Oaktree Interiors

Today, the Oaktree Team are participating in for Save The Children.

If you don't know what Christmas Jumper Day is all about, read this paragraph - taken from the official website:

"Christmas Jumper Day is Save the Children's annual event which raises money for the children who need it most. Every December, millions of people across the United Kingdom (and beyond!) put on a festive knit at their workplace, school or with friends and make a donation to help give children the magical future they deserve."

The money will be raised for an amazing cause, and we've loved seeing everyone's festive jumpers!🎄⛄❄️

Last Sunday, our amazing colleague, Sue, and her husband took part in the annual Reading Toy Run. They started from Shinfield and travelled to Wokingham, dressed as Elves!🎄

The Reading Toy Run is an annual charity motorcycle ride in Reading, held before Christmas. Hundreds of bikers join together, to bring gifts and toys to a major children's charity. These toys are distributed by Barnardos, over the Christmas period, to children in many of their centres around the UK and other local projects.🎁

It's a wonderful event for a wonderful cause, and we're so proud of Sue for taking part!💚

We're delighted to reveal an exciting project that we recently completed for our clients - Mizuno . We undertook the design and build of their new office in Wokingham, seamlessly fusing contemporary design with Mizuno's rich Japanese heritage. 🏢🎌

Our team dedicated themselves to creating a space that embodies Mizuno's ethos, and we're immensely proud of the outcome. It's been a privilege working alongside Mizuno, and we're thrilled with the final result.

Here's to yet another successful project in Wokingham, our home town! 🌟

Meet Steve Barton, another of Oaktree’s talented Project Managers.

Before joining us, Steve travelled the world and lived in the USA for three years. He set up his own successful interior company, contracting for Oaktree and others, between 1998 and 2021. Steve ran site projects for us on and off for 18 years, before being invited to join our team, permanently, in September 2021.

Steve has many vital responsibilities at Oaktree, including meeting with clients, taking their project briefs, conducting daily site visits, dealing with client’s expectations, and planning projects. Furthermore, he ensures that the mobilisation of labour and materials is carried out with ease – he’s a very busy man!

Steve is a family man living in the gorgeous Salisbury countryside with his wife and son, where he loves to walk his outstanding pooches – Bentley and Bella! He is a lifelong football fan and enjoys classic cars and rifle shooting.

Thanks for all you do, Steve! 💚

If your office interior is feeling tired, take some inspiration from the tips below to discover different ways you can breathe life back into the space: 🔽

🪑 Upgrade Furniture and Layout:
Consider investing in ergonomic furniture and rearranging your layout to make the space more functional.

💡 Experiment With Lighting:
Incorporate new lighting features into the space, to create a well-lit and inviting environment.

🌈 Incorporate Colour and Texture:
Introduce pops of colour and different textures around the office, through paint, artwork, accessories, upholstery and decorative ornaments.

📚 Remain Organised and Efficient:
Implement smart storage solutions to keep the office space tidy and organised.

🌐 Showcase Your Brand Identity
Integrate your company's branding elements, such as the logo, corporate colours or mission statements, ensuring the workspace reflects your corporate identity.

It’s important to carefully consider the layout of your office.

Choosing the right office layout can increase productivity, promote employee wellbeing, encourage collaboration and more.💡

For some businesses, an open-plan layout works better, and for others, a more modular layout is better. The type of layout that works for your business depends on your requirements, and company culture.

Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can redesign the layout of your office, to get the most out of the space.✅

We recently finished a local project for our client - Odyssey Education - in Wokingham.

They trusted Oaktree to design and build a new school, which recently opened in Wokingham.

As part of the project, we designed and built a bespoke, curved desk in the central area and a sensory room (pictured), as per our client's requirements.

Our client is very happy with how the project looks, and so are we!

Office refurbishments can offer numerous benefits to a business, its employees, and its overall operations.

Here are some of the key advantages:

✨Improved Aesthetics: Refurbishing an office can give it a fresh, modern look, which can create a positive impression on clients, visitors, and employees.

✨Increased Productivity: A well-designed and organised office layout can enhance productivity by reducing distractions and improving workflow efficiency.

✨Enhanced Functionality: Refurbishments allow you to reconfigure the layout to better suit your business needs. This might involve adding more meeting rooms, creating collaborative spaces, or improving the desking layout.

✨Optimised Space Utilisation: Refurbishing your office can help maximise space usage, potentially allowing you to accommodate more employees or equipment without the need for additional real estate.

✨Employee Wellbeing: A well-designed office that considers factors like natural light, ergonomic furniture, and access to green spaces can promote employee well-being. Happier and healthier employees are generally more engaged and productive.

Successful office refurbishments require careful planning and specialist knowledge and expertise to consider the specific needs and goals of your business.

Seek the professional help of an office fit-out company, who can guide you through the process seamlessly.

📞✉️ Get in touch with our refurbishment experts at 0345 21 86955 or email [email protected] to get the conversation started. ✉️📞

Meet our Projects Director, Chris.

He oversees our office design projects right from the planning stage, through to their conclusion. He ensures the successful completion of all projects we are involved with.

When he’s not busy managing projects, Chris has a huge interest in astrophotography (photographing astronomical objects). Away from the wonders of the night sky, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, pursuing his passion for cooking and beer brewing, watching Formula 1 and loves all things gadget-related.

We couldn’t do it without you, Chris!
🏎️‍🍴🚀

Today we’re looking back on a project we completed a couple of years ago for our clients at Team Factors.🤩

One of the focal points of the space was the high-bench desk we installed at one end of the office.

There are many benefits of incorporating high-bench desking into your office space:

💡Promotes Collaboration and Communication: High bench desking encourages employees to work together, which can foster teamwork and allow for spontaneous communication.

💡Space Efficiency: Bench desking maximises the use of floor space, compared to traditional workstations.

💡Flexibility and Adaptability: Bench desks are usually designed to be modular and flexible. This allows for easy reconfiguration to accommodate different team sizes or create collaborative space.

💡Promotes a Sense of Community: The open layout of bench desking can help create a sense of community and belonging among employees. It fosters a more inclusive environment where individuals are part of a larger team.

💡Suitable for a Hybrid Office: Post-pandemic, more employees have a hybrid role, working in the office and at home interchangeably throughout the week. Bench desking can be used as a hot-desking solution for when employees come into the office.

How do we maximise efficiency in smaller office spaces?

With smaller office spaces becoming the norm, companies are having to find ways to make the most out of the limited square footage they have available to them and utilise all of the space efficiently.

Let's discuss how we can do this, and the elements you need to consider when designing a smaller office space.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!🥳

We're officially underway on an exciting new project in Letchworth!

Zund have appointed us to conduct a shell & core re-fit of their new 40,000 sq ft UK HQ. We're extremely excited about this project and can't wait to bring their vision to life.

Stay tuned for updates and progress pictures along the way.

Take a look at the CGI, showing the proposed design for the external render of the building. It fits with Zund's corporate colours, ensuring a cohesive brand message is conveyed from the outset - for anyone visiting the HQ.

Throwback to this stunning project we completed in Winnersh Triangle for a Leading Technology Manufacturer.

Pictured above, we created a bespoke sanitising station called 'The Mud Room' for employees and visitors to use upon entering the office, to wash their hands and sanitise.

Avoiding the clinical look, we made sure to design a space that was inviting and cosy, incorporating biophilic features to connect to the outdoors.

Stay tuned for the exciting project video we have coming up this week...

Recently, we completed fit-out work in Welwyn Garden City for a landlord, to re-design and update their building's reception area.

A captivating reception area makes a lasting impression on anyone who enters the space, setting the tone for their experience. When tenants appreciate the reception space and its ambience, occupancy levels will naturally increase – every landlord’s ultimate goal.

Following the success of our reception fit-out, we were appointed by the landlord for the dilapidations of a newly vacated suite.

Our task was to restore the suite to a well-finished Cat A fit-out, ensuring it was ready for the agent to start marketing to potential tenants.

We’re pleased to hear that there has been an increase in interest in the property since we completed our work, and we will be undertaking a refurbishment of all communal areas in the building in the near future.

Read the full blog post on our website (linked in bio)💚

From space planning to lighting design to colour psychology and branding, there are many ways to ensure your office space is maximised for productivity.

Our new guide gives you ideas on how to maximise productivity through your office design, ensuring you get a high return on investment from your office fit-out.

Download the guide on our website, under the 'Resources' tab.

We recently completed the fit-out of this stunning reception area for our clients in Welwyn Garden City. 💚

It's striking, welcoming and full of character- leaving a lasting impression on anyone entering the building.

The bespoke reception desk is a focal point of the space, designed to be modern and unique.

We're thrilled with how the space looks, as are our clients.

Let us know your thoughts on the space in the comments!