Our Predictions on Office Design Trends
for 2025

As we look back on 2024, it seems it was a year dominated by the return to the office debate. We saw many large organisations take a stance one way or another on the physical office with several high-profile companies opting to go public with their RTO policies. This created a lot of movement in the office market and left companies wondering how to get the best out of their people. It was a really interesting development for the future of work and one that guided new ideas and practices within workplace design.

What this achieved will really take shape in 2025 as the office has become more of a destination than ever before. The key to this destination workplace however is how to unite people and create harmony between all the different elements. We’ve all seen how quickly design trends evolve and respond to the needs of occupiers so staying ahead of the curve requires constant innovation. Here are some trends we’ve observed gathering momentum that we think are ones to watch in 2025.

Embracing the Resimercial Aesthetic

Whilst not a new concept, we anticipate the resimercial aesthetic – bringing residential elements into commercial spaces to create a more homely, welcoming environment – will be a key component of workplace strategies in 2025.

Resimercial is more than a design approach, it’s about the feeling you create among those who work in the space. A comfortable, relaxed environment that fosters collaboration and community, and makes people feel good about coming into the office is a much more attractive proposition than the traditional office.

More Inclusive Workplaces

Creating spaces that are accessible and inclusive for all is an area that has come to the fore in the last few years, as businesses prioritise employee wellbeing and seek to create a sense of belonging for all team members. Growth in the awareness and prevalence of neurodiversity has also led to more discussion on the topic and a recognition that diversity of thought and lived experiences leads to greater outcomes.

This has led to some organisations realising that their people work best when they are given some control over the work environment, such as having a choice of where they work on a given day (at home, or when in the office, a focus pod or task desk for example) or access to adjustable lighting and temperature controls. Flexible settings that provide a variety of seating styles including fidget furniture and workstations with sit/stand desks can also be beneficial.

We expect this area to continue to grow in importance as businesses refine their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, and consider the individual needs of their employees.

Prioritizing Better Buildings

As the workplace competes with the home office and companies increasingly must ‘earn the commute’ the need for high quality workplace experiences has grown.

This now extends beyond your individual office space, to the quality of the building, communal areas and amenities in the surrounds. Developers are also recognising this need, with many newer Grade A developments introducing mixed uses into their precincts with retail and hospitality space on the ground floor, and things like roof terraces, shower rooms, gyms and drying racks available for those who work in the precinct for example.

According to Gensler’s 2024 Global Workplace Study high-quality buildings significantly contribute to better experiences, unsurprisingly so. Having access to diverse spaces within the building—whether for meetings, creative development, or relaxation—gives employees the choice and flexibility they value.

Moving into 2025, the convenience offer will become more of a focus for employers. Offering services like in-house childcare, dry cleaning, parcel points and bike maintenance and repair, will grow in popularity.

Designing for Modularity

The move towards flexibility will continue. We anticipate individual workstations will phase out, with a move to unassigned desks and more flex spaces for many.

Modularity is becoming an increasingly important part of the way offices are being designed. With fewer people requiring a dedicated desk every day, there are more opportunities to use furniture that makes the most of available space, that can flex and change with the needs of the team. Moving to unassigned desks and reallocating some space can lead to significant savings and much more dynamic environments.

Bringing modularity into the workplace means sourcing furniture products and other design solutions that are easy to move and reconfigure. This approach means we can make better use of available space, introduce more collaborative spaces and social settings where teams can connect and innovate together.

Wellbeing at Work

There has always been a push for employee wellbeing to be improved in the workplace but the way organisations will approach this in the future will bring a totally new level to wellbeing at work. There are more exercise spaces and gyms being designed into workplaces than ever before and not only are these spaces helping people get active, they are well-equipped and helping people create routines for their working day.

From a design perspective these spaces range based on the size of the office they are in but there’s so many ways to create these spaces. Whether it’s a small multipurpose space that allows for yoga classes or large fitness facilities with exercise equipment, we’re going to see more uptake in allowing for wellbeing spaces in the office.

Investing in In-house Functionality

We’ll see an increase in demand for spaces you might not usually expect to find in an office in 2025. Things like podcast and YouTube studios for content creation, cinema screens to encourage employees to relax and recharge and foster connection with peers, for example. Every company is going to be different and it’s important to consider what aligns with your purpose and culture, but the concept of installing spaces that can offer real benefit to employees is so important. These features not only set the office apart from the home but also foster creativity, wellness, and a stronger connection among employees.

We’ve already talked about health and wellness spaces which are one of the in-house features we are seeing go into workplaces more and more. There is no right or wrong feature to install if there is a rationale behind it and remember, it pays to ask your employees what would improve their experience at work.

2025 will be about making the workplace an enjoyable place to be, encouraging employee engagement, participation and social connections, to foster creativity, collaboration, community and productivity.