First impressions are everything when meeting with prospective clients: no matter the circumstance, your first impression will resonate within your client’s mind, help make it a favorable one by designing a welcoming environment.
The most obvious place to start with this in mind is the reception area. Every office has one and it’s important to make the visitors feel welcome inside it whether they be clients, investors, inspectors or agents. Creating a comfortable “Home Like” sensation will go a long way in establishing a good first impression.
Furthermore, reception areas are more than mere physical entrances and waiting areas, they are an introduction to your companies’ mission, goal and brand values. The materials, colors and finishings used in this space along with the moods inspired, all go towards the development of your Brand Identity.
Workplace reception areas, the makings of a perfect project
Reception Desks can be designed with standard furniture such as Level’s minimalistic Basic and L02 desks, either in a linear or curved style and completed with front and lateral panels integrated with frosted glass or melamine shelves in order to create a useful worktop.
Next to consider is the space behind your receptionists’ desk, this space is perfect for wall claddings incorporating different colors and finishings or graphics that showcase your brands image, company logo and or motto. Moreover, tech furniture and Smart Wall partitions can add a modern touch to your entrance and waiting area while using softer furniture like sofas, armchairs and low tables from Level’s Oasis series to add a calmer more natural feel to the space.
Tailor-Made Office Receptions, Six Exceptional Projects
Reception desks are often designed and constructed according to custom measurements in addition to integrated low cabinets and wall claddings allowing the same style to be maintained throughout the area. Starting with materials such as wood, laminates, lacquered laminates and essences, it’s possible to create a plethora of various customized solutions, allowing you to find the perfect look and feel for your welcoming area.
Lighting is another essential topic, however, thanks to the use of integrable LED lights, light can be added to furniture and claddings in a dynamic fashion; under skirting/shelves or up lateral panels, etc… enhancing furniture outlines.
The following six examples are good sources of inspiration for when it comes to designing your own office reception:
Backlit Reception – Leo Pharma
As mentioned previously, lighting is fundamental when it comes to a space’s perception. In Leo Pharma’s office design, the reception desks frontal panel incorporates laminated glass with a white backlit film (to diffuse the light). The worktop is finished in white laminate while the shelves and lower skirting are finished in polished steel. This along with the lower white lacquered cabinets and back painted glass worktop forms a minimalist style that is present throughout the space.
Linear Reception with Graphics – Indra
The clean minimalistic lines of Indra’s reception desk are enhanced by the front and lateral anthracite laminated panels, giving the space a monolithic style, which is further intensified by the warm lighting around its skirting. Its light grey melamine worktop contrasts its darker structure and shelves, while their logo is displayed on the separation wall and completed with a vibrant emotional image.
Mixed Material Reception – Growermetal
Using different materials together can add a unique touch to the welcoming area as seen in Growermetal’s reception desk, where they merge a Congo colored blind wall with a reclined steel panel desk, along with a thick black framed backlit glass panel. The same effect was also chosen for their walls cladding, using Congo panels together with a glass corner partition covered with a striped frosted film to guarantee visual privacy.
Framed Reception – Jumbo
This custom-made project for Jumbo’s reception desk has a frame made of Ebano Makassar and contains brown front and lateral back painted glass panels which are enhanced by a backlit wall. The worktop uses dark brown leather which matches perfectly with the other finishings, while its skirting is made of polished steel.
Circular Reception – Canali
Reception desks can also have circular shapes such as the one realized for Canali’s headquarters in Milan. The curved brushed steel panel hides the desks structure along with its Cleaf Rovere Seta worktop, while the shelf that follows the line of the panel is made with a grey back painted extra-clear tempered glass.
Artistic Reception – ICBC Bank
The reception desk itself can also become a unique art piece adding a tasteful flair to the entrance of the office, a good example of this is ICBC Bank’s reception desk for their offices in Milan. Made by a central cylinder surrounded by various curved elements with different radii. Additionally, the worktop is curved and finished with a white retro varnished glass.