Fun + Games
G’day again from me, Baxter from Bellfort. I’m here once again to share my thoughts regarding all things interiors, design & fitout, and I hope you enjoy today’s topic.
I know, it’s not a topic that one always thinks about when considering an interior design & fitout. Especially a commercial interior design & fitout and I really believe strongly that every successful interior should incorporate some fun and games for everyone to share and enjoy. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting that we should just kick back and bludge. No, I’m definitely not suggesting that because that would be plain dumb. My suggestion is that adding enjoyable stimulus into any interior will make all the difference.
How do you do this? Well……….read below because that’s what I’m trying to tell you!
F+G 1 = Musicality
Having a melodious heart myself, I love the idea of music being a natural and normal occurrence in any commercial interior. Now, there are many genres of music but that’s a good thing because there are many different personalities that you find in each office. Basically, you are going to please almost everyone most of the time no matter what music may be filling the airwaves.
A sound system in a commercial interior will provide untold benefits to everyone. Through a few strategically placed speakers, and a simple, cost effective sound system, you will be able to listen to radio, albums and favourite artists whenever you choose to do so. It’s fun, soothing and a really flexible solution to covering all music tastes.
Design & fitout with harmony!
Then you can go a step further and have musical instruments incorporated in your commercial interior. Realistically, I’m not suggesting this is someone playing Greensleeves on the recorder and driving everyone nuts. How about considering keyboards placed in a convenient location so whenever you feel like tinkling the ivories, you can. How about a drum kit? It will let you bash out a mean beat and dust the cobwebs away so that you can get on to your next deadline. Or how about a karaoke setup, attached to your sound system. Yep, there might be a few red faces when you first try. But I bet you anything that laughter will be what you remember the most.
Down at Bellfort HQ, we’ve incorporated a sound system and keyboards into our office. We have constant music if we want it. And our designer is much calmer after stretching her fingers over a few octaves. If you would like to see more images of the Bellfort office, head over to our project gallery.
F+G 2 = Game On!
We’ve all seen images of interiors with foosball and table tennis games and if you have the space and want the opportunity to play, go for it. Most commercial interiors don’t really have available space to accommodate games that ground hog but how about smaller versions or utilising your walls?
Again, down at Bellfort HQ I know a certain person who has a tabletop mini soccer game on a desk. Personally, I’m not opposed to passing the desk now and then and having a game. I’ve never won yet but although I suck at soccer, a few laughs and relaxed interaction with someone is never a bad thing. It could be something as simple as noughts and crosses or prolonged, like a chess game.
Considering floor space is valuable these days, utilising walls for games makes sense to me. How about a dart board on the wall? Throwing a dart at a target on your way to the loo kind of appeals. You could even bedazzle your dartboard with faces of people you see every day for some further fun and see if that helps you reach the bullseye. I’m definitely not condoning violence with this suggestion but think of the reduced stress levels this could create.
Any commercial interior is a working environment and while we interact with colleagues, clients and patrons every day, I don’t think it would always be called fun interaction. Some of you may remember Mr Squiggle and how clever this pencil-nosed little man was. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s around anymore but that doesn’t mean we can’t re-create the Squiggle concept for everyone to enjoy.
A simple whiteboard or chalkboard is all you need. The next step is to leave a squiggle of some sort and see how it grows over a week as others add their own squiggles to it. Could be you end up with an amazing piece of art at the end of a week or maybe a messy mash, but I bet you anything that all involved will have enjoyed their contribution.
A similar concept can also be applied to a group mood board. It only needs someone to pin a picture (or magnet or sticky tape – whatever is easier) to a surface and then others can add whatever they like. You can have a mood board theme such as holidays or pets. And you can even have a board specific to what occurs at your place of work. The example that springs to my mind is a finance office. What if the mood board theme was numbers and you could only add different interpretations of the number 4. This could become a 3D masterpiece if people let down their barriers and consider language, colour, design, texture and size. Baxter old boy, I think you are a genius!
F+G 4 = Relaxalicious
Hmmmm, one of my favourite words and a commercial interior solution that everyone can enjoy. Fancy a large, comfy sofa that can double up as a meeting space, breakout or informal get together area. You can include TV’s and any of my other suggestions into this relaxalicious space but the key word here is RELAX.
I think it’s important in any commercial interior that everyone has access to an area that allows them to escape. Even just for a few minutes. These are often valuable minutes during our busy working lives but they are golden and we should allow more of it. I’ve been in an interior that had a relaxalicious space and I’ve seen people fall asleep, fall off it and even into it. But no matter what, it proved to be a dynamic area that everyone benefited from. I guess it could even stand in as the time out area for when people are misbehaving – if you need one!
Down at Bellfort, we are soon to finish off our relaxalicious space and I personally can’t wait. I just hope I’m taller than the shagpile carpet!
F+G 5 = Bizzarro
I just had to include this in my blog. Sometimes incorporating a touch of the bizarre into any commercial interior will provide a few laughs. And it will ease tension and get a grudge of a smile at the very least from the hard core unhappy. I like to help them see a brighter side of life whenever possible!
I cycled past an office the other day and happened to notice something amazing. They had a life-size multi-coloured zebra amongst their workstations! Why – I don’t know. What did the company do – I have no idea. But I can tell you that I’ve started to cycle more slowly past the area whenever I get a chance. I’m hoping to see this damn zebra again. I’m sure I didn’t imagine it. And I can’t help but think that the people working in this office actually enjoyed being there. I would and I would also like to know if the zebra has a name.
Design & Fitout Fun
Hopefully, my few suggestions of how to incorporate fun and games into your interior have given you ideas of your own. Remember that we all work for a living, doing whatever we do. And I firmly believe it’s essential to enjoy what we are doing. Have some laughs and don’t be so run down and stressed so you don’t enjoy your life. After all, we only get one chance at it, so we should enjoy it.
Cheers from
Baxter at Bellfort
79 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia
