When you imagine a log cabin, you’re most probably thinking of a garden hideaway where you can put your feet up and hibernate from the world. But at Omni, we like to do things a little differently, so when we moved to our new location in Norfolk, we wanted an office that would be functional, but offer a space where we could feel completely at ease and creative.
So we got in touch with Rob Scott from Cabins Unlimited, and before you know it we had a space that was not only a world away from your standard office, but a space where we could focus, and feel uplifted.
Our new 6m by 3m log cabin might sound like a unique space for a digital marketing agency, but when you work somewhere as beautiful as Norfolk, making the most of the scenery and location seems like a must.
Of course, a log cabin is certainly not your usual office space, but at Omni, our team is already seeing the impact on both how they feel and how they think.
With the world becoming dominated by clinical workspaces in busy and hectic cities, we think stepping away from the office norm is going to become the new way to work. And here’s a few reasons why.
Working with a view
One of the great advantages of working in a log cabin is not only the stunning view of the Norfolk countryside but the amount of natural light that fills up the space.
According to the Harvard Business Review, natural light is one of the most important office perks. In the research, natural light in an office was found to significantly improve health and wellness among workers. The study found with daylight office environments; there was a 51% drop in eyestrain, a 63% drop in headaches, and a 56% reduction in general fatigue.
Alongside feeling much more alert and generally content in our new garden office space, it must be said that the view certainly doesn’t hurt our creativity.
In fact, being able to give our minds a mental break by looking out the window and watching nature helps us to feel more stimulated and relaxed, leading to heightened creativity.
Enhancing focus
Let’s be honest, in any ‘normal’ office you’re simply given a concrete space that you have to somehow make your own. However, this isn’t always effective, and modern offices seem to have become more clinical and less like the creative and welcoming spaces they should be. It’s almost like we’ve already taken the human element out of the very spaces we work in.
Our log cabin office has been a breath of fresh air for us. Not only have we built it with our work in mind, enabling us to fully design and build something that can fit our needs. But due to the space it now occupies, we feel less like robots in a factory, and more like humans fulfilling our creative potential.
As we’ve worked alongside Rob Scott and his team at Cabins Unlimited, we were able to design and create a space that was not only unique to us but built with our type of work in mind.
All of this consideration means our space has dramatically enhanced our focus. When we come to work, we actually can’t wait to work, because we enjoy our new office so much.
Improving wellbeing
Without a doubt, our log cabin has helped our entire team improve their wellbeing.
It might sound dramatic, but the difference it has made to our mental and physical health means we are all feeling our best when we are at work.
Being able to step outside into nature, and even watch the seasons change outside, gives us a great sense of connection to the world around us and has helped to dramatically ease the stress when we’re having a busy day.
As the mental health charity Mind has revealed, spending time in nature has been found to significantly help with mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. This is from a combination of factors. From the physical ability to be out in nature, to the increase of natural light.
To us at Omni, it’s the small things that have made a big difference—being able to step outside and walk around in nature while on a client phone call, being able to take our lunch break outside, or going for a walk when we need to have a quick mental break.
Increasing creativity
Our brains are fascinating things, and they are responsible for our ability to be creative.
If there is one area that we’ve seen an impact on since our new garden office, it’s how much more creative our team feel within the space.
We’ve had some of our best ideas in our new log cabin, and created solutions to problems much quicker than we have done before. Maybe it’s because we’re feeling more at ease in our new office, or maybe it’s because we’re feeling happier, but without a doubt, our ability to think creatively and problem solve has increased.
When looking into this further, according to a study among the Danish, nature does have an impact on our ability to be creative. Nature helps to recharge our attention when developing new ideas.
At Omni, we definitely think there’s a link between our creativity and our new log cabin.
For us, it’s been incredible to see such a change take place in our team and in our work since we created this new space, and we’re so excited to see how it helps us to grow.
If you want to come and see our new log cabin office for yourself, book in a coffee with our team and get your fix of mother nature.
All electrical work, security and heating supplied by BSA Security & Fire