The best way to divide your office space

Choosing how to divide your office space can be difficult. Around 20 years ago, open plan offices were all the fashion, however, Covid reminded us that there’s a lot to be said for space. Sound travels around an office in a way that can interrupt an employee’s train of thought and slow down working processes. Background noise can be distracting on phone calls and can make it difficult for employees to receive or make critical personal calls while at work.

If you rent a single room, you may wish to create a separate welcome area for guests that is screened off from the remainder of your office.

There are many different reasons you may choose to divide your office space,  but there are equally many ways you can divide your room. The space you have and the budget you wish to allocate will each play a role in the way you choose to divide your office space to optimise productivity.

1. Use the space

Simply using the space to create banks of desks with desk dividers can be one of the most cost-effective ways to separate your office space.

Pros

• Budget friendly
• Nurtures a feeling of space
• Promotes team working with the use of banks of desks
• Easy to adapt to changing office needs

Cons

• Not as effective as other ways to divide an office when it comes to limiting sound travel
• Doesn’t limit or screen vision so not a good option for a reception area.

2. Create storing for a room that flows, but separates your spaces

By using storage like our compression shelving effectively, you can create semi-permeable room dividers.

Pros

• Can effectively interfere with visibility across an office
• Can reduce sound travel across an office making persona conversations easier
• You also benefit from stylish storage that can be used to create a point of interest in an office.
• Can be adapted easily to accommodate your office’s changing needs
• Can be used in any open plan space

Cons

• Doesn’t stop ambient sound
• You can still see through the shelving spaces if you wanted to, so it doesn’t guarantee privacy

3. Sliding door system

A sliding door system is a more permanent system but it also guarantees a greater degree of independent working to your employees.

Suspended sliding door system

There are two types of sliding door systems – a suspended system whereby the door slides across an arch or a doorway on a rail which is permanently visible above the door.

Pros

• Really good at screening sound
• Really effective at reducing visibility
• All the benefits of a door without the need for the clearance meaning you can position desks within just six inches of the wall either side of the door.

Cons

• More expensive than the other two ways to divide office space
• Takes more effort to install
• More permanent
• You need a wall or gap with a beam across to fix the sliding door system

Ghost internal sliding door system

With a Ghost internal sliding door system the sliding door mechanism remains hidden making it perfect for spaces where aesthetics matter. Installation is still straightforward, but more difficult than our options listed above. For full instructions you can read our blog ‘How to fit the Ghost Concealed Internal Sliding Door System in 15 easy steps’.

Pros

• Once installed, the mechanism is hidden
• A wide range of door types and colours to choose from
• Quiet opening and closing mechanism
• Really effective at reducing visibility and glass panels can be used to reduce visibility without reducing natural light.

Cons

• Mid-to-long-term solution and more difficult to adapt to your office’s changing needs
• More costly than the other solutions but can still be bought and installed for under £500.

If you have any specific questions about our room divider shelving or our internal sliding door systems, contact us on our online chat. Our helpful team will be able to answer any questions you might have about our sliding door systems or our wide range of dividers.