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Office Design Office Furnishing workstation design

3 Things You Should Know about Custom Millwork for Your Office

Whether we like it or not, appearances matter. First impressions go a long way, and for companies, especially, if you’re not making a good one, you’re losing the interest of potential customers, clients and employees and costing yourself valuable business. One of the easiest ways to positively influence an initial meeting with prospective clients or employees is to create a comfortable, beautiful office. Research shows that the first seven seconds of an encounter influences a person’s eventual perception of it. Apparently, the brain makes snap judgements before a person even becomes aware of his or her thoughts. Thus, consider this: it’s highly likely that any time you meet someone in your office, it will take them at least seven seconds to cross your office threshold, providing ample time for you to influence their impression of your company before they even catch sight of you, your product(s) or your brand. The color of your walls, your decor, your furniture — your office — is frequently the first thing people notice. Make it as unique and special as possible — with custom millwork, for example — and you’re on your way to a great first impression!

Custom Millwork Sets Your Office Apart from the Competition

Custom millwork includes any type of building product that is produced in a mill. Items such as doors, molding, trim and paneling, as well as specially-designed shelving, cabinets and storage units are all examples of millwork, bespoke items that add to the functionality and/or the beauty of an individual space. Choosing to add custom millwork options to your office design immediately signals that you are different from everyone else.

Custom Millwork Maximizes Your Office Layout

Tailor-made details enable you to utilize every square inch of a space, increasing the functionality of your office’s layout and design. Furthermore, custom millwork can be used to custom fit everything from desks and chairs to windows, doors and cabinetry so that the end product(s) match your exact needs, as well as your own personal aesthetics.

Custom Millwork Adds Value

Store-bought furniture and generic design elements can’t match the quality and craftsmanship of custom millwork. Adding made-to-order milled pieces to your office increases the value of your space since they will last longer and work better than those that are mass-produced. In addition, custom millwork impresses people, often adding intangible value to your overall brand, as well!

Want to Learn More?

For more information about using custom millwork in your office, please contact our team of designers at Key Interiors. As a full-service design, construction, and furnishing firm, Key Interiors can provide custom millwork, cabinetry, and finishes to fir your next project! 

Custom millwork can be added to a new construction design, but it can also be used to enhance a space, negating the need for a full-scale remodel. The possibilities are endless, and a great first impression can be just around the corner! Take a look at our Project Portfolio to get some ideas and see our latest work. 

You might also wish to download our free eBook, “Modern Office Design,” for additional office design tips, as well.

Categories
ceiling design industrial office design layout Office Design office design practices office layout Office Renovation Space Planning work environment

3 HVAC Tips for Climate Controlling Your Office

 

The quality of the air inside commercial buildings, schools and other places of business directly impacts the comfort and health of the people who visit and work within them. That’s why an HVAC system is such an important part of an office’s design. HVAC systems don’t just regulate temperature, they also work to control humidity and remove contaminants, thereby contributing to the overall quality of the air that millions of workers (and patrons) are exposed to everyday. While the government doesn’t actually mandate any specific HVAC tips detailing a range for temperature or humidity control, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) recommends keeping office temperatures between 68°-76° F and humidity in the range of 20%-60%.

In addition, OHSA suggests a variety of other measures to help companies recognize and control safe levels of indoor air contaminants, as well as maximize their ventilation systems. Especially during this current time of COVID, temperate, clean air not only safeguards workers against discomfort, headaches, allergies and other troublesome issues, helping them improve their energy levels and productivity, the right HVAC system can also minimize exposure to dangerous pathogens, preventing disease. Therefore, one of the best ways to stay ahead of problems with indoor air quality is designing an office space that amplifies an HVAC system’s functionality and efficiency from the onset of a building’s occupancy. Here are three HVAC tips for better climate control:

Maximize Ventilation

One of the most important factors affecting climate control, particularly within a large space (such as an office building), is ventilation. Proper ventilation allows outside air to move inside, diluting the concentration of pollutants that might be trapped within a space and circulating air so that the indoor temperature is neither too warm nor too cool. Depending on the specific needs of a building and available resources during construction/remodeling, ventilation can be facilitated via mechanical (supply and exhaust fans), natural (windows, doors and other openings) or mixed-mode processes. Choosing the right ventilation system for the space at hand encourages the movement of clean air into a space, making it easier for building managers to keep the ambient temperature within an office regulated and less polluted with contaminants.

Consider An Energy-Efficient Office Design

The function of any HVAC system can be improved with thoughtful design choices. When laying out an office’s floor plan, think about how you can mitigate the load of its HVAC system. Adding options like automatic light sensors; lower ceilings; extra natural ventilation openings (and adequate treatments to cover them when necessary); landscaping and architectural features that naturally render shade and/or reflect sunlight both inside and around the building can all work to ensure your HVAC is not overworked and, thus, unable to maintain proper functioning.

Maintain Filters and Keep Areas Clean

Another good HVAC tip is to always keep a routine HVAC maintenance schedule that includes the periodic replacement of its air filters. Exchanging old filters for new ones ensures that your HVAC system is never compromised or overloaded and, as a result, remains fully capable of cooling, heating and cleaning the air as needed. 

The Key Interior Advantage

A good office design maximizes an HVAC’s ability to function effectively and efficiently. Even small changes — such as rearranging furniture, adding window blinds or changing the color of paint — can significantly ease the burden on your HVAC system, allowing it to work at full capacity. 

At Key Interiors, our in-house, certified design team can help you redesign your office to get the most out of your HVAC system, and our skilled trade partners can handle any necessary mechanical upgrades.

To learn more HVAC tips for optimal control of the climate in your own office space, please contact our team of experts at Key Interiors.

You might also wish to take a look at our Project Portfolio to get some ideas and see our latest design work. 

Categories
Tenant Build Out

Tenant Build Out: How to do a Renovation When You Lease

tenant build out

For many business owners, leasing an office space is an ideal way to improve their organization. Leasing may allow business owners financial flexibility as well as the chance to secure a quality location for many years without actually purchasing property. However, when businesses need to enhance their office space, lease stipulations can cause renovation challenges. Indeed, planning a tenant build out that doesn’t violate the terms of your lease –– and by extension cause you financial or legal trouble –– can be quite tricky. Thankfully, we’re going to share a few key ways to ensure you’re able to renovate your office space within the terms of your lease. Check them out here:

Review Your Lease Agreement

It is absolutely essential for business leaders to carefully review lease agreements before they sign a legally binding contract with a landlord. Even if you have a good relationship with your landlord, written agreements can make it difficult for you to renovate your office space in the future. While each lease is different, most include a clause relating to alterations and improvements. And generally speaking, these clauses allow tenants the ability to make reasonable, non-structural changes to their rented space. (Note, most business leaders will still need to get approval from a landlord to make even minor changes to a rented space.) Unfortunately, some leases use very liberal language to define “structural” changes. As such, simply changing light fixtures without prior approval may be deemed in violation of a rental lease agreement. Before you begin any renovation plans, review the language in your lease agreement and define what you can and can’t change in your office space.

Structural vs Non-Structural Changes

In most instances, businesses looking to make non-structural changes to their office space shouldn’t have too much trouble working within the confines of their lease agreement. For instance, purchasing new furniture for your office space can be a simple and effective way to improve your work environment. Other temporary measures like non-structural and/or modular walls can help tenants reshape their office space without fundamentally altering the structure of the area.

Structural changes to areas may include load bearing walls, columns, the roof, and the building’s facade. These are often not allowed to be touched by a tenant, but in some instances, landlords may give an exception if they agree to restore the structural changes at the end of their lease. This means these sort of alterations are often, but not always, cost prohibitive for businesses.

Tenant Improvement Money (TI Money)

Another important thing to keep in mind when looking at your lease agreements, is to consider Tenant Improvement Money allowance. This is when the leasing party allows a specified amount of money per sq ft and per year for improvements to your space. Be careful to understand what this money will cover, because landlords often restrict what it can be used on. Most times they only cover things that will improve the overall value of the space, but each agreement is different. When working with Key Interiors, we work directly with you and your leasing company to bill the correct amount to each party in order to eliminate any confusion.

Working with Your Landlord

Perhaps the most straightforward way to ensure you’re able to improve your office space without violating the terms of your lease is to speak with your landlord in advance in regards to tenant build out. Good landlords shouldn’t have any problem approving minor changes you want to make within your rented space. What’s more, business leaders may be able to convince their landlord to allow more ambitious renovations under certain conditions. It may be mutually beneficial to a business owner and a landlord to restore a building’s facade, for example. You may also be able to rework your lease to allow for more significant alterations.

Contact the Pros

At Key Interiors, we have years of experience helping businesses navigate rental agreements to enact much-needed renovations, redesigns, and general tenant build out examples. Before you try to negotiate with a landlord on your own, make sure to contact our team first. We can help you determine your renovation needs, put you in contact with other helpful professionals in the industry, and create a plan that will work for all parties involved.

Categories
covid compliant design

How to Keep Your Commercial Construction Project COVID Compliant

As we’ve noted numerous times before, improving the nature of an office space can have a big positive impact on employee morale and productivity. And given the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, many business leaders have made the decision to alter their workspace for the foreseeable future. If you’re considering a new commercial construction project to improve your office design, you may be wondering how to manage such an undertaking. After all, it’s crucial that any office redesign project you start remains COVID-compliant throughout. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure your team, business partners, and customers remain safe and healthy during a commercial construction project. Here are several key tips to keep in mind: 

Partner with the Right Construction Company

As one might imagine, hiring a capable and responsible construction company will go a long way toward ensuring your commercial construction project runs smoothly. Make sure that you partner with a company that adheres to COVID-19 safety best practices and standards. In addition, construction companies should designate separate entrances and exits just  for their employees and provide them with separate facilities for regular use. The less contact between different groups of people, the better. 

Follow COVID Protocols

Ideally, you should try to ensure that your team members don’t have to come into contact with professionals from other work environments. Identify certain choke points –– like hallways or elevators –– and instruct employees to maintain a safe social-distance around these areas. In addition, following basic COVID-19 hygiene protocols can help keep your team safe. Wearing masks, washing hands, and sanitizing work areas frequently can cut down on the risk of transmission. Ideally, construction crews should work in sealed, isolated areas away from your employees, but it’s best to be prepared for any possible exposure. Note that construction crews should follow these COVID best practices as well –– in addition to other measures such as alternating work-day shifts.

Build Your Plan Now

Do not try to start a commercial construction project and implement COVID protocols as you go. Instead, before you partner with a construction company or start your project, be sure to develop a plan that encapsulates all of the standards referenced above. What’s more, depending on the size or length of your project, you may elect to institute even more rigorous measures. In any case, getting this covid compliant design plan down early will allow you to communicate your expectations to your business partners and to your own staff. 

Key Fact: Keep in mind that construction projects actually work better now with reduced office staff on site. This also allows for professionals to work in their own personal spaces without experiencing any disruption or distraction associated with commercial construction projects. 

Contact Us

Key Interiors can help your company successfully improve your office design and ensure your next commercial construction project remains COVID compliant. We’ll help you create a COVID-compliance design plan, implement measures like separate facilities and isolated work areas, and enable your team to perform at their best during construction. Contact us here to learn more or to get started today.

Categories
Office Design

Using Design, Build, Furnish Methodology for Your Office Fit Out

Improving an office environment is not a hypothetical exercise. Yet, unfortunately, many design consultants don’t help their clients address real-world issues. Business leaders looking to enhance their workspace have a number of different factors to consider, ranging from their budget, to their goals, to their available space, and even their time frame. Given that fact, it’s crucial that business leaders partner with organizations that can help them with all three phases of a full office fit out: namely, the design, build, and furnish aspects. Here, we’ll explain how businesses can translate office renovation plans into positive outcomes for their employees and customers.

Office Design

A great way to start the design process is to ask yourself these three questions: 

  • What are your current workplace needs? 
  • What are your projected workplace needs for the length of your lease? 
  • What do you want the atmosphere/culture of your space to feel like? 

Good office design should account for your goals, budget, and space. As such, beginning with an office space analysis is typically a wise idea. (This is particularly important if you have not already secured a space. Your business’s future design plans should influence this decision.) From there, business leaders can begin to focus on what functionalities they require from a new office. And, given the current situation, what COVID-19-based decisions they should make to create a safe office environment for all. 

Office Build

Once your company has decided on a working plan for renovation or redesign, the next step is to put it into action. This involves hiring contractors, managing key installation features like lighting and plumbing, and making adjustments based on changing timescales and budgets. Keep in mind that in most cases office construction may require permits or other legal documentation from local authorities that can take time and cause complication. In brief, there are a number of logistical challenges associated with this aspect of office renovation. However, as with everything, the devil is in the details, and seemingly small decisions made at this stage can have a big impact on the overall efficacy of an office fit out project. 

Office Furnish

Furniture, layout, and arrangement can influence the look and feel of a new office in substantial ways. During the final stage of an office fit out, businesses should focus on adding the finishing touches to their design plan. This includes making furniture purchases, reviewing detailed renderings, and setting construction dates. Choices made during this stage of the design process can affect the budget and schedule of your project. 

The Key Interiors Difference

Unlike other companies in our field, our team at Key Interiors works with businesses through all three phases of office renovation. We take time to consult with our clients to determine their design needs and assess their available resources and space. We collaborate with them to secure quality construction assistance and to manage logistical issues that arise throughout the process. We supply our partners with detailed plans and renderings –– along with a wide range of furnishing options for all budgets and styles. 

When you partner with Key Interiors, you’ll receive essential advice, support, and assistance through every stage of your office redesign or renovation. The right office fit out can dramatically improve employee morale, performance, and company culture. Contact us here to learn more about how we can help you make the office of your dreams a reality.

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Corporate Showroom      1072 N. Garfield St.
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info@keyinteriors.us