Creating rest areas in the office

It is essential to have a rest area in the office but it can be a challenge to create one. ELKE Mööbel has years of experience in furnishing offices and here are our tips for creating office rest areas. 

Purpose and users

First thing you do is think of the purpose of the rest area. Is it the place where colleagues can get together, drink coffee, read a newspaper and gossip, or a place, where you can work as well.

Another important thing is to decide if the area is meant only for the personnel or is it also a waiting area for customers. When you start designing the rest area, it is a must to think about how comfortable the users will feel there.

Rest area for a quick break

It could be a good solution to create smaller rest areas near workstations, which can be used for a quick break or to stretch and have a coffee.

Noom armchairs and Tabula Tar-10 coffee table. Manufacturer: Actiu

Rest area in Grant Thornton Baltic office. Interior architecture by Ace Of Space, photo by Märt Lillesiim

If most of the work is done sitting, then it is a great idea to furnish the rest area with high tables and bar stools, so there’s a choice to sit or stand during the break time.

AAS 38 stool and New Order high table. Manufacturer: HAY

Combined rest and work area

It is worth investing in a rest area where personnel can switch off from work or work alone and also in a teams. It is preffered to use privacy allowing furniture when creating this kind of area, such as armchairs and sofas with high backrest.

Longo series. Manufacturer: Actiu

Outline sofas, Relate side tables and Echo poufs. Manufacturer: Muuto 

Bail sofa and coffee table together with Parker poufs. Manufacturer: Johanson Design

Rest area as a meeting place

Turning walkways and halls in to small rest areas are a good solution if you want your rest area to serve as a meeting place that is accessible for everybody. Such corners are ideal for quick catch up and spontanous discussions.

Bend modules. Manufacturer: Actiu

BOLIA Cloud sofa, Posea bench and Botanique flower pots together with HAY AAL 92 armchairs and Slit sdie tables in Tele2 rest area. Photo by Märt Lillesiim

Johanson Design B-Bitz modules in Ramirent Shared Services AS office. Photo by Andres Treial

Points to consider:

• If there’s no space to create a separate rest area, consider turning the hallway or a lobby into a rest area.
• If the rest area is located in a lobby or a hallway, echoes or distant noises could be a problem. Use sound absorbing solutions to reduce the problem. 
• Multipurpose functional furniture (such as stools or modules on wheels) has a big importance in furnishing rest areas. This way you can change the setting of the rest area when needed and create more sitting space or the other way around. 
• When choosing soft furniture for the office rest area, keep in mind the fabric parameters - they should meet the requirements for the public space use.
• Don’t forget to make the space cozy. Cozyness and comfortable atmoshere can be created by using table and floor lamps, which add warmth to the space.
• Greenery can add homely feeling to rest area.