How to bring people back to the office?

Working spaces should be more attractive

Gayathri Pepiliya, graduate architect and independent project manager for office properties, on the perfectly furnished office, the BACHMANN showroom in Paris and her very personal tips for creating positive energy in your own home.

1. Gayathri, you specialise in working environments. What does the perfect office look like for you in general?

The perfect office is a place where you feel good and where you walk in with a smile and in a good mood. It’s an adaptable, functional, inspiring and comfortable space that permits you to collaborate, to be concentrated and to focus on the activities you want. The office should be sleek, bright and spacious with a good acoustic. I like creating different atmospheres that everyone appreciates.

2. What influence does the design of a room have on people's mood and psychology?

I think the design of a room has an important impact on people’s mood and psychology. A place emits a certain amount of energy, whether positive or negative, and therefore affects how you feel in that place. Each place interacts with individuals and produces in each one a specific feeling. This feeling is influenced by parameters such as the room plan, the colors, the furniture, smells, acoustics, light and many others.

3. In the last few years, hybrid working has suddenly become the standard, caused by Corona, among others. How has this changed the design of workplaces and offices?

The way we do things is not the same as in the past. The workplaces have changed. The office must facilitate collaborations. As an architect, we now have a new challenge to win: make the employee want to return to the office. Offices should be more attractive.

4. For BACHMANN you were asked to design a showroom that also serves as a workplace. How did you approach to the topic? What was the process like?

I want first thanks the BACHMANN team to have trust in me.

As an architect, I serve my client and my role is to understand his needs and translate them into space. The space I design should suit to his image or what he wants to reveal. Then before starting to draw, I met the team in Stuttgart. This immersion and workshop day allowed me to feel the DNA of BACHMANN. I based the design on the team interpretation of your values and a search of a balance between the Haussmann architecture* of the place and the interior design.

5. Gayathri, finally, a personal question: What tip would you give to readers who want to beautify their home? What should you start with to create a positive atmosphere?

To create a positive atmosphere, you have to start by sorting and emptying the space of unnecessary things! And then, you should create the space which matches to your personality. In every creation, we leave a part of ourselves.

According to me, bright spaces with the mix of light and natural tones, enhanced with plants and something unusual can create a positive atmosphere.

* Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French urban planner who had a decisive influence on the Parisian cityscape