Renting or buying a commercial space for your business is beneficial because it gives you a home base that represents your company and serves as a welcoming place for your clients or customers. Since many commercial spaces are bland and unmemorable, it’s important to find ways to make the space your own with interior design.
At Select Funding, we provide small business financing for companies that can be used in a variety of ways, including interior design for commercial spaces. To help you decide where it’s most advantageous to spend money, we have created this complete guide to interior design for commercial spaces.
What is Commercial Interior Design?
Commercial interior design is the art of transforming a commercial space into something that is both functional and attractive. It typically involves an evaluation of the space and what it will be used for and designing a new layout that will allow the occupants to use the space as efficiently as possible while providing a welcoming environment for visitors.
The emphasis in commercial interior design is typically on making the space function for the occupants. It should take into account things like workflow, collaboration, and privacy. At the same time, the designer must consider the aesthetics of the space and how people will feel working there or visiting the space for business purposes.
Commercial interior designers are accustomed to working within a budget and often have connections that will allow them to get discounts for office furniture and decorative elements such as artwork and plants.
What is the Difference Between Commercial and Residential Interior Design?
Residential interior design and commercial interior design have a lot in common. In both cases, designers focus on the needs of the people who will be occupying and using the space in question with an eye toward making it both useful and beautiful.
Commercial designers may work on office spaces, medical practices, retail stores, hospitals, and any other building or space that’s used for commercial purposes. Residential designers do their work in people’s homes and may work on a single room or redesign an entire house.
Functionality is often emphasized more in commercial spaces because there is a need for private spaces and collaborative, communal spaces, all of which are used for work. The designer will ask questions about how the space will be used and create layouts with those uses in mind.
Of course, functionality is important in residential spaces as well, but the functions typically have more to do with comfort and preferences than they do with workflows.
What Does a Commercial Interior Designer Do?
The job of a commercial interior designer is to talk to business owners about what they want their space to do and create a design that will allow them to do it. They must take into consideration these things:
- The company’s brand, business model, and customers
- The company’s priorities and goals
- Who will occupy the space being designed and how they will use it
- How occupants of the space interact with one another
- The experience the business wants customers or clients to have when they enter the space
Using this information, the designer creates a prospective layout and design for the space. They incorporate the brand’s colors and aesthetic into the design to make sure that the space does a good job of representing the company and providing a welcoming environment for employees and visitors. The designer works with the business owner to accommodate their budget and preferences, providing sketches and modifying them until everyone is satisfied.
Sometimes, a commercial interior designer is involved with design in new construction, which can streamline a commercial design project and facilitate rapid completion of the design after construction is finished.
When Should You Hire a Commercial Interior Designer?
There are several circumstances that might necessitate hiring a commercial interior designer. You may want to consider hiring someone to design your interior space if any of these things apply to your business:
- You’re relocating to a new space. When you relocate your business, it’s essential to make the transition easy for your staff and your customers. Hiring a commercial interior designer will help with both goals and allow for a seamless transition.
- You need to keep up with the competition. Interior design might have the biggest impact on your employees but it also affects anybody who visits your space and helps form their perceptions of your business. If it’s been a while since you have revamped your office space, you might want to consider hiring a commercial interior designer to give your space a new look and help you beat out your competitors. (Note: it may be particularly helpful to hire a designer who specializes in your industry or sector.)
- You’re expanding your space. It’s common for businesses to take over additional spaces in a building as they grow. If this applies to you, you may want to hire a designer to help you retain your professional appearance as you add new workspaces and square footage.
- You’re rebranding your business. Branding should extend to your commercial spaces because branding must be consistent to be effective. If you engage in rebranding, your interior space should be redesigned to reflect your new brand, including updating colors and other elements of your design.
- You want to save money. While it might seem counterintuitive to think that hiring an experienced interior designer would save money, it can absolutely be cost effective. Your space is more likely to be functional and convey the first impression you want if you hire a professional. A commercial interior designer can create a functional and beautiful space quickly and may also be able to get discounts on furniture and design features.
If your business is growing, changing, or moving, then it is likely worthwhile to partner with an experienced commercial interior designer to make sure that your space is functional and welcoming while also being representative of your brand.
Tips for Choosing a Commercial Interior Design Style
When you redesign a commercial space, it’s important to find ways to make your design style work with your specific needs. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Start with Functionality
We suggest starting with functionality because it will inform the layout of your space and should play into your design choices at every level.
For example, most offices will need a layout that enables employees to share technology and collaborate on work when necessary. Starting with the layout and how you intend to use the space will make it easier to incorporate the design elements you want without disrupting workflows.
Keep Your Brand in Mind
Branding can and should play a significant role in commercial interior design. If you have an established brand, your new design should begin and end with your branding. You’ll need to make sure that your designer understands your brand and your target audience, so they can incorporate your branding into your design.
If you are rebranding, then you have an opportunity to revamp your brand and your design at the same time. You should keep your brand’s colors, fonts, mission, and audience in mind. The design of your commercial space should align with your brand to create a seamless experience for anybody visiting your space.
Focus on Emotions
A big part of interior design is creating positive emotions for anybody in the space. Before you hire a designer, think of some adjectives to describe the effect you want your space to have on employees and visitors.
For example, you might want employees to feel energized and inspired while conveying trustworthiness to visitors. An experienced commercial interior designer will work with you to create a design that accomplishes all of these things.
Use Natural Light Efficiently
Natural light is often limited in commercial spaces, so it’s important to create a design style that maximizes whatever light is available. For example, using light and bright colors can make a dim space seem bigger while adding mirrors can reflect light.
In an office setting where most windows are in individual offices, you may need to get creative to find ways to give staff members who don’t have offices some natural light, which can boost creativity and elevate their moods.
Incorporate Natural Elements
We strongly recommend adding plants to your office space. They improve air quality and there’s plenty of evidence that people who work in spaces that include plants perform better on computer tests and experience less stress than those who work in spaces without plants.
A good commercial interior designer will know which plants will thrive in your location. There are many plants that do well in spaces with limited natural light and require minimal maintenance to stay healthy.
Don’t Ignore Walls
Walls in commercial spaces may sometimes get overlooked as part of interior design but that’s a mistake. Here are some things you can do to make your walls interesting and memorable:
- Choose artwork that aligns with your brand and mission.
- Create an accent wall with a saturated color or interesting wallpaper.
- Hire someone to paint a mural.
- Add textural elements such as metal wall hangings or plants.
- Incorporate a water feature.
These things can all add to the ambience of your space and help you create a memorable style that your employees and visitors will love.
Keep Flexibility in Mind
While it’s easy to create a style based on what your business needs now, you should also keep the future in mind. What happens if you need to expand your business by renting an adjoining suite or retail space? Can you adapt your design to changing circumstances?
The best commercial interior design has an eye on the future. You should think about your growth goals as you work with a designer to make sure that you have the option to update your design as your business needs change.
Get Financing to Redesign Your Commercial Space
Redesigning your commercial space can be essential—and it’s desirable to hire an experienced commercial interior designer to be sure that your design incorporates your employees’ needs, your brand, and the impact your space has on visitors.
Do you need small business financing to pay for a commercial interior designer? Select Funding is here to help! Learn more about our business financing options and begin the application process today.
