Reception areas anywhere need to be clearly signed, well decorated and comfortable. For a school, or college, the opportunity is greater, you can present your personality and culture for all to see.
Visitors and parents get an immediate sense of your ethos, students, or staff feel pride in where they are. First impressions are important to human interaction, an ongoing uplift more so.
Subtle cues in a core area improve behaviour, or engagement for students. With reception often near the main office, staff will visit, the right environment helps their morale and productivity.
Using Positive Design
A calm yet vibrant atmosphere for those entering your building makes them feel welcome and energised, as will aspects you choose to portray.
Displaying work by students is a sound approach and can be given a boost by lightboxes for special items. History can matter, which could be alive on a screen, rather than just in photo frames.
Good graphics can help communicate other key points, as can good spatial design. The position, orientation and height of a reception counter have an instant influence on relating to others.
Planning for the right volume of foot traffic creates comfort, along with visual aspects. From colours, to carpeting, to places for visitors to wait with pleasant seating.
Considering Practical Needs
As well as being welcoming, a reception desk is a working desk. This and surrounding furniture needs to be robust, durable, designed to ensure IT, or electrical cabling are safely out of the way.
Other work areas can be part of reception, perhaps for printing, or collation. Storage may be needed, often lockable but not looking too disbarring.
Well managed natural and electrical lighting can make a difference, to ambience and usability. Textures, or surfaces to absorb, or reflect all add to the impressions and feelings people have.
Design From Morgan Stewart
Wanting a reception area to be impressive is understandable, although you may not wish to appear ostentatious. Being budget conscious can be a good educational image, as well as a requirement.
The educational designers at Morgan Stewart Interiors offer experience of creating the right balance, by listening to you. A country boarding school, an urban primary, or a new university will have different plans.
However large or small your reception space and whatever style you choose, our design and installation teams ensure this is practical, functional and desirable.
Visitors, students and staff will feel positive from being there. A valuable addition to education we would be pleased to help with.
