Offices
Open Workstations Storage Design for Offices
Plan storage around frequency of use and the route between use and return. Measure the actual items, including handles and cases.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- Sort items into daily, occasional and surplus stock, then measure each group's largest pieces.
- Place daily items at the point of use and reserve a separate area for overflow or refills.
- Choose shelf spans, pull-outs and closures only after checking how items are loaded and removed.
Worked example
Imagine a designer who needs active samples, a laptop and reference books in daily reach, while archived project folders should not occupy the worktop.
Give current samples a shallow tray beside the desk and move archives to labeled closed storage. Keep the laptop's charging point near its normal parking place, and test retrieval without blocking the chair.
How to test it
Put the largest item into a mock-up and remove it with the adjacent doors or work surfaces in use.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Arrange desk rows with a distinct aisle and keep high-traffic routes behind, rather than between, seated workers.
- Detail
- Use modest-height screens and task lights so people can tune their own work area without darkening the room.
- Trade-off
- More desk density reduces spare space for informal collaboration.
- Mock up chair pullback and aisle width
- Check screen glare at seated eye level
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
