How to design your best reception yet

3. Clutter-free welcome

Mess equals stress. When your senses are overloaded with unnecessary stimuli, it can be hard to remain calm and collected. Make sure your reception has the storage facilities it needs to stay clutter-free and welcoming.

We’re masters of hiding secret storage and in some cases, even boardrooms, just ask Suez. Their striking reception features a curved wall clad with shipping container metal sheeting. If you look carefully, you’ll see a push door that leads to the boardroom. If we can hide a 12-seat meeting space, imagine what we could do for your visitors’ coats and the office post!

4. Noisy natter

The front door opening and closing, ringing phones and general chitter chatter can make the reception a pretty noisy place. We’ve seen a trend of incorporating the reception into a common area, which can double as a secondary space in an activity based working environment.

It’s important to keep your reception a social place, but try to incorporate a few design tricks to minimise noise. Adding textured fabrics to your design can make a big impact and absorb unwanted sound. Wall coverings, artistic panels and carpet can bring the decibel levels down. Creating physical boundaries (and décor flair!) with the odd partition, storage or plants will also help, like this example in MRI Software’s small but perfectly-formed office reception.

5. Climate change

A blast of cold air each time the door swings open isn’t cool! We get asked about how to find a climate control solution that doesn’t include an electric heater under the desk (hello, fire hazard!). Not only is it unsafe, but your leaky reception also isn’t very energy efficient.

There are a few options. A door heater at the entrance creates an air barrier for a warm welcome and works as a heat conservation measure. An air curtain can be mounted directly into the ceiling’s mounting recess. Having a glass-fronted reception with large expanses of glazing can also be tricky. Prone to condensation and letting in cold drafts, you can install a discreet trench heating system at the window’s base.

6. Reception deception

‘Front’ and ‘back’ office design continuity is so important. Have you ever visited an office with a beautiful reception and then walked around the corner and been sorely disappointed? If your design is disjointed, it sends a clear message that your employees and visitors aren’t valued the same.

Riverbed’s reception design flows seamlessly into the rest of the space. When visitors step into the office reception, they’ll find a comfortable lounge with sofas and informal chairs set around coffee tables and a coffee bar. This ‘landing area’ features all the same furniture, finishes, lighting, wood panelling, carpets and brand colours you’ll find elsewhere in the office.

7. Dare to be different

Or don’t have a reception at all! Maybe you’d prefer Costa Coffee’s barista bar, Nuffield Health’s juice bar or a digital check-in and welcome system. If you’re all about the ‘anti-reception’, your space can be creatively customised to fit your needs, brand, people and clients.