Building Nevada - April 2002

Paint, Plants and Productivity

Interior Designers Can Boost Your Bottom Line

by Lynn Goya

Businesses today expect more from their interior designers than ever before. The interior designer of the past may have been consulted to revamp an office with a quick coat of paint and matching carpet, throwing in a few potted plants for visual interest. Now, certified interior designers are expected to help companies increase employee productivity, improve the bottom line and help save the environment in the process. Oh, yes - they are still supposed to select paint, match the carpet and throw in a few potted plants for visual interest.

The designer can create spaces that maximize productivity, increase sales and enhance worker satisfaction and retention, said Jim Eckes, president of Furniture Source of Nevada. According to the recent study from the American Society of Interior Design, as businesses increasingly seek to hold down costs and enhance profitability, "business decision makers are looking to office design as a tool that will help individual employees – and the company as a whole – work smarter and more efficiently." Space planning and an employee-friendly design may make the difference between profitability and failure. Clients want designers with expertise in space planning, ergonomic furniture and office settings, lighting, sound control, flooring, wall coverings, handicapped accessibility, worker and client safety and environmentally-friendly finishes and products.

This means designers must have a sophisticated and comprehensive background. Certified interior designers need to graduate from a school with FIDER (Foundation for Interior Design Education Research) accreditation, have a minimum of two years of design experience and pass a national exam and a state exam. Most also regularly attend product seminars, as well as conferences that keep them abreast of industry changes and new developments in the field. Nevada has 73 certified interior designers.

Furniture Source recently completed a new 6,000-square-foot showroom at 5850 South Polaris in Las Vegas to display some of the many lines of furniture and accessories available to construct the 21st-century office. It is the exclusive Southern Nevada dealer for Herman Miller, the company that invented the office cubicle and went on to become the second-largest manufacturer of office furniture in the world. Eckes said furniture manufacturers have been leading the pack toward more resourceful design. Moveable walls, for instance, can be reconfigured as the business expands to accommodate more employees or an additional conference room. If the entire unit becomes too small, the walls can either be taken to the new space or reconfigured for the new tenant. Since moveable walls are considered furniture, they can be depreciated more quickly for tax purposes than if they were part of a permanent structure.

Workstations are also becoming more flexible, Eckes added. Experts project that office space per employee will become increasingly limited in coming years. As space becomes tighter, businesses are relying on designers to help them create work areas that don’t feel cramped. One of the most popular office systems links desks in a beehive configuration that maximizes space efficiency while preserving an open feel. The "cave/commons" office environment concept, which recognizes that employees need both a private place to concentrate and a public area to dream together, can be achieved with some of these more innovative office designs. Walls-on-wheels roll between the desks, letting workers swing around to brainstorm with a colleague or close themselves in to concentrate on a project.

Businesses are also apparently tired of throw-away furnishings and finishes. "There used to be a maple trend, then cherry," said Reno designer Bruce Goff, owner of Domus Design Group. "Now clients are attracted to really dark walnut and mahogany and dark, dark, new textiles that tolerate abrasion and staining so that they can last for many years. What clients are looking for right now are things that will last and that allow them to change," he continued.

Another frequent request is for environmentally safe "green" products. The past 10 years has seen a quiet revolution in environmental awareness by many of our largest corporate citizens. In addition, green products for commercial use have become as competitively priced and creatively designed as traditional products. "Delivering designs that are more green and environmentally friendly went from being something that was done quietly, to something that clients are asking for, which is very new," said Goff. "We can offer clients products with less impact on the environment and also save them money," concurred Eckes.

Wallpaper, carpets and furniture may be made from recycled milk cartons or plastic bottles. Existing carpets may be stripped from their base and recycled instead of being dumped into a landfill. Large manufacturers not only provide recyclable finished products, but are reducing their own use of chemicals during the manufacturing and processing of their products. They now can produce nontoxic glues, paints, varnishes and flooring. "That is where the cutting edge is," agreed Tara Ryan of Ryan Young Interiors, "but it is going to take a while for a lot of people to come on board. Products need to be not just comfortable or just aesthetic, they need to be good for the environment."

"No longer are interior designers hired simply to select finishes and add fluff; we work with the architect, the owner and the end user from day one. A designer will work from the planning process on," said Derrell Parker, partner of the design firm Parker Scaggiari. An architect designs a "naked" building, laying out the emergency exits, the front and rear doors and any structurally necessary interior walls. The architect also lays out major corridors such as those that take one from the street to the elevator. But increasingly, interior designers are responsible for not only how the interior looks, but also how it functions.

Ideally, said Mark Trudeau, president of Offices Made, the interior design firm will be brought in when the tenant improvements are being planned. Designers can then make suggestions on where to place interior walls and doors, hallways and electrical outlets. They can make sure the plan complies with restrictions and codes such as those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). "Existing offices are grandfathered in," warned Trudeau, "but any new construction or additions need to meet strict standards. If they do not, it can be very costly in the form of penalties or lawsuits." Ergonomic standards need to be considered, not only from the point of view of avoiding penalties, but also because employees who are more comfortable can work more efficiently. Trudeau pointed to the example of a workstation that required the employee to move from side to side on a rolling chair to do various tasks. This caused her legs and back to become tired, so she would get up occasionally to stretch and walk around. A new workstation designed like a cockpit allowed the employee to reach all areas by swiveling in place instead of sliding. As a result, her legs were not strained and she could stay on task longer.

To reduce repetitive stress injuries, which have been increasing at a rate of about 25 percent per year, businesses are rediscovering the benefits of multitasking. Designers recommend desks with adjustable height work surfaces and see-through screens that can be personalized on a daily basis. By addressing ergonomics, furnishings and office environments designers can reduce two of the largest business headaches – healthcare expenses and employee retention.