Commercial Office Interior Design Guide

Start with space standards, not moodboards

Plan on roughly 60–80 sq ft per person for an open-plan layout including circulation, plus meeting rooms at one seat per four to six staff. Undersizing meeting capacity is the most common planning error teams then hold meetings at desks, which destroys the acoustic environment you paid for.

Open plan, cabins, or both

Pure open plan is cheap and flexible but unforgiving acoustically. Pure cabins waste daylight and area. Most well-functioning offices use glazed cabins on the perimeter or better, on the core with focus rooms distributed through the floor so anyone can find quiet within twenty steps.

Acoustics is the difference between good and bad

Three moves cover most of it: build partitions full-height to the slab rather than to the ceiling grid, add absorptive ceiling or wall treatment in open areas, and use door sets with proper seals in meeting rooms. A glass box with an unsealed door is theatre, not a meeting room.

Lighting and daylight

Target roughly 300–500 lux at the desk with glare control, and keep the ceiling brightness even. Put daylight-facing rows on separate circuits so lighting can dim where the sun is already doing the work.

Budgeting a fit-out

Budget separately for IT infrastructure, UPS, access control and furniture if they are not explicitly inside the fit-out scope.

FAQs