“The Work Becomes Intentional When the Environment is Designed with Intentionality for What the Work is Asking For” – Haley Medeiros 

Think about the last time you walked into a space that immediately boosted your focus and energy—everything in its place, aligned with what you were there to do. Now imagine the opposite: a room filled with distractions, clutter, and an energy that drains rather than energizes.

This isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about the environment actively shaping how you perform, how your team collaborates, and how successful you are in achieving your goals.

For instance, picture the clear, organized shelves at Barnes and Nobles, with everything in its right spot, guiding you toward what you need. 

Now, contrast that with a messy garage, where everything is scattered—distracting you from what you’re really looking for.

This is the difference that environmental design makes. The spaces you work in—whether a team meeting room or your personal workspace—can either fuel your success or hinder it. 

Success by Design

When you design these spaces with intention, you’re not just improving the physical surroundings; you’re aligning your environment with your goals and unlocking higher performance.

Just as design influences how we experience stores, it profoundly shapes how we interact and perform in the workplace. Leaders can harness the power of intentional design to optimize team collaboration, creativity, and productivity.

Each environment has its purpose, and these purposes cause us to function accordingly. Intentional interiors change how we interact with our environment- whether we are aware of these slight tweaks or not. 

This is the same reason why places like Walmart have linear recessed pieces and ample skylights within an exposed roof while stores like Target have a drop ceiling, LED accents, and patterned lights along the shopping floor. 

One interior communicates a deal- the best bargain for your buck- with even lighting to promote fast bulk spending. The other? A  boutique-adjacent experience- the place to be for all things trendy- with warmer tones to push longer shopping times (which leads to more items in the cart).

Starting to pick up the patterns? Design changes behavior.

When humans take note of these effects and employ them in the various spaces of life, we find new ways to not only preserve our daily energy, but to revitalize it. 

From specific layouts designed to maximize team collaboration to the addition of biophilic moments, good design doesn’t have to be extravagant. Small changes in your space can shift the trajectory of your entire day.

Space Alignment

When designing an environment, it’s crucial to align the space with the work at hand. For example, a “focused work zone” versus a “creative collaboration zone” can be designed differently (e.g., quieter, more private vs. open and flexible). 

If the task requires deep focus, quiet zones or soundproof areas can optimize concentration.

If collaboration is the goal, open spaces and communal tables can promote interaction. 

Designing quiet zones could involve adding soundproof panels or offering private pods for focused tasks, while collaborative areas may feature open tables and writable surfaces to encourage spontaneous brainstorming

By understanding the nature of the work and designing spaces that support it, leaders can foster an atmosphere where employees are not only more productive but more engaged with the work they are doing.

Now that we’ve seen how design can foster teamwork—next, let’s explore how it can also enhance well-being through the integration of nature.

When Environment Emulates Environment 

Since the beginning of time, humans have found ways to create design through the resources they had available- from cave paintings to the Stonehenge layout. Nature is a staple in the creation of our interiors, and this modern-day version of interior greenery isn’t just reserved for trendy coffee shops or the living room decor section of Homegoods. Humans contain an innate connection to nature- fueling our need to be near the natural world. This deep-rooted love for plants, called biophilia, goes beyond whether or not you identify as a gardener.

This phenomenon is so ingrained in our DNA, that existing in spaces that use it as a design element can improve our wellbeing, physical health, and even speed up recovery times in post-surgery residences. 

Biophilic design is a powerful tool. This concept may manifest in the use of house plants, natural materials, or even synthetic finishes that contain nature-inspired patterns. Studies have even shown that integrating nature into workspaces, whether through sunlighting, indoor plants, or outdoor work settings, can reduce stress, boost cognitive function, and enhance overall job satisfaction. Nature’s presence is a balm for the overstimulated mind, helping to lower cortisol levels and improve focus. 

Google has been recognized for integrating biophilic elements, like plant walls and natural light, into its workspaces to promote well-being and creativity. Such environments foster not only employee satisfaction but also higher productivity.

To begin incorporating biophilic elements, consider these simple steps

Start by adding a few indoor plants, using natural materials like wood for desks or accents, or introducing large windows that allow natural light to flood the room. Even simple elements like nature-inspired artwork can elevate your space.

Just as biophilic elements enhance focus and well-being, so too does an intentional workspace layout foster collaboration. Let’s explore how design influences team interaction.

Collaboration by Design

Life in the office can occasionally feel recipe-based: Start my day with 2 hours of individual work, by noon I mix in 1 brainstorming collaboration, and by the end of the day, I have added three more meetings to cover various projects. Baking these together creates one sometimes-collaborative, occasionally-heads-down professional workplace cake. 

So when the recipe can’t change, how do we spruce up the cake? Changing the shape and adjusting the design is a great place to start! 

The way we design and use our workspaces has a direct impact on how teams connect, communicate, and create together. Leaders who strategically design their environments can unlock higher engagement, innovation, and productivity—turning spaces into catalysts for collaboration.

The design of our spaces has a direct impact on how teams work together. As Greg Hoffman writes, ‘Talent starts the game, chemistry wins it.’ By designing environments that encourage interaction, leaders can shape a culture where creativity and collaboration thrive. 

Open layouts, shared spaces, and flexible design all serve to amplify chemistry between team members, making collaboration not only possible but inevitable.

Open Layouts for Collaboration

Traditional cubicles, while effective for heads-down work time, can hinder collaboration if not designed intentionally. Incorporating modular dividers that can be adjusted depending on a task’s needs can create private moments for more intense work time, but allow the flexibility of an open layout for collaboration.

Casual Breakout Zones

Not every discussion requires a formal meeting room (although maybe that would make weekly dinner decisions more entertaining). Casual lounges, café-style areas, and outdoor spaces offer relaxed settings where creative thinking flourishes. These spaces foster impromptu problem-solving sessions without that classic stiffness of boardroom dynamics.

Acoustics 

Survey the current space you are in. What do you hear? 

Maybe you are in a large food court with high ceilings creating a sort of echoing buzz from the conversations around you. Or maybe you are at the DMV where the space is so quiet, that you can almost hear the sound of your brain “dinging”  when it remembers that you left your birth certificate at home. 

Sound can make or break a workspace. Too much echoing can create headaches and break focus, but a space that is intensely quiet can cause discomfort and prove to be just as distracting. Survey your own work environment to learn how sound may be affecting energy levels in your company. Quick fixes like white-noise machines, additional acoustical panels, or added upholstered furniture can prove to shift the sensory overload, and promote frequent collaboration.

In addition to white-noise machines, consider installing soundproof booths for phone calls, or even noise-dampening floors and ceilings. These solutions can significantly enhance focus, reducing the environmental noise that distracts employees during critical work periods.

Leading Through Space

Environmental energy is not only attributed to how many plants are present or what a space looks like, but how it is being interacted with. 

Leaders can also create spaces that encourage creativity by incorporating areas for informal meetings, like café-style lounges or outdoor patios, where spontaneous brainstorming sessions can take place. These spaces empower employees to contribute freely and think outside the box.

I recently had the opportunity to tour a local office building that had been designed with an upscale, energizing aesthetic at the forefront. 

The team expressed that when building the office, leaders wanted to include a wellness room to promote decompressing and mental stability while enduring the 9-5. 

While a great sentiment, there was only one dilemma- nobody was using the space.

With a dimmed lamp, comfy oversized sofa-chairs, subtle oil diffusers, and a white-noise machine, it was a stressed person’s knight in shining armour. So what was wrong with it? 

The issue wasn’t actually the space at all. Team leaders started realizing that they themselves hadn’t been using the wellness room. 

Quickly changing their habits, the company pieced together that when individuals in leadership positions made a point to use these alternative spaces, team members followed suit. 

This ripple effect was more like a wave crash—when leaders model healthy work habits and make alternative spaces part of daily team life, employees feel empowered to do the same. 

Instead of forcing productivity, they create an atmosphere that invites it naturally.

This example showcases why proximity plays a significant role in collaboration. 

The layout of a space—how close or far apart individuals are from one another—can either foster or hinder communication. Open-plan offices, for instance, allow for easier collaboration and idea exchange, while segmented cubicles may create barriers to spontaneous conversations. 

When leaders model effective use of collaborative spaces and encourage their teams to engage with them, it not only improves productivity but also fosters a culture of openness and communication

Environmental Design Takeaways

Take five minutes today to assess your workspace.

• Are there any barriers that prevent collaboration?
• Could adding biophilic elements enhance energy flow and productivity?
• How can you begin to rethink your seating arrangement to improve energy flow?

Start implementing changes now to foster better communication and collaboration. What specific changes will you make in your workspace today to enhance collaboration and energy flow?