Simple Design Strategies That Make Customers Feel at Home
Creating a welcoming environment isn’t just for homes—commercial spaces benefit too. By using smart, cozy design choices, businesses can make customers feel relaxed, comfortable, and more likely to stay longer and return again.
When designing your home, it’s normal to pick styles and features that make you feel comfortable in the space. The perfect homes you see in interior decorating magazines may look great, but in real life, they aren’t always practical. You want to live in a space where you can relax and feel free to be yourself without worrying about messing things up.
Commercial interior designers not only recognise the desire to create a comfortable home environment but also use that concept to help shape their designs. Understanding that commercial properties shouldn’t feel sterile, designers are looking for ways to make customers and clients feel more at home.
Showcase Natural Lighting as Often as Possible
Natural lighting can completely transform a space. It can make a room appear larger, more inviting, brighter, and more cheerful. When designing a home, it’s common to include plenty of windows to allow as much natural light as possible.
A commercial property can use that same design strategy. Allowing natural light into a commercial property also means it can help showcase products more accurately. It can be difficult to see the true colour of a product, design intricacies, and even workmanship if the property isn’t well-lit. The ideal lighting in a commercial property is to combine artificial warm light with natural lighting.
Ditch the Boring Paint Colours and Choose Warm Tones
Business owners often assume that neutral and boring colour palettes are the way to go. But if the commercial property is nothing but beige and white, the space will lack interest. The goal should be to create a bright and welcoming space that beckons people to come in.
For this reason, commercial property designers tend to recommend warm colours, including pastels and earth tones. The colours should complement each other throughout the property to avoid clashing and help create a more cohesive space.
Give Customers a Comfortable Place to Sit and Relax
Another design tip showing up in commercial properties is providing customers with a place to sit and relax. Indoor shopping centres are a great example, as you can’t go to more than a few stores before you find a cluster of comfortable seating.
Commercial property designers know that there’s nothing more comfortable than being at home and relaxing on the couch while watching a good movie, playing a board game with family, or accessing a $10 minimum deposit casino. Smart designers try to capitalise on that feeling because they believe that if a commercial property can emulate the same vibe people get at home, customers will likely stick around longer.
In terms of the type of furniture that designers often pick, think oversized and yet structured pieces. Leather, whether real or faux, is a popular fabric choice that adds a traditional and comfortable touch.
Add Pops of Nature to the Space
Here’s a design tip that homeowners use regularly: adding elements of nature to a space through décor, materials, fabrics, and more. A great example is using wood flooring, strategically placed potted plants, ornamental trees, water features, decorative stone, and more.
Each of these has fabulous design features, but commercial properties need to be careful they don’t go overboard. While home design features can be borrowed, the space still needs to remain professional. Designers may include a couple of nature elements in each room or area, which is plenty.
Home Entertainment Features Can Be Added to Commercial Spaces
This is another design element that overlaps home décor and commercial spaces. Just as most homes have at least one television, adding televisions to a commercial space can be a great idea. Depending on the type of property and the business that resides in it, there can be multiple televisions spread out around the property or just one or two in the waiting area or lounge.
Appeal to All Senses in Terms of Design Features
We’ve covered a lot of design features borrowed from homes that can be found in commercial properties, but not all are visible. Creating a comfortable space means appealing to all the senses, including things such as the ideal room temperature and air quality.
The temperature should be comfortable enough for people to spend long periods. That means not too cold or hot, and it will need to be adjusted throughout the year. Using smart thermostats, meaning the temperature will adjust automatically so no one needs to remember, is a good tip.
Air quality is something people are mindful of in their homes and take steps to improve. In a home, it’s common to open a window to allow airflow or use an air purifier. A commercial property is no different. If the windows don’t open, it’s a good idea to think about installing a ventilation system. It’s also worth noting that indoor plants act as air purifiers, so placing them throughout the space has both visual appeal and a health benefit.
Design Choices Have a Huge Impact on Commercial Properties
Each of these tips can help to transform a commercial property from a sterile atmosphere into a warm, inviting, and comfortable one. These efforts can be well worth it, as they can increase traffic in the space, help workers feel more comfortable and productive, and create a happier environment.
