Jason Burns of FrogTape looks at how feature walls are being used at work and at home, to help buildings adapt to the new demands being placed upon them.
The last two years have made us all look at our homes and workplaces in completely different ways. This has provided a number of opportunities for the professional tradesperson.
Home became a place of work, and rooms needed to be changed and re-ordered accordingly. The traditional office was closed, then re-opened and then reconsidered and recalibrated, to cater for a new hybrid way of working.
No longer a simple, functional space, the modern office needs to have the comfort level ramped up, and it needs to include zoning – first to manage social distancing and then to allow shared workspaces to be developed in newly opened up floors.
Rebuilding, decorating and design can play a huge part in this. Clever use of plants, paint effects, flooring, and furniture means that these elements, which already provide a role, are now being used help to create a comfortable, stylish interior that looks good, works for the people within it and encourages people back to a shared office, even if it’s on a more flexible rotational basis than before.
We’ve done it in our own office: we welcomed artists Art + Believe at the end of last year so that they could give our plain white walls a bit of life. They are world-famous for their bold, colourful designs and use of straight lines and their feature walls are usually vast geometric vibrant designs, on buildings, floors and in public spaces. One of their most famous works is Alexandra Palace: as part of its restoration work, they were commissioned to create a 1,200sqm piece of floor art in the East Court of the venue. The hand painted result is stunning. Art + Believe created a wonderful feature wall at our UK headquarters and in doing so, illustrated what we do as a business, as our Delicate Surface FrogTape was used throughout, and it brings a vibrancy and expanse of design that is quite unusual for a smaller space.
We’ve spoken to a few professional decorators about how easily creating an area or a feature wall with FrogTape and some paint has helped to create better, brighter spaces, in commercial and leisure environments. The main benefits are:
Zoning
Feature walls help create zones within a large room, sectioning off the office from the kitchen, or the reception from the accounts area. Paint can denote a one-way system and keep people safely distant without it feeling enforced.
Ease of use
The beauty of paint is that it is easy to work with, and the finish suits both modern and period properties. The simplicity of feature walls means that they are not difficult to achieve, and the tools are minimal.
Flexibility
Paint works well on high traffic areas. Flat matt and endurance paints are tough and hide wear and tear on high traffic areas like staircases. while reflective paints can really brighten rooms, so are perfect for smaller areas or those with less natural light.
Individuality
Businesses can use feature walls to promote their own brand, through colour matching with their existing logo, or creating a mural or artwork that conveys their business ethos.
Natural light, outdoor space, textures and imaginative colour schemes have all been introduced into workplaces to encourage comfort, convey character and inspire creativity. This can only be a good thing. As workspaces change and develop, they need to cater for all sorts of employee. Professional builders and tradesmen can help their clients do this, through close collaboration.
The office is no longer just about function. Only by getting to know the business itself and understanding the team’s needs, can professionals create spaces that will embrace good layout, good design and good décor, to get the best out of everyone.
For further information on FrogTape visit https://www.frogtape.co.uk/
