Interiors Blog | ODP Business Solutions® Workspace Interiors

The Healing Impact of Art in Healthcare

If you’ve been to a healthcare facility recently, you may have noticed a pleasant change from years past — a softer, warmer, more homelike setting. No, you weren’t dreaming. Thanks to a number of studies over the last decade that point to the positive impact of art, many healthcare facilities have begun to emphasize art in clinical facilities of all types — inpatient, outpatient, pediatric, senior living and behavioral health. Interestingly, positive impacts are not limited to patients; they also extend to families and staff.

Measure Twice, Order Once: How to Measure Your Office to Get It Right the First Time

Ordering new office furniture is exciting. There are so many choices available, plus there’s the prospect of a fresh new look with all the latest bells and whistles you’ve been hearing about. Yep, it can be a fun project — as long as everything goes smoothly. But as soon as it becomes apparent that you forgot to make a note of the thermostat that falls right in the middle of the overhead hutch in your president’s office, the party’s over.

The Great Outdoors, Corporate Style: Alfresco Workspaces Are a Breath of Fresh Air

In recent years, office design trends have included elements like open offices, a return to mid-century style and the incorporation of many flavors of technology. But one emerging trend, which hasn’t been talked about as much, is the use of outdoor workspaces.

Is a Furniture Standards Program Right for Your Company?

The answer to this question is almost always yes for large businesses with satellite locations. Actually, it’s a no-lose proposition. The reason is that a standards program streamlines furniture purchasing and allows you to take control of the look and feel of your office spaces, reception areas and conference rooms — and it costs your company nothing. Imagine being the individual who manages the responsibilities of what was once shared by six people. Receiving a call asking you to drop everything to find and order an ergonomic chair can be overwhelming.

Designing an Open Office That Your Team Will Love

In recent years, more and more workplaces have adopted the open office concept. Although this approach used to be reserved for architecture and creative firms, it’s now standard for most modern workplaces. But are open design office concepts for everyone?

Front and Center to Student-Centered: DeFront Your Classroom

You may have noticed a shift in classroom setups and teaching styles in recent years. More importantly, you may have noticed more engaged, inquisitive, confident students who embrace trial and error. Coincidence? Not by a long shot. By design, innovative teaching practices have evolved the classroom of yesteryear into a collaborative learning lab. This new approach is anchored in the theory that student-centered learning engages minds and encourages students to learn by exploring and participating — not just by listening to lectures.

Best-Kept Materials Management Secret: the Advantages of Contracts in Office Furniture Projects

Have you heard that you can gain a competitive advantage by managing materials smarter? This has actually shifted from being an ace in the hole to a key survival skill for today’s organizations, including those in the public sector. With continual budget cuts that affect the head count for departments and entities, reducing expenses can mean saving a job for someone who otherwise may have been on the chopping block. In cases where fewer people are doing more work, streamlining processes can make a big impact in the efficiency department as well.

Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections: Furniture That Protects

Did you know that intelligently designed furniture can become an important part of infection prevention efforts? Although it might seem as if healthcare furniture and reimbursements aren’t connected, damage-resistant surfaces and minimal furniture joints (which reduce the harboring of bacteria) can form a frontline defense in patient rooms.

The Art of Project Management

When most people think of project management, they think of a linear process — in sequential order. Details such as certifications, logistics, lead times, labor scheduling and deliveries are common boxes to be checked off. However, there’s more to project management than meets the eye. Why? Because checklist items are only half of the story. The other half is what we sometimes refer to as the art of project management.

Wellness in the Workplace: From Sit-Stand to Stability Balls

We’ve all heard recent talk of sitting being vilified as the new smoking — along with chatter about what to do about it. With countless studies that highlight the negative impacts of sitting for prolonged periods being released, wellness has recently been finding its way into workplaces in unexpected ways. Designers have become savvy at integrating activity and wellness into office spaces.

Three Steps to Furnishing Your Office in a Rush and on Budget — and Making it Awesome

Imagine this: You’re the office manager for a company with 50 employees. You come into the office one Monday morning to a note that reads, “We have a training class starting next Monday. Please have the new training room set up and ready to go.” What?!? Deep breaths. You can do this.

It's Yours for the Making: Putting Makerspaces to Work in Your School

If you work in the world of education, you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about makerspaces in recent years. But what you may not have heard, is a breakdown of what makes makerspaces powerful and the many design considerations necessary for creating a successful one.

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