Author Archives: Bellia Office Furniture

We are excited to announce that Bellia’s President Anthony K. Bellia was recently recognized by the South Jersey BIZ on their 20 under 40 award.

The list highlights accomplished young professionals who bring positive change to the South Jersey business climate.  Anthony is a passionate, hard-working and dedicated professional who understands and values the importance of the community.  Through his mission of increasing the magnetism of the Tri-state area, he works tirelessly to positively impact the business growth of the region by creating more inspiring workspaces to attract and retain top talent and increase productivity. During his tenure working with companies throughout the area, he has helped organizations increase the return on investment of their space by helping them achieve their organization-wide goals through strategic office design.

As President of Bellia, Anthony understands and values the importance of helping clients succeed by providing a seamless experience when furnishing commercial interiors. He also understands the importance of giving back to the community and creating a warm, family environment for his staff.  He currently serves on the Gloucester County Workforce Development Board and is active in supporting several nonprofits in the Delaware Valley including the American Red Cross, Bringing Hope Home, Kays Camp, and Camp No.

This past year, Bellia Enterprise has been named as one of the Best Places to Work in NJ by NJBiz, as well as the Best Family Business from Smart CEO.

View the 20 Professionals on the Rise in the South Jersey Business Community Here.

Would you like to tour the Rutgers-Camden Nursing and Science Building?

Now’s your chance! View the 200,000 square foot, $62.5 million world-class research and teaching facility without leaving your seat by watching the video below!

Want to learn more about the Rutgers Nursing and Science Building? Check out the case study.

“A Google search for “company culture” turns up over 290,000,000 hits in a fraction of a second, garnering headlines from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and other business publications. Why does culture earn so much press? Because it’s critically important, often misunderstood, and influences employee engagement—all of which ultimately affect financial performance. Whether conscious or subconscious, culture evokes strong emotions that motivate employees to perform.
Beyond engaging employees for the sake of revenue, a healthy culture can also foster collaboration and innovation. While much of what comprises culture is amorphous, research suggests that architecture, interior design, and furnishings provide a tangible way to support—or even change—the culture of an organization.” 

Read more by downloading this whitepaper from Haworth. 

Download the whitepaper

In the past, the idea of a corporate campus brought to mind a series of various buildings that were disconnected. But as the idea of “campus” continues to evolve, companies are realizing that by having everything that your employees want and need “under one roof,” it will maximize productivity, support collaboration, drive innovation and reinforce corporate culture.  

Organizations are now interested in making their employees feel valued and a corporate campus can do that.  By offering employees different amenities on campus, it will inspire them to do their best work for the company and give them a sense of belonging and community that will make them more committed and loyal to your organization.

Here are just a few benefits of the corporate campus:

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance has become a priority in most organizations, no matter where your campus is located (i.e., urban, sprawling suburban, etc.).  One way that employers are contributing to a positive work-life balance is by making sure that employees have high quality food from which to choose.  Many campuses include restaurants, cafes and coffee shops. Additionally, employees are also provided with a place to workout, with yoga classes, personal trainers and wellness centers in order to stay healthy. Finally, many corporate campuses contain a child care center right on-site. Not only do these amenities contribute to a better work-life balance and positively benefit employee wellness, they also create places for social interaction and a chance to create connections and build community.

Innovation and Collaboration

Recently, employees have desired to have a more flexible work schedule, which includes working remotely.  Studies have shown that too much remote work negatively impacts innovation and collaboration. So by providing employees with a desirable place to come to work featuring tons of amenities like on-site laundry services, restaurants and retail shops, employees will be less likely to want to stay at home to get their work done.  The more face-to-face interaction that your employees have, whether the interactions are formal (in a conference room) or impromptu (when you are working out at the gym with a co-worker), will encourage and support innovation and collaboration.

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

When recruiting top talent,  one of the most important factors for the new workforce has become the community and culture created in the organization.  When new recruits are deciding to take a job, aside from the pay and advancement opportunities, the workspace, people and property amenities are among a company’s best assets.  

Lower Operating Costs

In a Gensler study, they found that only 40-43% of a company’s workstations are occupied at any given time. While corporate campuses were once designed to create more space, the focus is now on the optimal and efficient use of space. By planning and assessing space usage, companies will increase their bottom line.

Is your office an asset? Your workspace has the potential to be one of you company’s greatest assets.  Investing in your space will bring a number of benefits including employee retention, efficiency and productivity.  When you create a space that reflects your company culture and values, it will attract the best talent and make them stay.

Create a Strong Company Culture to make your office an asset

When you invest in your workspace, it will create the culture that you want.  When you design your workspace to reflect your culture, you can use the space to promote your brand. You can design your space to reflect the things that are important to your company, such as comfortability, flexibility, innovation and health and wellbeing.  By designing your space with these things in mind, you will strengthen the culture of your company and transform your business. Because your employees and your space.

Impact Wellbeing and Engagement to make your office an asset

Because the workforce spends much of spends most of their time in their offices than anywhere else, the physical space has a direct impact on their wellbeing.  Recent studies suggest that almost 70 percent of employees feel that they aren’t engaged at work, so designing a space that will inspire, motivate and engage your employees is critical to the success of your business.

Create a Return on Your Investment to make your office an asset

When you design a space that is functional and beautiful, it will offer a return on your investment.  When you create a space that takes into account your employees, your culture, engagement, and recruiting, you will see clear returns in profitability, productivity and efficiency.

Bellia, has been a leading business interiors solution provider within the South Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia Area. Now a third generation family company, Bellia is a furniture provider focused on corporate interior design. Through strategic planning and design, Bellia provides office furniture and design services that will increase the return on your workspace.

Take a look at some of our spaces that we have impacted.

Pipeline Philly

When Pipeline expanded into the city of Philadelphia, they chose the Graham Building overlooking scenic Dilworth Park and City Hall to capture the energy of the city’ downtown business district. Modern, bright, and inviting colors create a unique shared workspace that differentiates Pipeline from the rest of the many co-working spaces in Philly. With an innovative design, and sleek, functional office environment, Eimer Design and Bellia helped to create a convenient and inspirational co-working location for entrepreneurs to develop successful businesses in the Tristate area.

Anapol Weiss

With a new location, in the heart of Logan Square, and a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, Anapol Weiss was ready to refresh their name and image to attract top law school graduates to the boutique firm as well as appeal to new and existing clientele. Bellia, working closely with CBRE and NELSON, designed and planned their space to reflect the young, hip, contemporary culture of the firm’s new brand in the marketplace. Working to transform the space, Bellia incorporated key solutions such as private offices, workstations, executive board rooms, reception area and break room. The result: a sleek, modern workspace that not only has integrated technology and increased efficiency, but creates a contemporary and inviting office environment.

If you are planning on relocating your office, here are four tips that will help your move go smoothly.

Plan Early and Well in Advance

The planning stage should start 4-6 months before the moving the date.  Moving a corporate office can be stressful and overwhelming, so giving yourself plenty of time will allow you to scope out the new space.  You will need to decide on the layout, office furniture needs and your moving schedule. 

Order New Equipment

When it comes to a relocation, it is important to do everything well in advance and that includes ordering new office furniture and equipment. It is best to have your furniture and equipment shipped directly to the new location in order to save on costs.  If you have it shipped too early, you will pay to have it shipped to your location and then you will need to pay the movers to move it to the new location. Work with your suppliers to coordinate the logistics.

Update Your Address

A smaller detail, but a very important one, is to make sure that your address is updated everywhere.  Your clients need to know when and where you are moving, so it is paramount that you update your website, all social media, business cards, letterhead and all other publicity materials.  You should contact Google to have your online listing and address changed at least a month ahead of time. Furthermore, you need to contact all vendors and suppliers to ensure that deliveries go to the right location.

Schedule Meetings Around the Move

To make the move less stressful, sometimes it is best for you and the staff to take a few days around the move, where there are no client meetings or major deadlines to complete. Because there will be a great deal to unpack and get organized, if there are meetings and deadlines to complete just trying to find presentable place in your office to get things done is one less thing you need to worry about.

When you are planning to relocate, there are a lot of details to remember to make your move a successful one.  If you are thinking about relocating, contact us to help you furnish your new space.

You only get one chance to make a good first impression, so when people walk into your lobby/reception area, your clients, employees, potential employees and guests will immediately notice its appearance. The design of your office should embody the personality, vision and culture of your company.

If you are considering making an upgrade to your office design, the lobby/reception area is a great place to start. Here are two reasons why:

It Creates the First Impression of Your Company

When any potential or existing clients or employees walk into your office, the reception/lobby area is the space that will communicate who you are as a company. Guests are often left alone in this space for a few minutes, without a person to talk to, so naturally they will begin to notice the design, layout, decor, the furniture and the flow of the room.  Immediately, they will begin to take notice to your company’s aesthetic and culture.

If your reception space is thoughtfully designed to include your branded message, company values and an overall reflection of your company’s personality, it will set an important tone about the expectations this potential client/employee has from your company.

It Creates a Positive Office Environment

Recruitment and Retention of current employees is often a struggle for many companies, especially in an increasingly competitive job market. When your current employees or potential ones walk into a brightly lit, strategically designed space that has a clear brand message, beautiful artwork and the right furniture, you are creating a clear reminder to your current staff and potential staff that you care, not only about your company, but about your employees as well.  

Bellia has had extensive experience designing and upgrading reception spaces. Here are a few of the reception spaces that we have designed.

Thermo Fisher Scientific–In order to accommodate Thermo Scientific’s rapid growth. Bellia renovated their existing space including creating a bright and open reception area with a sleek, modern reception desk to welcome guests to the firm.

Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau–The nature of Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau is to welcome everyone to Philadelphia.  Bellia renovated and redesigned PHLCVB’s entire space to create a modern space with a flexible work environment.

The importance of Ergonomically Designed Furniture for the Classroom. In a recent study in the  International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, they found that low desks and undersized school chairs are contributing to chronic back pain in adolescents. Over the past few years, the school furniture market has witnessed steady growth which has been caused by a number of factors.

Classrooms are no longer static physical spaces, but engaging and versatile learning environments for students. For many decades, low-cost and durability were the most important factors in school furniture. Now, comfort and ergonomics have become the priority.  Schools and universities are paying closer attention to the type of furniture they select because not only will the right furniture benefit the physical health of students, but it will help them work to their full potential while improving concentration levels.

Furniture for the Classroom: Benefits of “Good Ergonomics?”

Selecting classroom furniture with proper ergonomic design simply means that the furniture in classrooms is designed to fit students. In the past, students were forced to sit in uncomfortable, ill-fitting chairs and desks that were improperly sized. Now there is a great deal of furniture on the market that encourages open body angles, lumbar support and is flexible and adjustable.  There are many health benefits when the furniture you select has good ergonomics including improvement in circulation and respiration. Further when healthier seating is provided, it improves student comfort. The more comfortable students are, the more learning they will do.

Things to Consider When Selecting Furniture for the Classroom

There are many furniture manufacturers available that sell very good, ergonomically designed classroom furniture. One way to select the best furniture is to seek out a professional company that is experienced in classroom design and ergonomic furniture to guide you in the selection process.  They will have much more knowledge of the types and brands of furniture that will best suit your classroom needs.

Also, just because a chair has a soft back and a curvy shape doesn’t necessarily mean it is comfortable.  The best way to know whether or not a chair is comfortable is to sit in it. Remember, your students will be seated for long periods of time, so it is important to select your chairs with that in mind.  

Additionally, safety and durability are important along with proper ergonomic design.  The furniture you select should pass all applicable ANSI/BIFMA tests for strength, durability and stability, along with GREENGUARD certification for indoor air quality.

If you are ready to select ergonomically designed furniture for your school, let Bellia help you. We are an office furniture dealer with over 40 years of experience, so we will fit your classroom with the ideal furniture that will improve the health of your students and staff and help you create an engaging and dynamic learning environment.

Do you want to see some of our Educational Spaces? Click on a photo below. 

Rutgers Camden Nursing and Science Building

Cumberland County Technical Education Center

See more! 

As the future of the interior design of medical offices and healthcare setting trends towards comfort, the decor and furnishings in the healthcare setting have become an important part of improving the patient experience. Studies have supported the findings that the design of medical facilities can actually improve outcomes for patients.

With just a few small design changes, healthcare facilities can create comfortable, healing environments that actually patients to their medical offices.

Comfort

Patients desire comfortable settings in medical facilities to put them more at ease and reduce the anxiety often associated with medical appointments. A few ways you can increase the comfort of your space is by:

• Designing waiting areas with a spa-like feel.  Try using comfortable, home-like seating or movable, convertible chairs for patients and families to use while they wait.  
• Using interior colors like blues and greens will create a calming effect.
• Inpatient areas, using stylish cabinetry to hide medical equipment will put patients and families at ease.
• Regulating temperature and providing soothing, pleasant sounds will help create a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere.

Soothing Views

Studies have shown that including natural materials and views of nature in healthcare settings can soothe and heal. This small change in your space will have enormous benefits to patients, their families and even the medical staff.

• Incorporating natural light and having as many windows as possible can have therapeutic effects on patient outcomes.  According to the Center for Health Design, when natural light is increased in the healthcare setting, there are positive impacts on both patients and staff, including the reduced need for pain medication and decrease inpatient stays.  Staff reported an overall increased satisfaction with their jobs.
• Using natural materials and pleasant nature pictures changes patient’s mindsets and their ability to heal.  Demand for pain injections decreased by 70 percent in one study that simply hung pictures of nature in the patient lounge.

Bellia believes in enriching the lives of other through design.  One of the most important ways that we demonstrate that is through helping people feel safe and comfortable in the healthcare community.  Bellia has worked with many health and wellness facilities in the Tri-State area. Here are just a few:

Atlanticare.  Located in Linwood, New Jersey, Bellia partnered with the region’s largest health and wellness service providers to provide renovations and furnishings for Atlanticare’s hospitals, outpatient facilities and surgical centers throughout South Jersey. With a warm and inviting spa-like feel, Atlanticare’s facilities are a professional, relaxing space for patients, families and staff.

Conifer Realty.  For over 10 years, Bellia has provided turnkey interior solutions for Conifer’s Senior Living Facilities in 18 locations. In partnership with contractors and design firms, Bellia provided consistent, modern design throughout all of the locations.

Brandywine Senior Living.  Inspired by the historic nature of the building, Bellia provided a timeless environment with proper furniture and color placement for Brandywine Senior Living that amplifies the facilities history while maintaining a warm and inviting environment.

Did you know you can us office design to Grow Your Business? In a year, employees are likely to spend in excess of 1,500 hours in their workspace, so it is important to create a workspace that will inspire and bring happiness to your employees.  Because a well-designed workspace is an important factor in a business’ success, a space that engages your employees will position your business for growth.

To design for business growth, flexibility is the key.  To create a functional and versatile environment, so that your workspace can adapt to the changing needs of your business, consider including the following in your workspace:

• Reconfigurable workstations/furniture: Having flexible workstations and furniture that can change from big to small or collaborative to individual spaces will suit all aspects of your business. You can use desks that fold away, tables that double as conference rooms and eating areas and modular furniture with wheels that can adapt and change in a moment’s notice.
• Moveable Walls: To allow for adapting to what tomorrow may bring in terms of your business, moveable walls are a great option. They are cost effective, cause minimal disruption during installation and provide your space with tons of flexibility.
• Sit to Stand Workstations: Sit-to stand workstations are another great way to add flexibility for your growing business.  Not only will the provide different ways to work, they bring an added health benefit to get your staff up and moving throughout the day.

Finally, when your business is growing and you are designing your workspace for that future growth, you want to make sure that the design reflects your company’s culture and mission.  When your culture is on display, not only will it attract the right candidates for your company, but it will create a powerful sense of identity for your employees.