthetics and Ergonomics in Your Office Furniture

Very often, your furniture is a part of your office that has the biggest impact on your work environment. Your office interior design will communicate the essence of your brand, leaving a lasting impression on both employees and customers alike, while the type can reflect your business’ style and offer varied work settings for your staff.

The aesthetic role of furniture can sometimes seem to be at odds with its ergonomics in your office interior design; ergonomic guidelines suggest correct posture for workers, but the current trend is toward more informal furnishings, such as benches or sofas. We know that being forced to slouch at a desk is extremely bad for the back. The leading cause of long-term illness is back pain that comes from wear and tear, poor posture, and strained muscles. Finding the right balance between furniture that is good for the body, mind, and emotions can be a challenge.

The creators of today’s furniture have responded to this challenge with standing desks, sit and stand workstations, and treadmill options for your office’s interior design. The trend is towards more of a “working-at-home” or “coffee-shop office” vibe, and even bean bags are making a comeback as an answer to the concerns surrounding environment and creative atmosphere. Employees themselves have to take some responsibility as to what types of furniture they use on a regular basis in order to guard their own health. While a company can take steps to provide the latest in office furniture for the good of their employees, the employees will need to be able to choose what’s best for them in order to find the perfect balance for their own working life.

The best thing any company can do here to help employees is to provide a balanced variety of settings that encourage their staff to move about the office throughout the work day so that they are not sedentary 100 percent of the time. An ergonomically-designed workstation can be a part of that, but so might be a stool or a sofa. Finding the balance between aesthetics and ergonomics may be found in variety.

The fun part is going to be in choosing the colors, fabrics, and style. Here is where your company will be able to tell its own story, showing who you are and what you value. Whether it is going to be a sense of fun, with bright colors and playful furnishings, or a solid environment with historical pieces and calm colors, they will lend both aesthetic and ergonomic correctness to your office design.

At Nashville Office Interiors, we can help you find and establish the perfect balance to your corporate office interior. Call us today!