Resimercial office design is a recent development in workspace design. A formation made up of the words residential and commercial, the resimercial design aesthetic attempts to bring some of the elements of comfy home design into the workplace in an attempt to boost creativity and make employees coming back from work-from-home situations more amenable to in-office work.
What does resimercial design look like?
Many businesses noticed during the pandemic that working from home actually improved employee productivity in many ways. The hope, with resimercial office design, is to bring the feel-good comforts of home into the workplace to reap some of the productivity, creativity, and employee morale benefits seen during the remote work phase of the pandemic. After all, research does show that people tend to get their best ideas in a domestic setting, rather than in an office setting (ideachampions.com/downloads/Best-Ideas-Poll.pdf). Resimercial design often includes features that offer comfort and coziness: dim lighting, soft upholstery, rugs, and photo frames. More importantly, however, it promotes certain kinds of behavior through the directions that it takes. What follows are the key ideas currently used in resimercial corporate workspace design.
Allowing recumbent postures
Sitting bolt upright in an office chair has always been the traditional way to present yourself at work. It makes you feel like you do your best work that way, and it helpfully puts on display to your colleagues that you aren’t slacking off. Modern resimercial office design, however, encourages a reclining recumbent position for workers, to encourage creative thinking. Studies show that people tend to be more effective at problem-solving when reclining or lying down than when they sit upright. The science behind this tendency speculates that when you’re upright, the area of the brain known as the locus coeruleus becomes hyper-focused. While being very focused might sound like a good thing for work, it isn’t for creativity, an activity that requires mental processing that attempts an awareness of several areas of thought at the same time. Office design that allows recumbent positions may be better for creativity.
Placing artwork where employees can see it
Office designers often place artwork where visitors can see it. Such artwork raises the public profile of businesses. Placing paintings in front of employees can be good for the stimulation of creativity, however, according to a recent study. Viewing art, according to such research, primes the mind to seek learning, exploration, and novel experiences, all excellent predictors of creative achievement. Observing art, according to other research, stimulates risk-taking areas of the brain to encourage the pursuit of untested new ideas.
Places to take naps
It used to be that employees caught napping at work would get fired. These days, however, major, well-admired corporations routinely offer employees nap pods for some quiet rest time throughout the workday. Experiments show that creativity is boosted following nap time. There is even evidence to prove that subconscious creative thinking continues to work through midafternoon sleep.
Showers and fireplaces
Homes have showers and fireplaces, and these are features that are imitated in resimercial design for very good reason. People tend to let their minds wander in the shower. When this happens in the office, they are likely to think idly about work-related matters, making for happy thought accidents and insights.
Time spent by fireplaces is often associated with creative thinking, as well. Research shows that the dancing of flames induces the eyes to rapidly move in what is known as a saccadic pattern, that has been associated with novel ideation. This effect doesn’t even need the ability to view a real, wood-burning fireplace. Ventless fireplaces work, as well.
You might think of dismissing resimercial design as a fad, but there is considerable scientific evidence that makes the point for taking it seriously. Choosing resimercial design can be the factor that gives your business the competitive edge that it needs in creative productivity.
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