How Small Commercial Fitouts are Different to Larger Projects

Every commercial fitout presents unique challenges to the interior designer, whether it be for a small business and shop front, or a large corporation's head office. Designing small offices often involve fitting many different design components into one small space, meaning that some clever thinking is needed to form a cohesive, functional and appealing commercial office fitout. There are many advantages to designing your commercial fitout on a small space, as well as some disadvantages that need to be worked through.

• First Impressions: Small commercial partitions and fitouts need to make an impact fast, and cannot rely on sheer size or scale to impress. Often an exclusive and spacious reception area is regarded as a waste, and is instead blended into the main part of the office or shop space. This means that the whole of the commercial fitout needs to be appealing to the customer or visitor, giving the designer the freedom to be creative in their approach to every part of the office. Everything from the desks, chairs, colour choices and furnishings such as plants or artwork can be used to the greatest aesthetic advantage in a small commercial fitout.


• Reduce Clutter: Impressive design elements need, however, to be balanced with functionality in the design of the commercial office fitout that allows people to get on with their jobs in comfort. Small commercial partitions and fitouts regularly face problems with finding enough storage space in comparison to the offices of larger businesses which may have dedicated archival spaces. There are many space saving storage options that have been designed especially for inclusion in commercial fitouts with limited space.


• Clever Partitioning: Partitioning walls, whether full height, half height, lightweight timber or glass, can be a great way to create additional working space in a small commercial fitout. Partitions can reduce noise travelling through the office, as well as visually breaking up a room into dedicated areas. A commercial office fitout needs to be organised well, and office partitions are the perfect space organisational tool. Partitions can create a peaceful place for meetings with clients, as well as spaces for vigorous discussions and collaborative working.

Small commercial fitouts offer unique opportunities to the business owner and designer, in that the whole of an intricately working business needs to be condensed into one small space. While this presents challenges, such as designing efficient storage, small commercial fitouts also offer many benefits, such as an inclusive atmosphere and the chance to impress using the whole office.

Every office or commercial place needs different fitouts. Cooper Group provides quality durable commercial office fitouts and stylish office partitions for any kind of office workstations in Melbourne.