Flexible offices – how to create an adaptable workplace
What is a flexible office?
A flexible office is a workplace where furniture, spaces and functions can change according to need rather than being fixed to a single use. In practice, this means employees choose the setting that best suits the task at hand – for example, focused work in a screened area, collaboration in a meeting space, or shorter tasks at a touchdown space.
The term is sometimes used as a synonym for an activity-based office or a flex office. They overlap, but they are not identical. An activity-based office is a specific organisational model in which spaces are designed around activities and employees move between settings during the day. A flexible office is a broader concept that also includes hybrid working, modular furniture solutions and the ability to scale spaces up or down over time.
Three levels of flexibility – daily, short-term and long-term
To understand what flexibility can mean in practice, it helps to divide the concept into three time horizons.
Daily flexibility covers the small adjustments that happen every working day. Rolling a chair over to a colleague’s desk, putting up a desk screen for privacy, adjusting a task chair for better ergonomics or switching between sitting and standing work. Here, simple solutions are crucial – for example, furniture on castors, desk screens that are easy to move and controls that are self-explanatory.
Short-term flexibility is when spaces need to serve different purposes over weeks or months. A team needs a project area for an assignment, part of the office needs to be divided for a sensitive collaboration phase, or lounge furniture needs to be rearranged to create a new dynamic. The solution is furniture that can be moved and reconfigured without compromising the overall look and feel.
Long-term flexibility extends over years. Here, the focus is on making sure the interior can change as the organisation grows, shrinks or relocates – without the furniture investment becoming obsolete. Modular furniture with a consistent design language, systems where modules can be added or removed, and products that can be upgraded rather than replaced are central to long-term sustainability.
Benefits of a flexible office
When a flexible office is well thought out and properly planned, it can deliver several measurable benefits – not automatically all of them, but they are possible to achieve with the right foundations in place.
Better space efficiency. When several employees share the same spaces and furniture, the office’s total footprint can be reduced, or the same space can accommodate more activities. This becomes particularly relevant in a hybrid context where not everyone is on site at the same time.
Lower premises and operating costs. A smaller footprint or better-used space means lower rent, lower energy consumption and reduced cleaning and service needs.
Support for different ways of working. Different tasks suit different environments. When employees can choose a space based on the activity, it becomes easier to focus, collaborate and switch between work modes without disturbing others.
A more attractive workplace. A thoughtfully designed working environment can help attract and retain employees. It is not the only factor, but it is a visible signal of how the organisation views its people.
Lower furniture life-cycle costs. Modular and multifunctional furniture can be used for longer because it can be adapted to new needs instead of being replaced. That is both an economic and an environmental advantage.
A touchdown space that can be transformed into a project space or meeting space by removing the table divider.
The Fields series, containing sofas, armchairs and tables, can be rearranged in new constellations when the lounge area needs to be adjusted according to changing needs.
Common challenges – and how interior solutions can solve them
Flexible offices do not automatically work just because fixed desks are removed. There are known challenges, and they need to be addressed both organisationally and through the interior design.
The risk of depersonalisation. When no space is “mine”, employees may feel interchangeable or anonymous. This is one of the most common criticisms of flexible offices in research and trade publications. From an interior perspective, this can be countered by creating clearly defined zones with their own character – a quieter zone with muted materials and screening, an active collaboration area with movable furniture and whiteboards, or a lounge with deeper, more domestic-style sofas. Personal storage for essentials also helps. It is possible to be desk-free without being stripped of identity.
Logistical friction. Finding an available space, carrying the right equipment and staying organised can become everyday irritations. The furniture side of the solution is about making movement between spaces easy through clear zoning and intuitive flows, furniture arranged so people naturally understand where to go, and storage placed close to where it is needed.
Poor acoustic environment. Flexible offices with many open areas risk becoming noisy if acoustics are not carefully considered. Here, furniture is an important part of the solution: floor screens and desk screens that absorb sound, ceiling and wall absorbers, and upholstered furniture whose textile materials help capture sound.
Poorer working conditions for some employees. Not everyone thrives equally well in a flexible office – employees with concentration difficulties, a need for privacy or specific ergonomic requirements may find it more challenging. The answer is not to abandon the concept, but to ensure the environment also accommodates these needs by including quiet zones, individually adjustable ergonomic office chairs, and the option of a more fixed workstation for those who need it.
Creating a flexible office – five practical steps
A successful flexible workplace is not the result of a single purchase order. It develops through a process in which needs, spaces and furniture are matched to one another.
1.
Map how the organisation actually works
How do different teams work today? How often are employees on site? Which activities dominate – focused work, meetings, collaboration or client visits? A workplace analysis provides the basis for space optimisation and reveals where the current space does not match employees’ needs.
2.
Define which environments are needed
Based on the mapping, a list of zones is created, including quieter work areas, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms of different sizes, project areas, a lounge for informal meetings and phone booths. Their number and size should be driven by actual use, not assumptions about what an office “ought” to have.
3.
Choose modular, multifunctional furniture
Furniture within the same range, or with a shared design language, makes it easier to reconfigure the office without disrupting the overall visual impression. Modular systems make it possible to rebuild rather than replace when needs change. Multifunctional furniture – storage that also serves as seating, or a screen that also works as a writing board – provides more functions per square metre.
4.
Invest in acoustics, lighting and screening
The physical environment is about more than furniture. Acoustic solutions – such as floor screens, ceiling absorbers and desk screens – determine how the space feels over time. Screening allows the same area to be used both for collaboration and for individual work. Lighting is an equally important part of the equation. The right light can define and invite people into different zones – brighter and more focused at workstations for concentrated tasks, softer and dimmable in lounge and collaboration areas. The ability to adjust lighting individually according to activity and time of day also strengthens the sense of control and comfort in the environment.
5.
Involve employees and refine
A flexible workplace should also be able to adapt after implementation. Gather feedback after a few months, observe how spaces are actually being used, and make adjustments. It is often in the first six months that the need for additions or rearrangements becomes clear.
Furniture that enables flexibility
Furniture is what turns the principles above into practical reality. Here are a few furniture families specifically designed to work in a flexible office environment.
Capacity is a modular office storage system that can be combined into different solutions – from personal lockers to room dividers, seating and project spaces. The system can be configured and built precisely around the organisation’s needs. The different modules fit together and align with one another regardless of how you choose to combine them.
Fields is a range of sofas, armchairs and tables whose modules can be connected and separated without damaging the upholstery. A sofa group can be reconfigured into a meeting setting with a table and monitor, or divided into two separate lounge areas. The sofas’ high backs can be used to create a room-within-a-room feel in open spaces.
Vibe is a family of floor, desk, wall and ceiling screens that both absorb sound and provide screening. The screens can be complemented with writing boards, shelves and other accessories, making them multifunctional. The floor screens are also available with or without castors – depending on whether they need to be movable or fixed in place.
Capella X is an ergonomic office chair designed to be adapted for different use cases. The chair is configured according to workplace needs – with or without armrests, with a high or low back, with or without a headrest – and works equally well in a touchdown area as at a desk workstation.
Get support with planning
Moving from idea to a finished flexible office is rarely a linear process. There are many trade-offs – between cost and quality, between space optimisation and the working environment, and between what is needed now and what must be able to change later.
Kinnarps Next Office® is a workplace analysis that helps organisations map actual ways of working, identify which environments are needed and size them correctly. The result is a concrete basis for decision-making on interior investments that fit the organisation’s needs.
