And why can’t workplaces be as sleek as hotels?

(Source: Andrew Martin)

In my morning reading, I was just going through a report that talked about the trend towards maximalism. And I got an eyeful of bright colors and clashing elements in photos from hotel chains.

Social media giant TikTok recently worked with Airbnb to create a design trends report highlighting the emergence of a “maximalist” aesthetic. The report noted that interior design trends have notably shifted in emphasis from minimalism, which had been hip for more than a decade, to maximalist styles, which have drawn 693 million views on TikTok to date.

From there, I went to look at the Accor Brands page to see some of the examples mentioned in the articles I have read.

My POV on this is that after several years of feeling trapped in our locations, we want to splash out for an over-sensory experience versus a feeling of scarcity.

However I have noted most of my colleagues have taken the last two weeks of holiday break in natural settings (oceans, mountains, long walks in nature) vs. rushing for over stimulus.

If we require both stimulus and excitement, as well as calm and peace, what then does this tell us about our daily work environment? Why can’t workplaces be destination locations with different characteristics that reflects that location? Or even different themes in different parts of the location that suit different generations?