Spaceful Design Director, Michael Spinoglio, explains how to rethink and repurpose the often-overlooked corners of the office—spaces that start with good intentions but end up underutilised. In this piece, he explores why some flexible spaces fail to live up to their purpose and how thoughtful design, leadership, and ongoing engagement can transform them into meaningful, high-performing areas.
Every office has that one neglected corner—the table and chair collecting old mail and forgotten umbrellas. It might have been labelled a “collaboration space” or “flex zone” during planning, given a purpose with optimism, only to be left untouched once the team settled in.
The challenge isn’t with flexible spaces—they’re an increasingly important part of modern workplaces. The real issue lies in how we continue to support the function of these spaces. As we give people more control over their environment, we must also provide guidance on using new technology effectively, offer leadership within these spaces, and, when necessary, adapt the physical design to better support their needs.
Amid growing discussions on the push for a stronger return to the office, employers have a responsibility to create the best possible spaces for their teams and ensure every square meter is utilised effectively. These neglected corners can be transformed into meaningful areas for your team by gaining a deeper understanding of their intrinsic motivators—the things that inspire them to collaborate and engage.
At Spaceful, we facilitate these discussions through workshops held both before and after project completion, ensuring we continuously gain insights into what our clients value in the architecture of their space and how their teams can continue to tweak it. We find that early engagement leads to greater planning efficiency, allowing us to utilise spaces like kitchens, receptions and training rooms in concerto to support a wide range of activities, from yoga classes to fashion week activations and after-hour events.
