Anna Mitchell explores the future of the office and adoption of residential design in commercial buildings.
A world of sleek, cold, and purely functional workplaces is giving way to something warmer, more comfortable, and intuitive. Post-pandemic office design trends have rapidly embraced this shift, taking cues from residential environments to create workspaces that blend the best of home and office: spaces that feel welcoming yet professional, and where technology supports rather than complicates.
This growing trend - known as resimercial design - is opening doors for smart home technology professionals; the experts in crafting homely, highly personalised spaces where technology integrates seamlessly into the aesthetic vision. These professionals already know how to collaborate with interior designers and deliver environments that are warm, easy-to-control, and intuitive. That skillset is highly valuable in the commercial world, where businesses are increasingly looking to humanise their workspaces.
But stepping into this space isn’t without its challenges. Beyond the technical differences between residential and commercial installations, there are broader considerations; longer payment terms, a more complex project lifecycle, and the need to navigate corporate processes that might be unfamiliar. So, is the resimercial market an opportunity worth exploring? We’ll hear from workspace consultants who are steering these trends and integrators who’ve successfully worked in both commercial and residential spaces. Their experiences reveal not only the potential but also the pitfalls smart home professionals need to know.
Why now?
“There’s a drive toward making workplaces feel more domestic and more comfortable. Most companies have opted for a hybrid working environment and now people are quite comfortable working at home. Employers need something to attract people to the office,” says Nigel Miller, MD of workspace consultancy Cordless Group. Miller is well-placed to talk about the shift toward resimercial spaces. With a focus on aligning office design and technology with an organisation’s work habits, Cordless ensures that environments not only look good but also enhance productivity, collaboration, and wellbeing. Miller understands that when done right, workplace design can inspire new ways of thinking and drive a business forward. He says the resimercial trend has arrived alongside a drive to make space varied. “It comes down to activity-based working,” he says. “You go in and you find the sort of space that not only suits the work you want to do but how you feel. You might choose a space for its temperature, or seek out one that is active and lively, or perhaps you want to see where it’s quiet. Some areas have a domestic feel and that’s been increasingly the case for spaces where you want some down time or concentration, as well as leisure are as such as cafeterias. There’s more use of biophilic design, soft fabrics and furnishings and a lot more use of wood.”
Credit: Lightfield Studios/Shutterstock.com
Joanna Helin, from integrator Smartcomm, highlights that the resimercial trend isn’t limited to office spaces alone but is being driven by changes across multiple sectors.
“Hybrid working has created demand for commercial-grade solutions in home offices,” she explains. This blurring of boundaries between residential and corporate needs has led to a shift in expectations for both functionality and aesthetics. However, Helin points out that the growth of resimercial design goes beyond just hybrid work. “Super prime residential developments are now incorporating commercial-grade conferencing systems, multi-zone audio, and advanced entertainment solutions to elevate the customer experience,” she says. This reflects a broader demand for technology that optimises resource use and enhances usability, with systems such as building management tools gaining traction for their sustainability benefits. Helin notes that workplaces, hospitality, and even high-end residential projects are all embracing a more flexible, comfortable, and technology-rich approach, mirroring the varied and user-friendly spaces Miller describes.
The opportunity...
For residential installers, the shift toward resimercial spaces presents a unique opportunity to leverage their existing expertise in delivering luxurious, easy-to-use, and seamlessly integrated systems. These professionals are well-versed in crafting environments where technology enhances everyday living, ensuring both form and function meet the highest standards. Their deep understanding of aesthetic appeal, often in collaboration with interior designers, sets them apart from commercial integrators who may prioritise functionality over the personal touch. Whether it’s creating bespoke smart home systems, providing intuitive control interfaces, or integrating high-end AV setups, residential installers are already masters at making technology invisible while elevating the user experience. In a world where comfort and personalisation are key, these skills are invaluable in designing spaces that feel both functional and like home. Helin says the strength of residential-focused teams lies in their deep understanding of the importance of design and user experience.
“Residential installers are more attuned to the beautiful, luxurious, custom-made designs and finishes available,” she explains. “This focus on aesthetics is critical in environments where comfort, personalisation,and luxury are key.”
Credit: Cordless Consultants
...and the challenges
Transitioning into the resimercial market presents unique challenges. For residential installers, adapting to the commercial world may require a shift in mindset, from understanding complex systems to navigating longer project timelines and more rigorous service expectations. However, these hurdles open new avenues for enhancing expertise and expanding business offerings. When it comes to technology Miller says open connectivity should be the starting point for any technology going into a smart building environment.
“In large corporate environments any technology installed needs to talk to other systems and it needs to do so on an open platform,” he says. “Systems have to be open and able to be integrated easily, otherwise they’re just not going to be considered.” Helin adds that experience and knowledge of commercial solutions is essential. “The solutions are not the same, in terms of price, functionality, complexity and aesthetics,” she says. “The design, commissioning and programming has to reflect this as the solutions must have the required function, be easy to use, robust, yet look great.” While Helin advises that training and experience can add the required technical expertise she also notes that a company’s service and support must be able to“deal with the demands of commercial grade systems if they are going to install them”. Project management aspects should also be considered.
“A lot of work in commercial is delivered and then invoiced,”says Miller. “If it’s not signed off, nobody gets paid... or possibly you can’t even invoice.” And if that wasn’t enough to contend with, Miller points out that you can almost guarantee project delays.
Down to business
From lighting to materials, every element plays a role in shaping the experience of those who use a space. As Miller highlights, even subtle changes can have a profound impacton how people interact with their surroundings. “A lot of companiess used to stick with the lighting that the building was fitted out with,”he says.“It’s fit for purpose, but it makes you look washed out and a day under fluorescent lighting makes you feel down. There’s a lot more attention paid now to up lighters, mood lighting and the use of lighting to create an atmosphere.
“I’ve seen great live demonstrations of how that works, an example being a boardroom. People were asked to head into the room for a short talk. When the lighting was normal, fluorescent lighting the group that came into the boardroom stood around the table. When the same experiment was run with another bunch of people and the lighting was set up to draw them into the table – there was warm lighting in the centre of the table, the perimeter lighting was dimmed - people came in and sat down. It’s an extraordinary effect.”
“Generally the integration of technology is becoming more considered,”agrees Ohadding that with less people in the office at one time spaces are trending toward being smaller. With less square metres to kit out, more can be spent on each square metre. “Acoustically, we use a lot of treated wood slat with acoustic backing, which is deadening the rooms,” says Oh. Like Miller, Oh believes that subconscious signals that come from these approaches can affect how people operate in the workspace.
“People don't realise that a bedroom - with sheets and curtains and a lot of soft furnishings and carpet - creates signals that your brain takes in and thinks ‘I'm in myquiet space, I'm here to rest’. You can simulate a lot of that through good acoustic design, which is an interesting opportunity in commercial. A lot of people in the home theatre world can speak the world of acoustics, they understand about reverberation and how materials interact.”
This image and below: TSP Smart Spaces created varied and homely spaces for its client Accel Partners' London HQ
Oh continues: “Pre-covid there tended to be a large amount of investment of AV into a central bigger space, your boardroom or meeting room. That’s where you’d have big meetings and it was ‘hybrid’ by today’s label. Smaller spaces tended to be in-person spaces.
”Post-covid and that’s all changed with every desk, space and even shared areas requiring connection for remote participants. Both Miller and Oh stress that the requirement for these spaces to be varied in their feel and the type of work or even mood they support is contributing to the resimercial trend.
“We kitted out a space that had a library feel for one of our clients in London,”says Oh. “It’svideo conference enabled, it has low chairand a lounge-feel. There’s a TV where you would expect one to be if you were sitting in a living room but it has a Neat Bar underneath. The ease of use and integration is totally different compared with a boardroom where you’d have hanging and table-mounted microphones.”
While the set up sounds less complex, Oh warns that expert knowledge is essential. “It’s easy to put in a soundbar that’s wrong for the size of room or the requirements placed on it,” he says.“If you have a soundbar for video conferencing, you really need to choose products from companies that specialise in microphone arrays for example.”
As the resimercial market continues to grow, it’s clear that success relies on bridging the best of both residential and commercial expertise. What’s also clear is that the two skillsets are distinct and good results will only come from companies that understand that. While a drive to creating homely spaces in corporate buildings might sound like a business opportunity for residential integrators, the reality is that few bridge both worlds successfully.
“There's a lot of really good commercial firms and a lot of really good residential firms but I found there's not that many that do both,”confirms Oh. However, when a firm does get that right it can deliver an edge over the competition. “The challenge is keeping your staff up to date on both sides of the business, but I genuinely feel if you have the right staff with the right sort of curious minds they’re always wanting to learn and that element of hybrid will fall into place,”says Oh.
And for Helin: “Residential installers are more attuned to the beautiful, luxurious, custom-made designs and finishes available. When combined with commercial grade knowledge, processes, procedures and support of a commercial installer it becomes a very powerful combination. This is why we leverage our whole team when we create systems to make sure they are as bespoke and stunning in design and finish as they are powerful and robust in performance.”
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