Comfort-Driven Office Design: What Every Workspace Needs

What Does Comfort Actually Mean in a Commercial Space?

Randi Lynn Johnson: Welcome to Design to Help your Business Grow. I'm your host, Randi Lynn Johnson, with Pasley Commercial Interiors. Today, Robin, I wanted to talk about what people think of when they think of interior design — the things that make a space comfortable and look good. We're going to talk about colors, lighting, comfortable seats, all of that.

Robin Pasley: I hear one word that you keep saying, which is comfort. Is that our thread?

Randi Lynn Johnson: Let's make that the thread.

Robin Pasley: Comfort is something everyone wants. We don't want to be uncomfortable in a space — although I have been to many spaces with really uncomfortable chairs. It is a focus in a workspace, a gathering space, a hospitality space, an office, or a retail or food and beverage location. There are some spaces where owners don't want people to be too comfortable because they want them to move in and out. But when comfort is part of the brand — when they want people to feel welcomed, to feel hospitality — that is definitely something we focus on. There are so many different facets to comfort that we can address from many angles, whether it's materials, lighting, or the actual furnishings in the space that invite. Soft seating says: sit down and stay for a bit. That's where some companies say no, don't stay too long.

Randi Lynn Johnson: Is it possible — because you said you've been in non-comfortable seats, and I know commercial furniture has to have different coverings for fire ratings and all of that — is it possible to find really comfortable commercial furniture that looks good?

Robin Pasley: Yes. That's part of our industry that has changed a lot in the last several years. Going way back, there are even specific designers who were noteworthy through the decades because they created very ergonomic seating.

What Is "Resi-Mercial" — and Why Does It Matter for Your Office?

Robin Pasley: A new term that's been adopted is "resi-mercial" — trying to bring a mix between residential and commercial furniture. I think it's even more important now because after COVID, people worked from home for so long they got used to soft seating, sitting on the sofa with a small table, or lounging to take phone calls instead of sitting at a desk. That approach is being adopted more and more in the workspace.

Randi Lynn Johnson: When you think about people being comfortable, home is where we are most comfortable. The whole idea of resi-mercial is really smart because we spend a lot of time in commercial spaces — we're at work for more hours of the day than we spend with our families at home.

Robin Pasley: That's a topic for another day.

Randi Lynn Johnson: We don't cover that in this podcast, but it is important. Okay, so we're talking about color, lighting, and seating. Let's unpack seating. As a business owner — or even as an employee — what do I look for when deciding what kind of seating I need? How do I know what will last and meet our needs?

Robin Pasley: As a business owner, one of the things to always think about is whether the furniture is suitable for your usage. One of the first things to look for is BIFMA. B-I-F-M-A is a certification that furniture can receive by passing a series of tests — ergonomics, air quality, health, and more.

Randi Lynn Johnson: Can you define ergonomics?

Robin Pasley: Ergonomics is the way the human body interacts with something. It could be the reach to a shelf, the way our hand grips something, or just the natural way the human body is built — how we stand, touch, reach. The fact that almost all kitchen countertops are 36 inches high is ergonomics. Very tall people would prefer them higher, very short people lower, but for the average human being, 36 inches is the correct height for working with your hands while standing.

Randi Lynn Johnson: I learned something today. Thank you.

Robin Pasley: You're welcome. A baseline for any business owner: make sure your furniture is BIFMA certified. That alone ticks a whole range of boxes you wouldn't otherwise think about. You're not off-gassing — some furniture imported from overseas, you open the box and need to leave it outside for a week. And there are legal implications to consider. You don't want your employees going home with a headache from the chair you bought.

Randi Lynn Johnson: So if it's BIFMA certified, you're covered?

Robin Pasley: Yes. You know ergonomically it's appropriate for your workforce and healthy for them. BIFMA helps address health directly.

Randi Lynn Johnson: How do you know if something is BIFMA certified?

Robin Pasley: It will usually say so, and your commercial furniture dealer — which we are — will help you confirm that as well.

How Do You Choose the Right Seating for Each Space in Your Office?

Robin Pasley: The other thing to think about, both as a user and a business owner, is: what are we using the furniture for? That usage determines the type of seating and comfort you need to address. Lounge furniture, for example, is different from break room furniture. In both cases you might want a back on the chair for support, but in a break room you want to sit more upright, while in a lounge you'll want a little more recline.

In a lounge, you're thinking more about fabrics and foam and structure to make sure it holds up over time. I've seen low-cost furniture that fit the budget, but the moment you sat on it you knew — the foam was so closed-cell and stiff that it barely had any give. Over time it probably would have broken in, but that stiff foam was how they maintained structure in a cheaply made piece. Better-made furniture has a better base, and then a quality comfort foam inside.

Then you think about fabrics and their use. If you're going to have a coffee bar near the lounge, use a faux leather or polyurethane or another easy-to-wipe material because coffee will get spilled. If children are using the space, absolutely use that type of fabric. There are also high-grade treatments — like Crypton — applied to non-vinyl fabrics. So if you want a look and feel that is less like vinyl but still easy to clean, and some cost control too, treated fabrics from most manufacturers are a great option.

Randi Lynn Johnson: The list just goes on and on.

Robin Pasley: It does. Task seating is another category entirely. It's a different chair than you'd use even as a guest chair at a desk. You would not use the same chair for the guest as for the person working behind the desk — that has to do with ergonomics as well as function. When you're typing at a computer, your arms need to be positioned correctly for your keyboard. You need to adjust for your body weight, shape, and form — which is completely different from simply sitting across a table in a guest chair.

Randi Lynn Johnson: You can't see this in the podcast, but Robin is pantomiming typing. Wherever you are, just pretend you're sitting at a desk typing.

Robin Pasley: Right. The ability to fine-tune the minutia of what fits your body is necessary when you're typing, which is totally different from sitting in a guest chair. So we invest more in that task chair for the person sitting behind the desk — we want to make sure there's full adjustability for height, arm width, tilt, and swivel. Break room seating is another space to address thoughtfully.

One useful tip: in a smaller space where you need to maximize seating, the higher the chair, the more people you can fit in. When sitting at a normal table height, your body is folded at the hip, taking up more lateral space. When sitting at a 42-inch bar-height table, your body is almost at a standing position — the way you approach the table is different, and you can get more seating into the same footprint. A bar-height built-in tabletop along the wall can maximize a tight break room.

Randi Lynn Johnson: I never knew there was science behind all of it. It's fascinating.

Robin Pasley: Understanding the human body — how it interacts with the furniture we pair it with — is part of our job.

What's Next for Workplace Comfort: Sit-Stand Desks and Nap Pods

Randi Lynn Johnson: You just said how design affects our bodies, and I think it also affects our psyche.

Robin Pasley: Absolutely. Just think about sitting in the same chair all day. One of the changes reshaping office interior design is the sit-to-stand desk, which gives people an option to get out of the chair entirely. Another thing coming into more and more workspaces — especially shared spaces — is nap pods. They're becoming more accessible. If you have a large shared workspace and a quiet corner to place one, it's more than seating — it's a lounger with a little shroud built around it. Some models have massagers and heat built in.

Randi Lynn Johnson: According to your budget.

Robin Pasley: Exactly — like cars, from the basic model all the way up. But all of it addresses the need for rest during a workday.

Randi Lynn Johnson: I always think back to the fact that we give kindergartners naps.

Robin Pasley: And they don't appreciate it.

Randi Lynn Johnson: They don't — they need it, but they don't appreciate it. In my workplace, I'd love a nap.

Robin Pasley: A 20-minute power nap. The more we accommodate human needs — especially because we're spending so many hours in these spaces — the better. Even 10 minutes of rest can rejuvenate a person.

Randi Lynn Johnson: Let's adopt the European model of the siesta. Why hasn't that caught on here?

Robin Pasley: Then we'll all need nap pods.

Randi Lynn Johnson: In an increasingly competitive market, the merits of using interior design as a strategic growth tool can make all the difference in not just surviving but thriving.

Robin Pasley: Pasley Commercial Interiors — designed to help your business grow.

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