Every great interior design includes efficient space planning, creative use of colours and textures, and agile furniture. An intelligently designed office can really motivate a workforce and help a business thrive. But design isn’t just about the way things look, it’s also about the way thing’s function.
Lighting is one of the most important elements of any commercial space. It can work to improve (or dampen) the mood of an environment, complement working requirements (that means no glare!), support wellbeing and boost productivity, and offer a contemporary aesthetic to effectively illuminate your interior design.
If you’re not too au fait with commercial lighting options, fear not! Here’s a brief outline for you:
Surface mounted or recessed lighting?
This is one of our most commonly asked questions. Ultimately, it’s down to personal preference but can also depend on ceiling build up. Surface mounted means that fixtures are mounted onto the surface of a ceiling or wall rather than housed within it. Recessed, often referred to as downlights, means that fixtures are installed directly into a ceiling or wall.
Cost wise, recessed lighting is more expensive as it requires numerous fixtures to illuminate the same area. Both options offer relatively equal application efforts but truly stand apart when it comes to the aesthetic they provide. Recessed is more minimalist and lends a clean, streamlined look to any commercial setting. It can highlight features or artwork and opens up spaces to make them appear larger. That said, if you’re working with a large room, you’ll need to add a lot more of them to create your desired effect.
Surfaced mounted lighting has greater flexibility as you can add it anywhere that has a flat surface. An ideal choice if you want to attract attention with a decorative aesthetic or highlight a particular area. A great example is our recent fit out for Stonegate Tools. We installed surface mounted lighting with black casing for a bold, standout lighting solution in the boardroom and feature lighting on the walls. The perfect end touch to complement their new interior design.
However, some will argue that surface mounted looks ‘clunkier’ than recessed, others will say that recessed looks cheap. It is really a matter of preference and what works best in your surroundings.
LED 600 grid panels
These are the most commonly utilised in a commercial space due to being a highly cost-effective solution. Though not the most aesthetically pleasing lighting choice, offices tend to opt for a suspended grid ceiling due to easy installation and their acoustic superiority over MF or exposed services. We added LED 600 grid panels in the ceiling grid along the corridors and in several offices at DAZN, Leeds. As you can see from the pictures, it didn’t stop there – on some of the grid there were surface mounted linear battens. This was something a little different but nonetheless the black battons stand out against the white grid and add that design feature to the office.
Here’s a tip. If you have a suspended grid ceiling but don’t like the look of it, we recommend replacing the tiles with mesh ceiling tiles for a sleek, industrial look. No rewiring and no cable tidying required. You can also add a Class A acoustic roll to improve your office acoustics. You’re welcome!
Pendant lighting
A great option for zoning in open plan offices, particularly if you’re looking to add an attractive yet functional aesthetic over collaboration areas, meeting rooms, reception desks or breakfast bars, to name but a few. Singular bulbs can look highly effective at staggered lengths from a bulkhead and are super cost-effective, but you do need to be mindful of lengths, you don’t want to block important visual equipment if you’re in a meeting!
We featured pendant lighting within our design for Innova above the breakfast bar, in one of the private offices and above the giant chess board. A diverse variety of lighting choices for a fast-moving office with flexible working arrangements.
Wall lighting
Tends to be more popular in a residential environment but is definitely making its way over to the commercial setting once again. Our usual top spots for wall lighting are alongside mirrors in washrooms or around banquette seating in communal areas. An overhead arch light or bulb light between benching can really bring seating to life whilst providing the necessary functional qualities for tasking (like we did with the booth seating in the canteen at Stonegate). Overall, there are few boundaries with wall lighting. We’ve recently placed a wall light in a bolthole to add to a highly focused working space!
Linear lighting
If you’re looking to create a sophisticated, boutique feel within a room or space, this is the one to choose! You’ll often see linear lighting in high-end offices, reception areas and hospitality settings though they provide a sleek modern aesthetic to any commercial setting – just like the offices we did for Riva. You can check out the video showcasing their spectacular fitout on our YouTube channel. If you’re lucky enough to have exposed ceilings, then linear lighting is a fantastic addition. If not, it can also be inset into MF ceilings.
Neon lighting
A great fun feature to add energy to any commercial space. You’re probably used to seeing neon lighting in hospitality settings but we’re also seeing more in high end offices, particularly reception areas. Neon lighting looks fantastic on top of biophilia in contemporary offices and can really bring a tired space to life. An ideal addition to offer an uplifting quality in any modern office.
Got you thinking about your commercial lighting?
If you’re finding that productivity is wavering and wellbeing is declining, it might well be the case that it’s time for an office makeover. Or perhaps it’s simply time to give your space an uplift with an eye-catching design and productivity-inspiring lighting option that serves to manifest creativity.
How can Metirium help?
As office fit out specialists, we can instinctively identify the best interior design to suit both your working environment and your brand identity. We have worked with a wide range of businesses and organisations to create cutting-edge workspaces in need of a transformation. We provide a full design and build service, project management, layout design, interior design, lighting, specification, and furniture.
Don’t hesitate! Give Metirium a call today to get your brand-new office design in motion!