From the cube farms of the 1980s to the reactionary, funky, youthful offices of the early 2000s, resimercial design has its roots in a long tradition of continually adapting to the latest ideas about what makes a workspace function best. The bold primary colors and bean bags associated with tech startups have evolved into the more mature, elegant iteration of resimercial design found in offices today. Lounge areas resemble living rooms. Lighting is softened and adaptable to the type of work taking place–think hue and tone in addition to brightness. Furniture is arranged so as to emphasize the flexible and mobile nature of how people work.
Interior designers have been in pursuit of this harmonious combination for a while, but now we’re seeing it more and more in new construction and in-home trends to support the work-from-home life.
Residential + Commercial = Design Evolution
Striking the right balance of professional functionality and a comfortable atmosphere is resimercial design in a nutshell. Resimercial, a blend of residential and commercial, refers to workplace design that relaxes the rigidity of a formal office; think less fluorescent lighting and more upholstered armchairs. It’s more than just changing some light bulbs and purchasing throw pillows, though. Resimercial design has come to describe a variety of working and living environments, from primarily commercial spaces to work-from-home offices and fusions of the two.
Work From Home and Home At Work
With the pandemic sending most office workers home last year, we no longer had to make our office spaces more homey but had to make our homes more functional as workspaces. As we start to go back to the office, whether full-time or a few days a week, the need to have traditional offices that possess a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere is key.
Many solutions function in both office and home spaces. Biophilic environments can be achieved through thoughtful design and technology. If an office space doesn’t have many exterior walls, this no longer means that soft, natural-feeling light is impossible. Smart light bulbs and easy-to-use systems like Pro Lighting from Savant and USAI Lighting can mimic natural lighting. In a home office, Lutron’s automatic shades make the room more usable all day, while conferencing solutions such as the Crestron M Series connect you to the office without leaving your home.
Resimercial Working and Living
This upwards trend of making offices feel more like home and bringing office-type functions into the private residence has led to an increase of ready-made live/work buildings. These multi-unit dwellings provide the residents with common workspaces that rely on the resimercial aesthetic, providing several options, from dedicated desks to sofas, depending on your mood.
They‘re also equipped with the functional components that anyone doing remote work needs. High-speed internet access, quiet spaces for making phone calls, and fully-outfitted conference rooms with screens and cameras are standard. Such work/live spaces takes resimercial to the next level, blending home comforts with work logistics in a building that provides both.
With smart solutions, the comfort, ease, and flexibility central to resimercial design are easily achievable, whether at home or in the office.
Responsive Living, the term coined by Acoustic Architects founders, Aaron Flint and Spencer Hauldren, is the concept of seamlessly enhancing the client’s unique lifestyle using smart home technology. Responsive Living allows you to interact with your space via touch input, voice command, and predictive automation, placing you in full control of your home.
If you would like to learn more about integrating new systems into your smart home system, feel free to connect with us. We will be happy to schedule a demo with you.
For more information, visit acousticarchitects.net.
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