What you need to know before starting a office refresh ?

Where do I even start with an office fitout?

Start with why you're moving or changing the space, more headcount, a lease event, hybrid working, culture change, before you start looking at floor plans. That "why" shapes every decision that follows, including whether you need a new lease at all. We can help you with our tailor made strategy workshop sessions or summits for larger organisations. 

Do I need a workplace strategy before I start designing?

Yes, for anything beyond a cosmetic refresh. Workplace strategy answers how your team actually works; design then translates that into space. Skipping straight to design usually means retrofitting decisions later that strategy would have caught upfront. The word strategy can sound like a long winded outcome, but we can get to the bottom of things in an hour or over many days depending how large the site is. 

Should I engage a designer before signing a new lease?

Ideally, yes. Pocketspace can test whether a space actually fits your headcount and ways of working before you're locked into a lease term, which avoids discovering a costly mismatch after signing. We can also help with cost estimates so you know the upfront cost of taking this lease on before signing. We can help with real estate feasibility reports on multiple sites which helps your decision making process.

What's the difference between a fitout and a refurbishment?

A refurbishment updates an existing layout, finishes and fixtures without major reconfiguration. A fitout typically starts from a base build or a stripped-back space and builds the full interior, layout, services and finishes, from scratch.