Does open-plan mean the end of the reception area?

Jane Bright

First published 04 July 2014, 1:00am

Around the world, offices are being designed with open-plan layouts. But does this mean the end of the office reception area?

No. It doesn’t.

First impressions really do count. The reception area is your first point of internal marketing.

It is where you communicate how do business. In the design of every office, the reception area is crucial to end a message about how you value both customers and employees.

Here are 6 tips to help you set up a reception area:

1. Include some company signage

Think about how big it is and where you put it. You should see the sign before you step through the front door. As a rule of thumb, the height of the smallest letter on the sign should be at least 8cm high.

2. Keep the rest of the office out of sight

You don’t want visitors to be able watch the minute-by-minute goings on of your employees.

Clients don’t need to see staff eating a tuna sandwich for lunch, so create some sort of screen or division between the reception area and the rest of the office. This might be planter boxes, laser cut screens, hanging felt mobiles or even just a wall.

3. Get the lighting right

Lighting helps dictate how a space is perceived. Cool fluorescent lights in the foyer and then a warm pendant light in the reception area will help put your visitors at ease.

4. Be aware of arrivals

If there’s no receptionist, you need to work out how you will know a visitor has arrived. You don’t want them to have to sit there waiting and you certainly don’t want them to have to come and find you.

5. Find somewhere for the mail

Leaving mail on the floor in reception says you really don’t care enough about the business to sort it out. Make sure there is somewhere for mail to be left and sorted.

6. Get the right chairs

Your waiting chairs should be designed for a commercial environment, not the dining room table. There are some classic examples – such as the Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair or the Le Corbusier Grand Confort chair – that have been used for decades.

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