Author Archives: furniture

Does your workspace reflect your culture? In the modern day world, it’s a question you as a business owner need to be asking. Your workplace design makes a world of difference, not just in function and comfort, but more importantly in employee morale and productivity. A healthy workplace culture that encourages collaboration and innovation improves employee engagement, and ultimately impacts your bottom line.

According to this white paper from Haworth®, research conducted as recently as 2014 found that companies with low employee engagement suffered from a significant decrease…as much as 32 percent…in operating income. Employee motivation is directly affected by company culture, including its values, assumptions and artifacts.

Needless to say, workplace design is an essential element of company culture; it make sense to design work spaces that encourage employees to work and collaborate effectively.

In addition, there is no one size fits all design for the workplace. Recently the faculty at the University of Michigan created a “values framework” that distinguishes four types of cultures in an organization: compete, collaborate, control and create. Each type of culture requires a distinctive workspace design; for example, a “compete” culture might require structured, symmetrical layouts, while a “create” culture is better suited with an organic layout and a flexible environment.

So, does your workspace reflect your culture? Try taking this 30-second quiz developed by Haworth® to get an idea of how your workplace encourages your productivity.

If you find that your workplace needs a change in design to either support or change your organizational culture, reach out to the experts at Bellia Office Design to see how we can help…or click here to request a free work and space evaluation. We can help you redesign your office to reflect your company culture, improve productivity and morale, and positively impact your bottom line.

At Bellia Office Design, we pride ourselves on our wide selection of furniture colors and styles and that we source from over 200 quality furniture manufacturers. Recently, thanks to our partners at Haworth®, we’ve added a new element to office improvement: now you can design your own office furniture!

People come in all shapes and sizes, and companies and individuals have differing tastes and desires when it comes to colors and styles of furniture. With customizable furniture design, it’s all in your hands…create your own desk chair or counter stools that work perfectly for your comfort and your ergonomic needs, and with the color and style that reflects the environment of your home or office.

Using this tool from Haworth®, you can customize your office chairs and see exactly what the finished product will look like online, without having to decide among dozens of choices. Design your chair with wooden or steel construction, desk chair or stool-based height, plastic or upholstered seat material, a variety of glides and casters, and the colors of your seat, frame and legs. With each change you make, you can view the results of your design from several angles, and even see the list of specs for your design.

Best of all, your furniture design will result in a completed product manufactured by Haworth®…a global leader in office furniture design and manufacturing. Since their beginnings in 1948, Haworth® has been focused on delivering office spaces that produce maximum productivity for employees and employers.

Of course, the professionals at Bellia Office Design are experts in helping you with your office and furniture designs. But now you can design your own office furniture with this online tool from our friends at Haworth®…and create the ideal furniture that is both comfortable and reflects your tastes and values. Give it a try today, and be sure to let us know what you think!

Not very long ago, it might have been a curious question to ask: are your employees connected to their workspace? Until recently, not a great deal of thought was given to the true impact of office and workplace design. Today things are very different…businesses looking for an edge pay attention to every detail regarding comfort, ergonomics and atmosphere of an office, in their quest to attract top talent.

Recently, Haworth®, one of Bellia Office Design’s top quality furniture vendors, published their study regarding what they refer to as “Affordances”, defined as “the characteristics of an object or space that encourage a particular behavior, or—put more simply—the opportunity for action.” You can read more about their ten Core Affordances here, but ultimately, it comes down to the impact of various workplace arrangements on employee satisfaction and productivity.

In their study, Haworth® identifies three types of Affordance categories: Cognitive, or Affordances that allow the mind’s best work, Emotional, or Affordances that affect one’s psychological state, and Physical, as in Affordances that support one’s physical needs. The goal of office design in this realm is to maximize human performance on every level, through supporting your staff’s cognitive, emotional, and physical needs.

A first class office design takes into account all of these things. It enables a company’s employees as needed: creating an environment where they can express thoughts and gather information; enabling them freedom to change posture or position when necessary; and providing a sense of safety and well-being.

If you’re thinking of a new office design or redesign, we can help you answer the question: are your employees connected to their workspace? At Bellia, we design offices that bring out the individual characteristics of your brand, while maximizing productivity and return on investment. Contact us today for a free workspace evaluation and find out more about how we can maximize your space and productivity.

As every business owner knows, your lobby is the gateway to your business. No pictures in brochures or images online can truly capture the feel and impression that being in your office for the first time makes. If your building’s lobby or reception area seems poorly arranged, doesn’t efficiently make use of space, or features drab or worn furniture, it could make the difference in winning or losing a client or top hire.

When potential clients, interviewees, or staff enter…and exit…your building, they should be greeted in a lobby with a sharp, professional appearance that speaks to organization and comfort…and immediately feel positive about your company culture. That first and last impression every time a visitor is in your office couldn’t be more significant, and it’s worth the investment to put your best foot forward. The arrangement of your lobby’s chairs, desks and tables is important too…a lobby should easily enable the flow of traffic both in and out of the building.

Let us design your lobby to win the right first impression. At Bellia, we create ideal lobby and reception areas that are both pleasing to the eye and functional for visitors and staff. We have relationships with over 200 furniture manufacturers, and we can design and furnish your lobby with colors and styles that reflect your company’s brand identity.

Our design team will work with you from start to finish, enabling you to make any changes as needed. We’ll work with your business goals in mind…attracting new hires, winning clients, and offering a comfortable, inviting space to visitors. You and your staff will love your ergonomically friendly lobby space, and we’ll make sure it provides a return on your investment too.

We understand as well as you do that your lobby is the gateway to your business. Contact us today or click here for a free workspace evaluation.

In modern day offices, there is a much greater focus on ergonomics than in years past. You may have noticed that there is a growing movement of office workers standing at their desk rather than sitting…it seems tiring, but in fact it’s highly beneficial. The advantages of standing at your desk include decreased health risks, such as lower risk of obesity and chronic back pain over time. Standing at one’s desk can also improve mood and energy levels and ultimately impact productivity.

Bellia is a licensed Haworth® dealer, and our interior design solutions include standing desk capabilities, such as the WorkFit Sit-Stand Workstation from Ergotron. The WorkFit Sit-Stand Workstation enables your employees to easily retrofit their table or desktop and reposition their keyboard and monitor to the ideal height, whether sitting or standing. Properly positioned, this ultimately helps to reduce eye and neck strain and back discomfort.

The Work-Fit Sit-Stand is easily installed and adjusted, enables users to enjoy much more freedom of movement and optimize their interaction, and gives business owners an opportunity to better maximize their valuable office space. As employee interaction and collaborative spaces become increasingly more common, standing desks can be a useful addition to a more productive office.

Being able to enjoy the advantages of standing at your desk is part of an ergonomic focus that can make your office more attractive to health-conscious and active potential hires, and help existing employees enjoy improved flexibility. Flexibility is of great value in offices today, and that includes the ability to maximize comfort in the workplace.

Contact us today to find out more about our standing desk installation or use this form to request your free workspace evaluation. Our team is happy to help you get started. The standing desk is one more way that Bellia can help you love the space you’re in!

In an industry with rapidly changing and increasingly growing needs, there is little question that the proper furniture matters in healthcare environments. Patients and visitors to a healthcare facility will be spending a great deal of time in waiting rooms, hospital rooms and lounge areas, not to mention the environment where your staff is working each day. All of that time spent in these areas is going to ultimately affect the patient experience, and the environment makes a world of difference.

Recently Haworth®, one of our highest quality furniture vendors, published two white papers on the subject of the healthcare environment and patient needs. (You can find them on this page.) The white papers reveal the results of their studies regarding wait time and its impact on overall experience, and the ever-changing furniture needs in healthcare facilities.

The results of the wait time study revealed the need for configuring spaces for various levels of interaction, allowing for people to sit in a more posture-friendly environment, organizing space to manage perceived crowding, and minimizing feelings of being neglected through communication. When done with an eye towards all of these elements, furniture design can impact the waiting experience greatly.

Similarly, Haworth’s® white paper regarding changing healthcare furniture needs revealed the importance of patient-centered care and evidence-based design. The goals of future healthcare office design will likely be more focused on infection risk and in maximizing floor space. Healthcare facilities will also have a need for flexible designs that meet their patients’ needs over time.

As office design professionals for facilities throughout the Philadelphia and South Jersey region, Bellia Office Design understands full well how the proper furniture matters in healthcare environments. Contact us today to find out more about how we can design waiting and lounge areas designed for comfort and flexibility in your healthcare facility.

As an office interiors firm with a focus on return on investment for companies, we are frequently asked, “Can an office be designed for better ROI?” In our years of experience, we have absolutely seen that it can. That’s why in our office design, we go beyond simply arranging new desks, chairs and furniture. We focus on your company’s goals and achieving your vision.

According to this study from Gensler Research and Insight: “the most significant factor in workplace effectiveness is not collaboration, it’s individual focus work.” Focused employees are productive employees, and there are multiple elements of an office design that can increase or decrease focus.

Desks and chairs should be comfortable and positioned to be ergonomically effective. The design should include colors that are reflective of a productive and relaxed environment. Employees should be able to collaborate easily and effectively.

In addition, each type of business requires a different type of design. Corporate offices need both collaborative work spaces and individual focus space. Educational facilities need classroom designs that encourage the learning process. Healthcare offices need waiting rooms that are inviting and comfortable, sufficient file storage space, and physician’s offices that allow for research and consulting with patients.

To answer the question of “Can an office be designed for better ROI?” the team at Bellia Office Design works to accomplish just that. We create spaces that are not only visually appealing, but also encourage focus and productivity. Our office designs also create a strong impression for customers and potential new hires, helping businesses to attract top talent and establish lasting good will. And following our design, we look at your numbers to see how it has impacted your goals.

If you’d like to know more about how Bellia Office Design can improve your ROI, contact us today or use this online form to request a free workspace evaluation. We’re here to help you love the space you’re in.