Get Your Office on Board...Literally.

Clever puns aside, we're seeing more and more collaborative designs pop up all over the interior design community. The classic white board may be old news, but how about entire walls dedicated to note taking? Interactive work places are proven to be more productive work places. By getting your office on board with things like the Smart Board technology and truly interactive walls, you can boost both your collaboration and creative idea potential - then turn those bright ideas into sales. Think brainstorming and mind mapping on a giant scale.

Along with providing private meeting areas for collaboration, Workspace Design Magazine encourages writable wall surfaces in centralized spaces to provide a more informal spot for employees to come together and express new thoughts. tvsdesign’s Don Ricker says “Our most successful office designs feature writable walls in large open spaces where multiple people from diverse teams gather to exchange ideas and feedback. This fosters genuine collaboration along with a sense of play and fun, which in turn, opens the floodgates of creativity while serving as a potent morale booster.”

According to MMQB, one of the oldest building materials - glass - is gaining popularity in the office world yet again and a Texas based company, Clarus Glassboards, is first in line with the newest innovation in wet and dry erase technology. Clarus boards are made in a variety of sizes from 2'x3' to 4'x10' and may be fully customized to fit specific project dimensions if necessary. They're compatible with any dry erase pens, permanent markers, grease pens, etc. The glassboards easily wipe clean and are also made with eco-friendly and recyclable materials. Clarus even provides magnetic options, calendar grids, and customizable colors, logos or branding of your choice. Our showroom utilizes both the Smart Board technologies and Clarus Glassboards, shown below. Both of which we can help you get for your own office!

Come visit us for a look at some interactive options!

Introducing: The Smart Board

As we've been trying to drive home recently, offices everywhere are transitioning from the typical 9-5, cubical, dry and ancient work environment to a more modern, fresh, and technologically savvy spot for employees to enjoy doing what they do. In an effort to stay ahead of the game in that respect, we've recently invested in the Smart Board technology for our working showroom.

This awesome piece of equipment acts as an interactive white board and allows us to give appealing client presentations, show product typicals and CAD drawings during design consultations, and even keep track of and share meeting minutes with the staff on Monday mornings. By creating an engaging learning environment, we can make sure clients are in touch with the product they'll be buying and feel like they're a part of the design process from start to finish. Not to mention, the board makes for a more exciting early morning meeting for workers, too!

As a touchscreen device, we're able to use a finger - or the provided stylus - to quickly write, draw, and swipe from application to internet and back to client documents. When adding text to a form, snapshots are captured and sent off to clients or staff with those handwritten updates included. Think high-tech NCIS media boards...for the office! With all this talk of new gadgets and technology updates for virtually every aspect of our lives, why not give a little refresh to your typical meetings or appointments at work? The board is great for new educational environments as well!

We're proud to be one of the first companies in the NW to use the Smart Board and can't wait to help you become one of the few in the industry to utilize this awesome new technology.

Stop by our showroom to get a look at the board in action!

Personalized Design Work

As pointed out on Monday, grey is an increasingly popular color choice for interior design. This soft, versatile, trendy hue provides an excellent base for the perfect color story. In our showroom, we've utilized various shades of cool greys and slate blues with the added touch of white and complimentary oranges to create that desired fresh, modern feeling throughout the office.

Mark Woodman writes, "Colour has the powerful ability to bring people together. Sometimes it's an identifier for a group, sometimes a country or a team, but no matter what, it always ignites conversation and passion." To that note, a clear vision and careful thinking should be part of the design process in any space. What type of feeling do you want your space to evoke?

Thankfully, our designers are equipped with years of experience in crafting both the perfect color story and floor plan for your project and the ability to make your space as unique and inviting as its owners.

By utilizing technical skills in AutoCad, SketchUp, and 20-20 Visual Impression, along with interior design and architectural knowledge, our team is able to fully map out your project vision and make it easy for you to realize the potential of your new/existing space.

Here's a look at some of our designers' recent work as part of the NWOI team.

  Contact us or drop by our working showroom for a consultation.