Wood has traditionally being a commonplace material for office interior designs. While newer materials had their time in limelight, wood has definitely made a comeback in recent years. As in the past, wood adds a touch of warmth while making inhabitants feel welcomed, all while not sacrificing elegance. In addition, the rise of bibliophilic design has led to further incorporation of wood due to its natural properties. Here are three reasons why you should be requesting office interior design services to incorporate wood into your office.
Wood resonates with a variety of generations at the workplace. To older generations such as the baby boomers, wood is a warm material that they grew up with in their homes. This makes the workplace feel welcoming to them and lets them quickly settle into a comfort zone. On a deeper level, wood’s age gives it a dignified aura that subtle speaks to baby boomers who value longevity at a job and clear hierarchy. The stability that wood is associated with thus resonates with this generation.
On the other end of the spectrum, wood also appeals to the millennial generation. Millennials have grown up with tech, surrounded by screens and wearables from a young age. Wood thus offers a welcome contrast in their environments, making the office space aesthetically pleasing when done right. This is the same generation that has fuelled the demand for bibliophilic design, having previously bought into the mental health benefits that natural materials are said to bring.
Wood also improves the sound acoustics of your workspace by absorbing sound waves. While by no means a sound insulator, it prevents echo from bouncing off surfaces thus reducing the overall noise volume in any room. This is potentially an underrated aspect of wood as excessive noise levels have been associated with an inability of employees to concentrate and thus lowered productivity levels. Wood provides an effective and affordable solution, so much so that many concert halls in the world employ wood to naturally damp sound.
Lastly, wood is a cool material that allows heat to escape from an interior with relative ease. As opposed to other heavy duty materials such as metal or concrete, heat does not get trapped and built up in a wooden structure. In a hot country like Singapore, this allows non-air conditioned spaces to have lower temperatures than external environments. As such, wood is often the preferred choice for open air areas.
