Tired of your office’s drab and uninspiring meeting room? Gather some inspiration from eight of the most quirky and fun meeting room ideas from around the world. By getting creative with your business’s meeting spaces, you can improve employee retention, increase productivity, improve company culture and attract the top talent within your industry.
The importance of meeting room design
Did you know that your office design choices can impact employee retention? Statistics have revealed that 48% of staff admit that this has a notable impact on their decision of whether to stay with an employer, so if you’re starting to feel as though your décor is more bland than brilliant, it could be time for a revamp.
Reflecting on your meeting room design is the ideal place to start, especially with this being the main place where crucial business decisions are made. The environment you’re in can seriously affect engagement and productivity levels, so if your staff find themselves staring at a dull, blank wall, you’re unlikely to see many lightbulb moments. Instead, get those energy levels back up and take inspiration from some of the coolest and quirkiest meeting room ideas around that are certain to revive your office.
1. Pac-man meeting room
Game over. Coolblue takes the top spot for the most creative meeting room design, being inspired by the retro video game recognised across the globe: Pac-man. All of Coolblue’s meeting rooms are designed by their director, Joost Bakker, incorporating his employee’s innovative office design ideas to cleverly use each room to tell his company’s story. This really got us thinking about how businesses could use other out of the box revamp methods to provide an insight into their inner workings. If this idea is able to bring feelings of nostalgia, all whilst taking a more playful approach to design, it’s all the more likely to become a popular talking point.
If you want to take a similar approach to Coolblue, allow your employees to immerse themselves into an alternate reality, using everything from wall decoration to office stools to achieve the desired effect – as long as it fits in with your brand’s image. Not only this, take a leaf out of Bakker’s book and get your employees involved with the design process. Who doesn’t love a creative team exercise?
2. Biophilic office design elements
For those looking to create a zen office space, the incorporation of biophilic elements is sure to contribute to feelings of ease. The biophilia theory is built on the notion that humans have an “an innate and genetically determined” desire to be close to the natural world, as stated by the biologist E.O. Wilson. The benefits to biophilic office design is supported by research, which demonstrated that workplaces with multisensory biophilic features had a positive impact on executive functioning, alongside improving stress and workplace satisfaction.
We felt inspired by the above tropical meeting room, based in Amsterdam, using earthy green tones for the wallpaper and plant inspired furniture to create a quirky jungle paradise. You too could create the same effect within your own office space through living walls, graceful hanging planters and small water features to bring an essence of the outside, indoors.
3. Office library
WeWork’s Nogizaka building has it all, with their coworking spaces offering creative meeting rooms that incorporate book shelving into their design. For workers looking to upskill or temporarily disconnect through the power of a good read, this relaxing environment is enclosed by soundproofed glass, keeping concentration levels at an all time high and outside noise levels to a minimum.
You could incorporate these design ideas into your own workplace by using something as simple as a bookcase to spruce up drab walls. Not to mention, if you do experience any temporary delays whilst waiting for a meeting to start, you can always encourage participants to occupy themselves with a novel. Alternatively, you could use a range of colourful acoustics (such as acoustic panels and screens) to adorn the walls, which will both brighten the office and maintain suitable noise levels.
4. Cool, yet cosy
Function Fixers took home comforts to the next level for their meeting room design, using modernistic yet comfortable office seating, vibrant cushions and a multicoloured rug, all of which is illuminated by a warm glow. Pieces of abstract art complement their aesthetic, providing workers with a comfortable space that allows them to relax in style.
An efficient meeting room design should always hold comfort at its core, featuring furniture that caters for longer meetings. Of course, you can always experiment with funky silhouettes for quirkiness, adding cushions or throws for plenty of padding. Staff are more likely to come up with ideas when their mind is completely relaxed, so not only will you get a chance to unleash your creativity during this design project, you’re likely to notice an abundance of business benefits too!
5. Fantasy meeting rooms
What better example to provide for a fantasy inspired meeting room than with our Ascentis office redesign project? Looking like something straight from a film set, this Alice in Wonderland themed meeting room could bring a dusting of magic to any dull space. From chairs inspired by the White Rabbit himself, to wall art that depicts the famous Mad Hatter’s tea party, this unusual room is sure to impress staff and clients alike.
6. Art Deco office spaces
Fan of The Great Gatsby? Creative States in Ukraine has brought the Roaring Twenties into this century with their Art Deco-inspired meeting rooms, adding a touch of glamour to each working day. Each of their unique locations is inspired by different American cities and time periods, such as New York and New Orleans in the 1920s and 1930s. Plus, each office has its own signature mural that fits with its one-of-a-kind theming.
If you’re wondering how to create your own Art Deco meeting room, focus on bold, rich colours like dark blues, blacks and golds, paired with geometric patterns and luxurious metallic accents. According to colour psychology, these colours can evoke a sense of calm and focus, which is perfect for deep work. Blue is actually the most popular office colour due to its association with knowledge, order, focus and relaxation, and darker hues of this shade are even more linked to power, stability and depth of thought. Finish off this space with plush seating, dark mahogany furniture and warm lighting to really amp up the elegant, sophisticated atmosphere.
7. Futuristic meeting rooms
If you’d rather look to the future than the past, these futuristic meeting rooms by KSh Design Bureau might be right up your alley. The bright white colour scheme creates a sense of modernity, cleanliness and new beginnings, which is perfect for showing your visitors and clients just how forward-thinking and innovative your business really is. This kind of space is the perfect blank canvas to let your employees’ creativity and ideas truly stand out.
To design your own futuristic office space, focus on minimalist office design with a few biophilic elements thrown in to break up the white walls. We would also recommend incorporating sleek, rounded corners and furniture, or even chrome elements if you really want to evoke the feeling of a spaceship. Above all, remember to keep it simple and clean, with crisp, cool lighting that creates an atmosphere of energised focus.
8. Quirky meeting nooks
While large meeting areas can often create lively bursts of discussion, sometimes it’s harder for people to concentrate on forming their own unique ideas when there’s a lot of noise and activity around them. This may have been the inspiration for AOL’s meeting booths at their Palo Alto office, which are small and private cylindrical rooms that create a much smaller meeting area for one-on-one discussions and mini brainstorming sessions.
The great thing about these small meeting nooks is that they can be super easy to create. If you don’t want to install a more permanent meeting pod, you can create a cosy nook with just a few pieces of furniture and a partition. To make this space even more informal for spontaneous brainstorming, you can add some throw pillows and beanbags for casual seating, paired with soft rugs and warm lighting.
So, regardless of whether you’re a Disney or Pixar fan, you can rely on the help of Diamond Interiors to make your office design dreams come true. To find out more about what we do, get in touch with our team of experts today.