“In terms of design changes that have an effect on the greatest number of people, lighting is probably one of the most important. Why then, is lighting usually one of the only things that remains the same throughout the life of an office?

My guess is that most people just don’t think much about it, let alone know how to improve it.”

Read the rest plus photos of cool lighting designs

It is a simple fact of life; everybody uses floors.

Unfortunately, many office floors are dull, dirty, and uninspiring. You might work in an office that has extremely outdated carpet or carpet that legitimately looks like the doldrums manifested in carpet. Many offices maintain what the building originally installed or update the look from being 30 years out of date to a mere 20. Talk about depressing..

Read the rest at the Turnstone Blog…

Let’s have a look:

10. UVIT Netherlands (view post)

UVIT might be a company and office you are unfamiliar with if you live in the United states, but this post did well in Netherlands, its main source of traffic.

9. Facebook – Menlo Park (view post)

While quality photo tours of the new Facebook office have yet to surface, this quick and dirty photo tour gave readers a glimpse of what it is like to work at Facebook.

8. Steve Jobs (view post)

After coming across a great photo of the late Steve Jobs in his office, readers enjoyed relating to how his seemingly messy office looked like theirs.

7. Groupon (view post)

Groupon was in the news a lot this year and people were interested in the company, including what their office looked like. Looked like a majority was search traffic.

6. Pons + Huot (view post)

Pons + Huot was popular because it was a space completely out of the ordinary. Just one look and you’ll understand why people enjoyed it.

5. Google – Pittsburgh (view post)

Another classic Google space complete with bright colors, huge nets, open workspaces and lots of light.

4. Google – London (view post)

Everyone enjoys a good Google office, especially one that looks like a spaceship crashed into an office.

3. Airbnb (view post)

When a hot startup is combined with well designed offices with Vitra furniture, it is bound to get attention.

2. Skype – Palo Alto (view post)

The Skype space is open, but with a lot more casual meeting space than most office. Also Skype was bought by Microsoft putting it into the headlines.

1. Reddit (view post)

I’d been wanting to post Reddit’s offices for a while, and finally had the pportunity to visit the space. It also helped that Reddit stopped working and they posted it as a site to visit.

What was your favorite office of the year?

Within the last 20 years, offices have evolved away from private offices to much more open environments. Say what you will about the positive or negative effects of each, but there is one trend that has been increasingly sighted in today’s open offices: The Quiet Place.

Check out the rest plus images…

“Employers are always looking for new ways to encourage their employees to continue learning, maintain focus, build camaraderie, and gain inspiration. Some companies encourage these through traditional means like team-building exercises, meetings, or perhaps allowing employees to listen to music as they work. While your company might have found these to be tried-and-true, there is another that might do all of the above in a roundabout way: a company library.”

Check out the rest plus photos at the Turnstone Blog…