Things look different in some areas regarding interiors for commercial and hospitality establishments. As health and safety provisions continue to be of paramount importance to designers, we cover a few of the basics.

1) Privacy screens – The most obvious and ubiquitous design development is the inclusion of Privacy Screens. Acrylic shields are everywhere - some securely fastened into the furniture or custom-fitted for a clean retrofit installation, others fashioned out of makeshift stands and crudely attached to furniture. Whatever the case, these privacy screens and safety barriers no longer seem like a short-term solution but rather a lasting design consideration going forward for offices, retail establishments, and commercial spaces. Many companies offer a variety of panel brackets for privacy screens that are easy to install on your furniture – clamp to the edge of your desk or mount through the desk and secure underneath for a more permanent installation. It’s also possible that your floorplan or desk configuration(s) have changed with all the new developments, so the edge-mount brackets are perfect for adaptable setups and dynamic workspaces that require reconfiguring occasionally.

2) Power into furniture – One constant throughout the changing design landscape is the dependency on personal mobile electronic devices. Work and social connections are still conducted on the go, and users still need occasional access to charging amenities, especially when traveling or out for extended periods. Power grommets installed into furniture offer convenient access to fulfill those charging needs. Open-faced power grommets are the best choice for commercial environments with public or shared access as they require very little, or even no touching when plugging in power and USB cables and can be operated without touching to activate. Power Grommets are great for use in work desks and conference tables, bar tops and public charging benches, or even in lounge furniture like chairs and sofas.

3) Alternative operability – Touch surfaces like door handles and drawer and cabinet pulls in shared or public spaces will always be difficult to manage when cleaning. It will be nearly impossible to prevent the spread of germs when it comes to hardware that requires handling, but we can start to rethink some of those applications. For instance, why not operate lower cabinets with a foot pull instead of a handle? And why not offer alternative solutions to operating door handles, like forearm cuffs to open with your arm instead of gripping the handle with your hand? These are just two of the latest updates for common shared-use concerns, with more to come as we continue to think of more design solutions to assist with our daily lives.

Source: Mockett, a supplier of furniture components and architectural hardware. For more information, call 800-523-1269 or visit mockett.com.