For businesses planning an office fit-out
Office Design Trends 2026: What UK Offices Are Building, and Why
Sviatoslav JerdetchiiCEO & Founder of Craftex. Updated , 8 min read
The short answer
The office design trends that matter in 2026 all answer one question: what makes the office worth the commute? The research points to fewer fixed desks, more rooms for focus and video calls, better sound, air and light, and lower-energy buildings.
- Layout: plan for the busy Tuesday to Thursday peak, with unassigned desks and a mix of settings.
- Rooms: quiet focus rooms and video-ready meeting rooms and booths, because few people are happy with office noise.
- Building: fresh air, daylight, sensors and an EPC plan, as larger rented offices head for EPC B by 2031.
- Brief: pick the trends your team will use every week, then price them before you sign the lease.
Most office design trend lists are mood boards. They show you a lounge and a plant wall, and stop there. This guide is different.
We checked the 2025 and 2026 UK workplace research behind the office design trends. That means occupier surveys, attendance data, employee studies and the new energy rules. Then we added what each trend needs from the build, because we design and fit out offices.
If you already have a floor, a lease date and a wish list, book a site visit. We'll tell you which trends fit and what they cost.
Office design trends 2026 at a glance
Ten trends stand out. Each has evidence behind it and a real effect on the fit-out.
| Trend | The evidence | What it needs from the fit-out |
|---|---|---|
| Design for the peak day | 46% average use, 71% on peak days (CBRE) | Desk and room counts set by Tuesday to Thursday |
| Unassigned desks | 61% of occupiers use them (CBRE) | Lockers, booking, power and data on every desk |
| Quiet focus rooms | Focused work matters to 89% (Leesman) | Small enclosed rooms with their own air and light |
| Acoustics first | Only 35% satisfied with noise (Leesman) | Absorbent ceilings, seals, sound-rated partitions |
| Video-ready rooms | Video calls matter to 57%, up from 38% (Leesman) | Booths, cameras, screens, even light, cabling |
| Hospitality spaces | A vibrant atmosphere is the top challenge (CBRE) | Kitchen with water, drainage and extract |
| Fresh air and light | BCO asks for more outdoor air | Ventilation, daylight, controls, sit-stand desks |
| Natural materials | Wellbeing now has its own BCO chapter | Planting, timber, irrigation, structural checks |
| Data-led workplace | 88% now measure their space (CBRE) | Sensors, a system to read them, a privacy notice |
| Lower-energy fit-out | EPC B by 2031 for larger lets (government) | Efficient lighting, controls, reused materials |
Trend 1: offices are planned for the busy day
People are coming back, but not every day. Remit Consulting recorded UK office attendance of 44.1% in late January 2026, a post-pandemic high. CBRE's 2025 occupier survey found 54% of firms want three or more office days. Only 42% achieve it.
The pattern matters more than the average. CBRE measured average weekly utilisation of 46%, but a peak-day average of 71%. Leesman's Rhythms research found Thursday is now the busiest day.
So size the office for Tuesday to Thursday, not for Friday. A floor planned on the average feels empty on Monday and overflows on Thursday. We count desks, meeting rooms and booths against your real peak headcount before drawing a wall.
Trend 2: fewer fixed desks, more settings
Unassigned desks are now the norm. CBRE found 61% of occupiers use them. Its survey also shows ratios of 1 to 1.5 people per desk falling, from 53% of firms to 28% within two years.
The space released goes to other settings. Think touchdown benches, team tables, focus rooms, booths and lounges. The British Council for Offices (BCO) also now recommends activity-based working in its 2025 Guide to Fit-Out.
The build has to support it. Every desk needs power and data, not just the desk rows. Staff need lockers, because nobody owns a pedestal any more. A booking system needs network points and screens where people arrive.
Could not be HAPPIER with Sviat and the Craftex team, they certainly showed me that they’re the number one office design company in London that we’ve had the pleasure of working with. They gave us a unique design just like we wanted, and we loved the first initial draft of the concept. Also have to give them props for Construction, I gave them a tight timeline as we needed to move our team in ASAP, so they pulled double shifts and I didn’t see a drop in quality. Will be to talking to the team when we move up to our next bigger office. Highly recommended A+++
Trend 3: quiet rooms for focused work
The office is sold as a place to collaborate. Employees use it for more than that. In Leesman's April 2025 research, 89% of employees rated focused desk work as important. Planned meetings came next at 74%.
Leaders see it differently. 70% of corporate real estate leaders named collaboration as the reason for the office. Few named productivity.
The 2026 answer is both. Keep the open floor for teams, then add small enclosed rooms for focus. Each one needs its own ventilation and lighting. That is services work, so it belongs in the first layout, not the snagging list.
Trend 4: acoustics move to the front of the brief
Noise is one of the weakest scores in the office. Leesman's March 2026 analysis found noise levels matter to 70% of employees. Only 35% are satisfied with them.
The BCO now treats sound as a core subject. Its 2025 Guide to Fit-Out has a full chapter on acoustics for the first time.
Good acoustics are built, not bought later:
- Ceilings and finishes. Absorbent ceiling tiles, rafts and soft finishes stop sound bouncing around the floor.
- Partitions. Meeting room walls need the right sound rating, carried up to the slab where it matters.
- Doors and seals. A glass room with a gap under the door leaks every word.
- Distance. Leesman's data links noise dissatisfaction to space between settings and people walking past desks.
Trend 5: every room is a video room
Hybrid teams meet on screen, even in the office. Leesman's Rhythms research found 57% of employees now see video calls as important to their role, up from 38%. Phone calls fell from 66% to 48%.
That changes the room schedule. People need booths for one-person calls and small rooms for two to four people. Larger rooms need cameras, screens and microphones that work for the people at home.
The fit-out has to deliver even light on faces, data to the table and power to the screen. Glass needs a manifestation band so people see it. Plan the AV and cabling with the MEP integration design, not after it. Offices with a comms or server room may need more: see our data centre construction services.
Trend 6: hospitality spaces that draw people in
Office mandates only go so far. In CBRE's 2025 survey, creating a vibrant, engaging atmosphere was the top challenge in bringing staff back, named by 53% of firms. Knight Frank's (Y)OUR SPACE research lists amenity first among five occupier priorities.
In practice, that means a kitchen people want to use, a café counter and lounges for informal meetings. Leesman found 52% of employees rate informal, unplanned meetings as important.
These spaces need water, drainage and often extract. Place them near the building's risers, or the plumbing costs climb.
Trend 7: fresh air, daylight and the basics done well
Wellbeing is no longer a perk. It is about air, light, temperature and a good desk. The BCO recommends more outdoor air, more efficient lighting and 10 m² per person for general workspace. Its 2025 fit-out guide adds a full chapter on health and well-being.
Some of it is the law. Employers must assess display screen workstations, reduce the risks and provide eye tests on request. HSE guidance says workrooms should usually be at least 16°C.
Many offices miss the basics. JLL's 2025 survey of 8,700 office workers found 38% say their office needs significant improvement. Sit-stand desks, good chairs, controllable lighting and fresh air fix more complaints than a feature wall.
Trend 8: natural materials and planting
Biophilic design stays on every list for 2026. Plants, timber, stone and daylight make a floor calmer and soften the sound.
It has build consequences. Large planters are heavy, so check the floor loading. Living walls need irrigation, drainage and a maintenance contract. Timber and fabric finishes must meet fire rules for their location.
Our view: a few large, well-kept plants beat a living wall nobody maintains.
Trend 9: the data-led workplace
Occupiers now measure how their space is used. CBRE found 88% track workspace performance, up from 60% in 2024. Knight Frank lists data-driven decision making among its five occupier priorities.
Sensors show which rooms sit empty and which overflow. That data tells you whether to add booths or remove desks before the next fit-out.
Some systems collect personal data, so tell staff what you collect and why. See how we handle data in our own privacy notice. Our article on whether tech-ready spaces are worth it weighs the cost.
Trend 10: lower-energy fit-outs and the EPC deadline
Energy is now a leasing question. On 18 June 2026, the government published its interim response on commercial energy standards. Privately rented non-domestic buildings over 1,000 m² are set to need EPC B by 2031, where cost-effective.
The planned EPC C step for 2027 was dropped. Smaller buildings stay at EPC E for now. The change still needs new legislation.
Occupiers are moving early. Sustainability now tops the list of reasons to relocate, and new, efficient buildings take most London lettings.
A fit-out can help or hurt the rating. LED lighting with presence and daylight controls, efficient heating and cooling, and reused furniture all count. Our sustainable office design tips cover ten practical steps.
Three Craftex offices and the ideas behind them
Beaumont House: calm, flexible and fast
At Beaumont House in Kensington, we turned a 750 sq m office into an open-plan workplace in three weeks, with zero snags. A neutral, monochrome palette keeps distraction low. Frosted glass creates meeting rooms on the open floor. Data runs under the floor to every desk.
Portsoken House: light as the main feature
At Portsoken House in Aldgate, overhead lighting played a key role. The same rectangular light fittings run through the offices and reception, so the building reads as one. The reception was rebuilt working at night and at weekends, so tenants could keep working.
Drake's: zones built around the work
At Drake's, every zone in the 500 sq m railway arch was mapped to how the teams work. That meant offices, a photography studio, production, storage and a clear dispatch route.
Which office design trends are worth building
Our view after many office fit-outs: the trends that last are the ones your team uses every week. Focus rooms, good acoustics, fresh air, reliable video rooms and a kitchen people like rarely date. Feature walls and novelty furniture date fastest.
Trends cost money, and London is not cheap. Turner & Townsend's 2026 cost guide names London the most expensive city in the world for office fit-out.
Our office fit-out cost guide shows what each spec level costs per sq ft. Our guide to the types of office fit-out explains each starting point. Moving at the same time? Use our office relocation checklist.
Turn the trends into your office
We design and build London offices with one team, from the layout to handover. Our office design and space planning service tests the layout before anything is built. Our office fit out team then delivers it. For other premises, see commercial fit-out and refurbishment.
Got a floor and a list of ideas? Book a site visit. We'll show you which trends fit your space, your team and your budget.
Before you commit to a trend
- Count your real peak-day headcount, not the average.
- Ask staff what stops them working well in the office now.
- Check what the floor already has: Cat A, Cat A+ or Cat B.
- Check the building's EPC and what your lease says about it.
- Price each trend before the design is fixed.
