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While you may not be familiar with the term, “resimercial design” is something we see frequently but very rarely take the time to analyze. From the comfy couches in the office lounge to the cozy rugs and ambient lighting in the conference room, resimercial design is all about bringing the comforts of home into the workplace (that’s resi-mercial, get it?). By prioritizing employee wellbeing, this design philosophy not only enhances the aesthetics of a workspace but also boosts productivity and overall job satisfaction. It’s a win-win situation that incorporates natural light, comfortable furniture and elements that evoke a sense of homeliness, such as warm lighting, soft textiles and plants, alongside seamless technological integration. This fusion approach has captured the attention of employers looking to create a dynamic and appealing work environment.

As companies strive to attract and, just as importantly, retain top talent, resimercial design has become an increasingly popular choice for optimizing workspaces. Combining the best residential and commercial design strategies, these six resimercial spaces are great examples of the welcoming and comfortable environment at the forefront of modern office design.

The Vibes

By Infinitive Architecture, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Jury Winner, 2022 A+Awards, Coworking Space

Photographs by Infinitive Architecture

The Vibes by Infinitive Architecture is an office building that perfectly combines bioclimatic design with resimercial elements. With various open spaces and lush greenery, this building provokes tranquility and relaxation in the middle of a bustling city. The multi-zoning masterplan of the coworking space is developed to centralize the garden space to promote natural views.

The building is naturally ventilated, and the workplace areas receive ample natural light from the outdoor intersections, while the bamboo skin that makes up the façade also features integrated percussion balls that produce interactive vibration sounds in light breezes, adding a unique sensory experience to the office spaces. The Vibes is a remarkable example of how understanding the human experience when undertaking tasks can create a sustainable, comfortable and creative work environment that prioritizes employee wellbeing.

Venture X

By Studio+, Naples, FL, United States

Popular Winner, 2022 A+Awards, Coworking Space

Photographs by Seamus Payne

Venture X, Naples, is a coworking space that merges the comforts of home with the productivity of a professional office environment. Designed with a resimercial approach, the space features luxurious finishes and stylish furniture, making it feel more like a bougie apartment than a traditional office.
Gone are the drab cubicles and empty white walls. In their place are living gardens, moss walls and botanical table art that provide a beautiful, verdant backdrop to the coworking space.

The furniture is carefully chosen to complement the design aesthetic, with fabrics, finishes and materials all speaking the same design language. Venture X, Naples, is a coworking space that breaks the mold of traditional office design, offering a resimercial approach that promotes wellness, creativity and productivity in equal measure.

The Coven

By Studio BV, Saint Paul, MN, United States

Photographs by Corey Gaffer Photography

A coworking space that empowers women and non-binary individuals, The Coven is a space designed for inclusivity and comfort. Its flagship location in St. Paul, MN, was developed to encourage collaboration, creativity and community. The goal was to transform a dark, historic space into a bright and empowering environment that reflects the organization’s mission. The reception and open lounge area take advantage of the high ceilings and natural light, with bespoke features that reflect the historic character of the building.

Upholstered in soft blue fabric, the custom reception desk provides a cozy welcome. Color and material choices reflect the individuality of the members and guests, with unexpected pops of color and unique design elements that create a sense of personality and identity. A custom wall tile application in the coffee bar featuring The Coven’s mantra of “do the most good” serves as a bold and empowering statement. The space features murals, weavings, paintings, tapestries and other curated objects created by local female artists that express diversity and community, bringing a real sense of home decoration to the spaces.

Smart Design Studio

By Smart Design Studio, Alexandria, Australia

Jury Winner, 2021 A+Awards, Office Interiors <25,000 sq ft

Photographs by Romello Pereira

Smart Design Studio is a sustainable and sculptural building that fits seamlessly with the brick warehouses of this inner-city conservation area. It embodies the essence of industrial buildings in its aesthetics, functionality, economy and innovation.

The readapted industrial building houses a purpose-designed studio for tenants, Smart Design Studio, that combines traditional workplace design with a hint of resimercial design. On the upper level, a mezzanine overlooking the light-filled space encapsulates and comforts with soft furnishings and a familiar living room. Having multiple areas that can provide what workers need is an excellent way of meeting the needs of individuals.

GoodRx Headquarters

By RIOS Santa Monica, CA, United States

Jury Winner, 2021 A+Awards, Office Interiors >25,000 sq ft

Photographs by Jasper Sanidad

GoodRx Headquarters has undergone a stunning transformation from a start-up to a vibrant and inclusive workspace in the heart of Los Angeles’ tech scene. The combination of commercial and residential elements has been masterfully utilized to create a warm, inviting, and functional space. The design approach incorporates aspects of urban planning to accommodate GoodRx’s growing workforce, with social programs creating private moments in vast warehouse spaces.

The use of upcycled materials and an industrial palette adds an earthy, raw quality that’s visually striking and tactile. The space includes unique features, such as a speakeasy, a doctor’s room and a meditation and yoga facility, providing opportunities for employees to come together and connect. Overall, the GoodRx Headquarters embodies resimercial design, creating a welcoming, community-focused workspace that reflects the company’s evolving mission.

Office Brabant

Studio Piet Boon, NB, Netherlands

Jury Winner, 2020 A+Awards, Office Interiors – Low Rise 1-4 Floors

Photographs by Thomas de Bruyne

Studio Piet Boon was tasked with designing a Dutch office space that is both timeless and functional. The resulting structure draws inspiration from traditional farms in the surrounding area while incorporating a modern interpretation of a barn space, creating a one-story office that feels like a comfortable and inviting residence.

The main spaces of the building feature pitched roofs and brick walls adorned with coal-black wooden slats that open up the interior to the surrounding gardens. The use of brick ‘boxes’ with flat roofs connects the three distinct areas of the building, while the Fitness Center and Spa occupy a separate building that encloses a symmetrical patio with a tranquil water feature for privacy.

The building’s shape and large windows provide panoramic views of the surrounding golf course, while the windows overlooking the patio create a more intimate and cozy feel. The interior is designed with natural stone and light wooden floors, creating a harmonious blend of indoor and outdoor living. Soft, unsaturated colors are used throughout the building, and the plastered walls highlight the natural color of the wooden beams. With a focus on creating a warm and welcoming environment that seamlessly blends work and relaxation, this Dutch office space embodies the principles of resimercial design.

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Reference

Dezeen promotion: working from home during the pandemic has changed people’s expectations of their workplaces, according to research from office design leader Steelcase.

The Steelcase Global Report finds that issues concerning safety, productivity, comfort, control and a sense of belonging – all stemming from experiences over the past year – will lead to changes in the way that offices are designed in the future.

“After spending months at home during a crisis, workers have never been more in touch with what they want from their work and workplace,” reads the report.

“They have new and increased expectations of their employers and workplaces — desiring a dramatically different and better experience than the one they left.”

The report identifies four “macro shifts” that it believes organisations will need to address as employees return to working at the office.

These trends were already developing before the impact of Covid-19, the research suggests, but have been accelerated as a result.

Design for Safety

Safety has emerged as the primary cause of change in office design going forward.

Companies will need to reassure their employees that the office is a safe environment, by enforcing measures that minimise risk of infection.

“Pre-pandemic, when organisations addressed safety in the workplace, their focus was primarily on occupational health and safety standards,” reads the text.

“Now, they will need to take a multifaceted, systemic approach that prioritises mitigating the spread of disease.”

Steelcase’s research found that offices will likely become multi-functional environments

Social distancing measures, such as spaced-out furniture and partition screens, could form part of a long-term safety strategy, while advanced HVAC systems can monitor and maintain safe levels of humidity, filtration, air dilution and air movement in a contained space.

Companies will also need to optimise cleanability, by specifying materials that reduce the spread of infection. Sensor technology could also be introduced, to identify high-traffic areas that need to be cleaned more regularly.

Design for Productivity

During the pandemic, many suggested the office would develop into a social hub, primarily centred around group work and meetings, while focus work would primarily be carried out in the home.

However, the research indicates that the office is more likely to develop into a multi-functional environment.

In all 10 countries surveyed for the report, employees identified “collaboration” as one their top five requirements for their workplace. However, eight out of 10 also listed “focus”.

“Moving forward, organisations will benefit from creating multimodal spaces that support collaboration and focus work equally,” reads the report.

“The workplace can’t simply be a social hub that brings people together with the expectation that individual work will happen at home. Research tells us this is not an inclusive strategy since many people struggle to focus at home.”

It is recommended that workspaces provide spaces that support four types of activity: in-person collaboration, virtual collaboration, privacy and movement.

Design to Inspire Community

In every country surveyed, people identified connection to others and a shared sense of purpose among their top reasons for wanting to return to the office.

Although working from home offered some benefits, many also found it to be an isolating experience.

Going forward, the indication is that the most successful offices will promote community amongst their employees.

“Organisations will need to rethink the purpose of the office from simply a place to work to becoming the infrastructure for building social capital and fostering a sense of purpose and belonging,” reads the report.

Design for Flexibility

The research identified a clear need for comfort and control in the future workplace.

Those who have been comfortable working from home, in terms of their physical, cognitive and emotional needs, will demand the same from the office. Whereas those who have been uncomfortable at home will be more acutely aware of their comfort needs.

Similarly, people report being more able to reconfigure their home environment to suit their needs, whether that means moving furniture or changing the temperature.

As a result, flexibility looks likely to become more important than ever in the office.

“Organisations need to design spaces that can be easily adapted, especially as more flexible work policies are implemented,” reads the report.

“The workplace must be designed to provide individuals and teams greater control over their environment so they can change it on demand.”

Steelcase’s Design Principles

Additionally, Steelcase has compiled four design principles for workspaces that meet new employee needs. These include Me + We, Fixed to Fluid, Open + Enclosed and Braiding Digital + Physical.

Me + We involves balancing the needs of individuals and teams. It aims to create environments designed for both focused and collaborative work to ensure a professional working environment.

Fixed to Fluid encourages greater flexibility and mobility, championing spaces that can change to fit individual and organisational needs.

Open + Enclosed provides both enclosed “me” and open “we” spaces. According to Steelcase, individual workers may require shielded working environments “to control privacy and safety”. It also references how teamwork may require increasingly flexible spaces that can change based on their activities.

Braiding Digital + Physical advocates enhancing human experiences with technology. It aims to create solutions for group and individual video interactions – not constrained to phones or laptops – to support artificial intelligence-guided or data-driven experiences.

The full report is available to read or download on the Steelcase website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Steelcase as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Reference

workplaces

Resimercial Architecture: Workplaces that are Designed to Feel Like Home