Top tips for your breakout area

Open Plan

At Leicester office furnishers we love an open plan breakout area. Having an open plan office has many benefits, but to us, one of the most important ones is that everyone feels included. Having the breakout area open lets everyone see each other and zoning off a breakout area with either carpet tiles, wall colours or furniture is a great way to be inclusive.

If you do need to partition an area, consider using glass so you can still see through to various spaces.

Games Area

A games area in a breakout area is a big hit! Sometimes employees need to blow off a bit of steam from a tense meeting or busy period of their day. Pop a table tennis or pool table in a corner to encourage a bit of movement in the office space. Pop a PlayStation and bean bags next to it for the ultimate gaming area, or a small putting green like Elmleigh did in the photo below. A Gaming area is a brilliant incentive when looking for new talented employees, it also encourages staff to leave there desks for a break. It may also act as an ice breaker when talking with new clients.

Kitchen area

Include a kitchen area into your breakout area. For an informal vibe, add a breakfast bar so you could be chatting with a customer/ colleague whilst making them a drink. Ensure that there is a tea point in this space, ideally a hot tap which saves boiling a noisy kettle and also precious time!

The kitchen area could also include some kind of Friday night bar space. Design something that is multifunctional. By adding the ad hoc Friday night work gathering, you’ll loosen employees up and encourage friendships in the workplace.

Ensure that this space has plenty of fridge space for staff to store their lunch. Include a small freezer for ice for those Friday night Gin gatherings.

Be Bold 

Don’t be scared when it comes to design. Do your branding colours need to be reflected around the office space? Use them as blocks of colour on the walls, upholstery and signage.

If you have glass partitioning, its a requirement that you have to have some kind of pattern on the glass, use your branding logo instead of a dot or stripe. Its another way to incorporate it into your designs.

Trying to keep it contemporary? Stick to a theme, for example, industrial or skandi. These two are both very popular choices right now which brings a bit of home into the office space. Wooden cladding/ panelling is not only popular for domestic use but in commercial spaces too. Use this on back walls to link rooms together.

Be Bold with not just the decor, adding furniture that is unique can create a designated breakout area. Tables with A Frames create a great spot for informal meetings and hybrid working. Add a pod/booth, to create a small space for a video call. Most large pieces of office furniture now come with the option of adding electrical points, we recommend to add these into furniture pieces when in a breakout zone to encourage collaborative work.

Practicality

A breakout area is usually used by everyone in the office, that’s the hope anyway. With that in mind, you need to ensure its easy to keep clean. Think about selecting surfaces that are wipeable, hard wearing and durable. Yes these can sometimes cost more, however, they may also come with a longer guarantee.

Lounging around

Consider adding a lounge/ chill out area to your breakout space. Include soft seating like sofas, armchairs for people to really feel at home. Having 10 minutes away from their desk resting their eyes might set them up for the rest of the day. Include natural elements to this space, biophilic design is a trend that we’re seeing more and more of. Bringing the outside in is good for wellbeing in the office. Ocee, Senator and Boss design are some of our favourites for soft seating in office spaces. The ranges that we can offer are extensive and the quality of fabrics is exceptional.