As businesses are settling into new ways of working, with the rise of hybrid working, office design continues to evolve. Offices need to do more than accommodate desks and meeting rooms; they need to support wellbeing, collaboration, and flexibility.
Talking alongside some of our key suppliers, we have gathered some of the key trends we are seeing shaping 2026 so far, and what they mean for businesses planning their office environments.
Focusing on Inclusive Design
Over the past few years, inclusivity has become a central focus within design, and this isn’t slowing down.
Inclusive design takes shape in a range of forms, from acoustics to ergonomics and accessibility. As explained by one of our manufacturers, Senator, “As hybrid working continues to be the norm, organisations are looking for furniture that can support a wide range of users, activities and environments; from focused individual work to collaboration, learning and movement throughout the day.” This means that it is increasingly essential for offices to offer a variety of workspaces to support all employees’ needs, and investing in reconfigurable furniture means that office layouts can be easily amended to support changing needs.
Health and Wellbeing
There is continued focus on physical and mental well-being for employees, as businesses are trying to encourage people to work in offices more and work remotely less.
One simple way to support health and well-being in the office is through encouraging movement. This can be done through sit-stand desking for employees, allowing them to shift their movement throughout the day to help their posture. Furthermore, encouraging breaks from desks to stretch and move can help boost well-being and productivity by not staring at a screen for the whole duration of the workday.
Hybrid Working
As business needs are rapidly changing, office layouts need to support and reflect these needs. Multi-use zones, such as bench desks and soft seating zones, mean that offices can adapt to different levels of employees working in the office.
