Office Reception Design: Ideas & Tips
Today it’s hard to imagine an office, a hall or another public place without a reception: it is not just a multifunctional piece of furniture but a calling card of a company’s status and image. So office reception design deserves special attention — to aesthetics as much as to engineering and technical properties.
In this guide we focus on the practical side: the ergonomics of the reception desk, its equipment, form, materials, and also the waiting area and branding. General tips on designing the entrance area are gathered in the separate article Reception Tips: How to Design the Area.
The reception as navigation and branding
A reception plays two important roles at once. First, it is a navigation element: on entering a space, a person intuitively heads towards it. Second, thanks to its pronounced design the reception becomes the central decorative element of the entrance group — the thing that shapes the first impression of a company.
That’s why a reception is styled in the corporate identity with branding elements, and accent lighting helps show it off. In essence, it is the heart of the entrance space, combining aesthetics with functionality.
Reception desk ergonomics
Since a reception desk is at once a permanent workplace and a place for receiving visitors, it should be equally convenient for everyone. By height there are two types:
- High receptions — the guest countertop height from the floor is 1100-1200 mm. They suit administrative spaces and zones with a high flow of people; equipment is easy to hide behind such a desk.
- Low receptions — the guest countertop height is 900 mm. Used less often: equipment is harder to hide behind them, but the employee has a good view of the space.
Two people often work behind the desk, so the ergonomics are calculated for both. The key parameters:
- the depth of the work surface — from 500 mm (enough for a laptop or a monitor with a keyboard), and from 700 mm for working with papers;
- the length per person — a minimum of 800 mm, a comfortable 1200 mm, so that adjacent workers don’t get in each other’s way.
Reception equipment and security
Even before the work begins, it’s worth understanding what equipment will be placed behind the desk. The basic set is a computer and a printer. In addition, a reception often provides for:
- a video surveillance monitor;
- a door-open button;
- a security-service call button;
- an air-conditioning control panel.
Since a reception often becomes the hub of an office’s security systems, its equipment is worth coordinating with the video surveillance and access control project — more in the article Alarm & Video Surveillance in the Office.
Form, materials and the waiting area
The form of a reception depends on the type of space, the company’s philosophy and the designer’s idea. As a guide by room size: straight, arc-shaped or island desks fit large and medium spaces well, while corner ones are more often used in small ones. Materials range from natural stone to budget fibreboard — the choice depends on the company’s concept and status (more on forms and materials in the separate tips article).
If space allows, a waiting area with sofas and small tables is arranged next to the reception. Soft lighting and a few accents make guests’ stay comfortable even before the meeting.
Office reception design with Partner Create
For a reception to be equally successful aesthetically and functionally, it’s worth planning it as early as the design stage — taking ergonomics, equipment and branding into account. Partner Create will design and make a desk to match a company’s concept and deliver the entrance area as part of a single complex of works.
Examples of completed offices are in the office spaces portfolio.
Office reception design in brief
- The reception is a navigation and central decorative element of the entrance group and a company’s calling card.
- High desks (1100-1200 mm) hide equipment; low ones (900 mm) give a better view.
- Work-surface depth is from 500 mm (from 700 mm for papers); length is 800-1200 mm per person.
- Equipment: computer, printer, surveillance monitor, door and security buttons, climate control.
- Forms (straight, arc, island, corner) and materials (from stone to fibreboard) suit the room.
- A waiting area with sofas and accent lighting is arranged nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are high and low receptions. High ones have a guest countertop height of 1100-1200 mm, suiting administrative zones and letting you hide equipment. Low ones are 900 mm: equipment is harder to hide behind them, but the view of the space is better.
The work-surface depth is from 500 mm for a laptop or monitor and from 700 mm if working with papers is planned. The length per person is a minimum of 800 mm and a comfortable 1200 mm, so adjacent workers don’t get in each other’s way.
Basically a computer and a printer. In addition, a surveillance monitor, a door-open button, a security-service call button and an air-conditioning control panel are placed, since a reception often becomes the hub of security systems.
Straight, arc-shaped and island desks suit large and medium spaces well, while corner ones suit small ones. The form and material (from natural stone to fibreboard) are chosen by the space size, the company’s concept and status.
Set up your reception with Partner Create
A reception is the heart of the entrance space, combining branding, ergonomics and functionality. Partner Create will design and make a desk to match your concept and deliver the entrance area alongside the overall office design.
Explore our work in the portfolio, read useful materials on the blog, or get in touch to discuss your project. Call +38 050 388 24 49.
We also recommend Reception Tips: How to Design the Area and Alarm & Video Surveillance in the Office — they round out the design and equipment of a reception.