Playful spaces matter

The outside impacts the inside

Do you know the feeling that you enter a space and you either feel at home or you have the urgent need to leave?

In a speech, Winston Churchill gave in 1943 he said: “We shape our buildings, and afterward our buildings shape us”. Unfortunately, I cannot ask him what he meant exactly but I believe that it is pretty much like saying there is a difference between a house, the physical space, and a home. We build a house, but we want to create a home. A building, an office, or a desk can be just a physical place we go to work to, but it can be much more, a place we can feel we belong. A place that has our personal signature.

A few years ago I remember visiting a colleague in a big accounting firm, he was sitting in a cubicle in an open space, his desk was empty, no family photos, nothing personal that could tell you anything about the person occupying the desk. Knowing that he is a family man, who loves to travel, I asked him why there are no signs of his personal life. I was shocked to hear the answer; “The company’s policy was to refer from placing personal objects to create a more ‘professional’ climate in the place. More than anything, I felt sad for the people who have to ‘hide’ their personal life when they are at work as if there is any human way to separate our whole self from our ‘working’ persona.

Recently I watched a tv series that demonstrated this in the most radical way. “Severance “describes a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. The office walls were white, their desks were identical and the only photo on their table was a team photo. They were portrayed as nothing but productive machines, who had no idea who they were in real life and their team members knew only their pale ‘working’ persona. This series gave me the chill because as much as this is science fiction, some signs can be present in actual ‘working’ environments where effectiveness and bottom-line results dictate everything, neglecting and ignoring the human factor in humans.

As much as there is a lot to say or do in regards to the human factor, the purpose of this piece is simply, to emphasize the influence that our physical space has on our wellbeing.

Our space at work is our “home base” and as such, I encourage everyone to make this space feel homey. Even in a hybrid work-home setting when you come to the office, you want to feel comfortable. The homey feeling is personal. You may prefer family photos, inspirational posters, colorful ‘toys’, flowers, plants, candies, or a box of chocolate (a favorite among many), the list is endless as long as you are mindful of not hurt someone else feelings everything goes.

A welcoming space has more advantages than just feeling good, it is also :

🍭A great starter for conversation. People tend to be interested in the things you chose to surround yourself with

🍭A way to communicate without talking, about what’s important to you, other than ‘work’. It can be the start of having more of what you enjoy in your daily routine.

🍭A way to find your ‘tribe’ at work, people who share your interests and you create new paths to collaborate in a more engaging way.

In a hybrid working setting when people use the same space on different days, there is an additional opportunity to bring people together to design their shared spaces. That will be a great way for meaningful connections while finding mutual interests. You can create the same bonding experience when you include people in the process of designing public spaces. You don’t have to spend money on some fancy designer, or expensive Hitech furniture. Some colorful paint and a few enthusiastic team members are all you need.

The more the place reflects the people who use them, the more playful, and inviting the space is, and the more people feel they belong. I recall a phrase I heard from Tsipi Ben Haim, Founder, Executive & Creative Director, of CITYarts a non-profit that brings together youth with professional artists to create beautiful murals.

“I strongly believe that when kids create, they do not destroy; they inspire us all”

The Same goes for adults. People are more connected to the things they create. Let them create their personal ‘Playground’.