Current trends in business seem to be moving constantly towards flat management hierarchies, with open-plan offices and hot desking increasingly the norm. At Complete Carpet Co, we are often called on to come up with flooring solutions for huge, undivided office spaces, posing a challenge in terms of design and suitability.
Executive suites offer a different set of challenges: how to make something look a million dollars without costing it, how to stand out from the mainstream and how to reflect the company’s vision and character in every detail of the design. After all, this space will help represent the company to its most important clients and partners.
Wonderful Wood
Solid timber floors have a timeless elegance and work in most executive office environments. They suit the less frenetic pace of work in the executive suite and exude an air of calm and security. Cheap carpet and flooring will not do here, so choose the best hardwoods and consider parquet flooring to make your space stand out from the crowd.
A solid wood floor offers a durable and practical surface that can last decades with very little maintenance. The warmth of colour, the reassuring sound of shoes on the surface and the traditional appearance all call to mind the hushed working atmosphere of established institutions. Wood floors are design shorthand for consistency, sophistication and professionalism, and they can form the backbone of your interior design.
Clever Carpet Tiles
Even a largely open-plan office will often have an executive suite. In this situation, wooden flooring for just one area may be impractical, yet it is still possible to signpost the different areas using just your floor covering.
Carpet tiles have developed hugely in recent years. One simple and effective way to mark out different areas in a large space is to use varying colours of tiles to subtly channel people through your building and almost subconsciously indicate different areas.
Classic Carpet
A similar effect can be achieved with carpeting, perhaps by opting for a longer pile or bolder colour choice in your executive suite, rather than the classic Berber-style carpet in a safe, neutral colour that currently dominates commercial carpet sales.
Less footfall, as well as a desire to emphasise luxury and capability over simplicity and durability, make longer-pile carpet a great option for executive suites. It also has the advantage of reducing noise and creating a more discreet and serene working environment. Move furniture regularly and use carpet protectors to avoid crushing the pile.
Best Of Both Worlds
A final alternative is to combine the hardwearing good lucks of wood with the space-defining elements of carpeting by using high-quality rugs. Often thought of as a domestic flooring solution, rugs can be fantastic in the workplace and are great for warming up wooden floors and adding definition to work spaces. Executive offices are often dominated by desks and cabinets; a rug helps to create another focal point in the room and soften the look of all those hard surfaces and edges.
If you are rethinking your office layout, start from the ground up and contact Complete Carpet Co to discuss the difference flooring can make to your workspace.
