Office kitchens are the heart of the workplace. They provide a place for nourishment, socialising, and relaxation. Office kitchens in Sydney inevitably come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many will be enclosed rooms, while others will be open-plan.
As an office design company, we’ve designed and installed countless office kitchens for many different businesses. Each organisation has different needs, but we’ve found that open-plan office kitchens come with a wide range of benefits.
If you’re looking for office kitchen design in Sydney, consider an open-plan space. This is why.
A place to communicate
Communication is an essential element of a successful business. Therefore, you must be fostering good communication in your workplace at all times. And not all of this communication will take place in meeting rooms or at desks… in fact, many productive and creative conversations take place in the office kitchen!
A kitchen that is open-plan offers more opportunities for employees to chat. When they are able to see each other and interact easily, great things can occur! On the other hand, in a kitchen with enclosed areas, this sort of spontaneous interaction doesn’t happen anywhere near as much.
Of course, it’s important to find a balance, so that chattering employees aren’t distracting others or putting them off their meal. That’s where it’s essential to provide different areas in your open-plan office kitchen.
Provide different areas
The beauty of an open-plan office kitchen is that it’s quite easy to change the layout regularly. That means that you can comfortably provide a few different areas for employees in the kitchen area, and alter them where required. These areas might include an open area for chatting, enclosed booths for quiet eating, and large tables for group meals.
An area that is tailored for conversation and group meals is ideal for fostering collaboration and creativity. It’s often these settings that stimulate idea generation and brainstorming, often without your people knowing it. The change in environment can help create a dynamic way of thinking, and people are prone to coming up with new ideas at random in the kitchen!
On the other hand, you also need areas where employees can sit quietly and enjoy their meal in peace. This kind of environment allows them to unwind and de-stress from work, as well as get some much-needed rest. In turn, that makes for much more productive, creative, and efficient employees back in the office.
Utilise plants
Plants are natural acoustic barriers that help minimise noise pollution in open-plan offices, and open-plan office kitchens. They also look fantastic and have a wide array of health benefits for your people. These benefits include positives for the mental, emotional, and physical health of your staff, helping to create a happier and more productive space.
By placing plants in your office kitchen, you’ll help to ensure that when your employees are doing their best to take a break and relax, they’re getting the best chance to do so. Research shows that plants can reduce stress by about one-third, and actually reduce hostility between employees by almost half!
Considering the numerous benefits and affordability of plants, it’s essential that they are included in your open-plan Sydney office.
Ample light
Natural light and artificial light both flow easier through an open-plan office. The same can be said for an open-plan kitchen, where lighting is just as important. Open-plan design means there won’t be walls and permanent partitions in your space, blocking the flow of light. What’s more, this open space will allow artificial light to diffuse easily.
Good lighting is essential in every workplace, for a number of reasons. Every human being runs on what we call a circadian rhythm. According to the Sleep Foundation, circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions.
Our circadian rhythm can be interrupted by a lack of exposure to natural light, as well as poor lighting in general. This can trick the mind into thinking it’s day when it’s night, and vice versa. When this kind of confusion occurs, there can be serious consequences in terms of our physical and mental health.
In fact, disrupted circadian rhythms can make you more prone to mental illness, reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and even increase your risk of diseases like dementia. Thankfully, in an open-plan office, natural light will flow. Ensuring that you work with a professional Sydney office design company is the best way to get the right lighting solutions for your office kitchen.
Benches and storage
There’s nothing worse than a kitchen that doesn’t have enough bench space. This space is essential for a functional kitchen because you need bench space to store items, chop up fruit and vegetables and perform other cooking activities. Without it, it’s nigh on impossible to put together a meal or store food and condiments.
When designing an office kitchen in Sydney, plenty of bench space is a must. We understand that if your office kitchen area is cramped, it can be tough to fit enough bench space. But at Niche Projects, we’re able to utilise our knowledge, experience, and design nous to come up with functional and affordable solutions, ensuring you and your staff have adequate bench space.
Storage is another requirement in any kitchen, whether that’s at home or in the office. In an open-plan office kitchen, ensuring ample storage space is available can be a tough proposition. However, it is very possible! At Niche Projects, we’ve crafted a wide range of excellent storage solutions for office-based businesses all over the city.
We understand how to make the most of your space, whether you have an enormous office kitchen, or a simple kitchenette or nook. Selecting the right joinery is important because it must be affordable, stylish, and provide enough storage space. We work with exceptional cabinet makers and installers and can make sure you choose the right options for your Sydney office kitchen.
Hire a professional Sydney office design and fit-out company
If you’re looking for a functional, stylish open-plan office kitchen design for your Sydney workplace, you need to work with the best. At Niche Projects, we have a wealth of experience and expertise in designing excellent office kitchens in Sydney for a wide range of businesses. If you’re looking for office kitchen design in Sydney, get in touch with Niche Projects today.
