“Homification” may not yet be a familiar workplace term, but the concept behind it is becoming increasingly influential.
The word is commonly used to describe the process of making an office feel more like home through comfortable furnishings, personalisation, relaxed communal areas and greater employee control over the working environment.
The trend has accelerated alongside the rise of hybrid working. After becoming accustomed to the comfort, flexibility and personal control of working from home, many employees are less willing to return to offices that feel rigid, impersonal or poorly designed.
At the same time, employers increasingly recognise that the physical workplace can influence recruitment, retention, wellbeing, collaboration and productivity. As a result, organisations are looking for creative ways to make offices more comfortable and welcoming without undermining professionalism or functionality.
The modern office is no longer simply a place where people are expected to sit at a desk for eight hours.
For many organisations, it must now compete with the convenience and comfort of home. Employees need a clear reason to travel into the workplace, particularly when much of their individual work could be completed remotely.
A well-designed office can provide what home working often cannot:
Homification supports these outcomes by creating environments that feel less institutional and more human.
The objective is not to turn every office into a living room. It is to borrow the best qualities of home—comfort, choice, familiarity and personal control—and apply them thoughtfully to the workplace.
One of the simplest ways to make a workplace feel more welcoming is to allow employees to personalise their immediate surroundings.
This might include:
Even modest personalisation can help employees feel a stronger sense of ownership and connection to the workplace.
This is particularly effective in organisations where staff have assigned desks. In flexible or hot-desking environments, personal storage, digital profiles or team display areas can provide similar opportunities without compromising shared-space arrangements.
The key is to create enough freedom for individuality while maintaining appropriate standards of safety, accessibility and appearance.
Traditional office layouts often prioritised rows of desks and individual workstations. Modern workplaces increasingly recognise the importance of providing a wider variety of settings.
Comfortable breakout and collaborative spaces may include:
These environments can encourage spontaneous conversation and make it easier for employees from different teams to connect.
Informal collaboration often produces ideas and relationships that would not emerge through scheduled meetings alone. A comfortable setting can also make conversations feel less pressured and more creative.
However, these areas must still be designed with a clear purpose. Noise, privacy, accessibility and cleaning requirements should all be considered to ensure they genuinely support workplace performance.
A homely environment is not created through furniture alone.
Basic environmental conditions have a major influence on how employees experience a workplace.
Lighting, temperature, air quality and noise can all affect concentration, mood and productivity.
Where possible, workplaces should maximise:
Giving employees some control over their immediate environment can also improve comfort. This might include adjustable blinds, local lighting or access to desk fans where appropriate.
Small interventions can make a significant difference, although any portable heaters or electrical equipment must be managed carefully to avoid creating fire, energy or safety risks.
In many homes, the kitchen is where people naturally gather. The same principle can be applied to the workplace.
A well-designed office kitchen or dining area can become one of the most valuable social spaces in the building.
Rather than treating it as a purely functional room, organisations can create a welcoming communal environment with:
These areas allow employees from different departments to meet naturally and build relationships outside formal meetings.
Stronger workplace relationships can improve collaboration, reduce isolation and contribute to a greater sense of belonging.
Encouraging employees to step away from their desks for lunch may also support wellbeing and help people return to work feeling more refreshed.
Many offices are moving away from clinical finishes and adopting materials more commonly associated with residential interiors.
Examples include:
These features can reduce the institutional feel of an office and create a warmer, more inviting atmosphere.
The design still needs to meet commercial requirements around durability, cleaning, fire safety and accessibility. Domestic appearance should be combined with materials capable of withstanding heavy workplace use.
Biophilic design—the incorporation of nature into buildings—works particularly well alongside homification.
Indoor planting can soften office environments and create a calmer, more welcoming atmosphere.
Organisations may introduce:
Plants also help reinforce the idea that the office is a cared-for environment rather than simply a functional workspace.
Facilities teams should ensure that planting schemes are properly maintained, accessible and appropriate for the building.
At home, people naturally move between different spaces depending on what they are doing. They may work at a table, sit on a sofa, take a call in a quieter room or step outside for a break.
Modern offices can provide similar choice.
Activity-based environments might include:
Giving employees a choice of settings allows them to select the environment best suited to each task.
This sense of control is one of the most valuable features employers can borrow from home working.
Homification should not mean removing all structure from the workplace.
An office still needs to support professional behaviour, confidentiality, accessibility, safety and effective service delivery.
Potential problems include:
The most successful workplace designs balance comfort with purpose.
A sofa may be ideal for an informal discussion but unsuitable for completing a detailed report. Employees therefore need access to both relaxed areas and properly designed workstations.
Facilities professionals play an important role in turning homification from a design idea into a successful operational reality.
They must consider:
FM teams are also well placed to monitor whether new spaces are actually being used and whether they are improving the employee experience.
Occupancy data, surveys and direct feedback can help determine what works and where further changes are needed.
Homification reflects a broader shift in workplace expectations.
Employees increasingly want offices that are comfortable, flexible and designed around human needs. Creating that environment can improve morale, strengthen relationships and provide a more compelling reason for people to spend time in the workplace.
Personalised desks, comfortable collaborative areas, better lighting and welcoming kitchens can all contribute.
The aim is not to recreate home completely. It is to create a workplace that feels less formal, more supportive and better suited to the way people now work.
When thoughtfully implemented, homification can help transform the office from somewhere employees are required to attend into somewhere they genuinely value.
