Commercial interiors are somewhat of a special challenge. Without interesting details and tasty furniture arrangements, they can easily become impersonal and cold. Yet, with too many details, space can become overcrowded which should be avoided.
And that`s where wood comes in.
Implementing wooden elements in commercial interiors is an elegant and fun way of making a business space more pleasant. We at the Salt & Water studio are keen on using natural materials. That is something we got accustomed to after years of designing yacht interiors. So, today we will show you examples of several of such commercial designs our clients liked.
#1 Make the place more comfy and interesting
Don`t take this the wrong way. We L-O-V-E coffee (and coffee shops, of course). Yet, it seems that when one city gets bigger, it starts filling up with coffee shops on every single corner. That sure gives some comfort to all those hard-working people in the city. Yet, speaking from the designer`s point of view, it makes it hard to stand out from the crowd.
That is why wood has become one of the leading trends in hospitality design in recent years. Above all, wood is easy to maintain, it has a pleasant feel, and it goes pretty well with every working surface one could imagine in the hospitality business.
The quirky city coffee shop we designed a few months back is following that approach. It is also a perfect example to show how wood can be used not only as a leading furniture element but also as a cover for all faulty areas. Wood refines the roughness of an industrial design in an elegant way.
If you look closely at the distant corner in the picture above, you can see a copy of the Moroccan-style mosaics which give the homey feel to the place. This corner is actually a perfect example of how wood can easily be combined with other materials.
#2 Use it as a frame of natural surroundings
Let`s stick to the coffee shops and bars for a while, shall we? Happy with the design solution we offered above, our client reached out to us again, this time with a different assignment. That is how we designed the interior of a tiny cocktail bar in a city marina.
A nautical design was the predictable choice. Thus, we moved our focus to the color scheme and wooden tiles that go well with the surroundings. Framing a magnificent coastal view with wood is a sophisticated choice and our client was more than happy with the result.
#3 Let nature come inside
This might be easier said than done, but our research on vertical gardens proved that could be a great idea. Here, wood presents as a bridge between the real living plants and industrial elements.
In other words, if you want to make one bar more pleasant, the wood gets the job done.
#4 Erase the boundaries between indoor and outdoor space
Wood can be used not only to frame nature but to make the users feel like a part of the surroundings. And is there a better way of doing so rather than to put a real tree in the game?
The picture above is one of the less-known designs of our Floating Hotel. We came out with this design while developing the project to fit the possibilities of the lake in Mali Zvornik. The cherry tree might be a surprising choice here, yet, it does go well with the rattan furniture set all around the place. This is exactly why the combination of wood and rattan furniture is a perfect choice to set a comfy indoor ambiance in an outdoor area.
#5 Use it as an element of surprise
Wood might come in handy when the exterior design of one place should reflect its interior. If the wooden elements are used in interior design, moving them outside might be a simple solution. Here you can see how wood can be used as a decorative part of a building`s façade.
Sliding wooden shutters are both functional and elegant, and they look nice from every point of view. Another thing to keep in mind when designing such an object is the fact that wood needs appropriate care. Although wood is not demanding, it still is a natural material and it needs users` care.
