The Workspace Strategist

07/10/2026

Two people at the same networking group showed me why one assumption costs businesses more than they realise.

One has a beautiful office she can’t make a phone call in. The other’s company moved premises and brought every problem with them, same desks, same layout, same inefficiencies, just a new address.

Neither business had asked what their workspace needed to do, to support how the team actually worked, before they committed to their workspace.

If your workspace decision is still ahead of you, start with Before You Sign… link in bio.

22/09/2026

1. Your fit-out went over budget at the briefing stage, months before anyone priced anything. Overruns get blamed on trades and materials. They start with a brief vague enough that every decision downstream has to be made twice.

2. If a designer sends you a floor plan before asking how your team actually works, you’re buying their assumptions. A plan is an answer. Someone has to ask the questions first, and that job is yours.

3. Survey your staff before the design. A post-occupancy survey tells you what you got wrong once it’s built and paid for. The same questions, twelve months earlier, change what gets built.

4. Acoustic privacy scores lowest in almost every workspace survey I run, and it appears in almost no brief. People ask for more meeting rooms. What they mean is they have nowhere to take a difficult phone call.

5. The boardroom you use four times a year is the most expensive floor area in your lease. You pay rent on it every month. Count the hours it’s occupied and divide.

6. “It depends” is the honest answer to most workplace questions and almost nobody in this industry will give it to you. Open plan, hot desking, hybrid ratios. The right answer totally depends on each individual business, and anyone selling you a universal solution is selling you their default.

Six things I’ll keep saying, after more than 20 years of sitting in rooms where workspace decisions get made.

Most of them are unpopular with someone. The one that costs businesses the most money is the first, because a vague brief means every decision downstream gets made twice, and nobody ever puts that on the invoice.

If you’re facing a workspace decision, start with the 9 key questions you should be asking before you sign anything - link in my bio.

21/09/2026

Do you know you need to start making some serious decisions about your office space - maybe you're facing a lease renewal, a refurb, a relocation - but have no idea where to start?

Independent strategic workspace advice, online, anywhere in New Zealand. One 60-minute session, a written summary and the full fit-out roadmap, before you commit to a new lease, refurbishment or fit-out.

21/09/2026

Get clarity on exactly what you need from your next workspace, before you sign anything - 9 key questions: https://www.theworkspacestrategist.com/before-you-sign

Grab a copy of "Before You Sign" - 9 questions you should ask before a new lease, layout or fit-out

20/01/2026

Most staff kitchens are… forgettable.
They’re practical. Neutral. Somewhere you pass through - not somewhere you stay.

That wasn’t going to work for Seeka.

Because this new site was out of town, they knew that if they wanted people to connect, collaborate, and actually spend time together, the space had to give them a reason to stay.

So instead of designing a standard staff kitchen, we treated it like a home base.
Bold contrast.
Warm timber.
Artwork that told their story.
Different ways to sit, gather, and linger - without being told to.

And the feedback said it all:
“People just come down at the end of the day to see who’s around. And they stay.”

That’s not about finishes or trends.
That’s about creating a felt experience… one that supports connection naturally, without needing a team-building exercise to make it happen.

16/01/2026

This project is a great example of how much impact design strategy can have… even when the building itself is already well underway.

Seeka’s head office is housed within the former Kiwi 360 site in Te Puke - a distinctive, circular timber building with strong character and local significance.

By the time we were engaged, the base build refurbishment was already in progress, and our initial role was to support with interior finishes.
But as the project unfolded, it became clear that the space risked repeating a familiar challenge from their previous office: teams working in silos, with limited opportunities for natural interaction or collaboration.

Rather than focusing on how the space looked, we focused on how it needed to work.
By rethinking how people moved through the building, where they naturally paused, and where shared moments could happen, we were able to transform the interior into something far more than just a new office.

Central collaboration zones, a staff café designed as a true social anchor, and finishes that reflected Seeka’s identity all played a role in shaping a workplace that supports connection without forcing it.

The result is a space that feels grounded, confident, and genuinely aligned with the way the Seeka team works… a workplace that quietly supports culture, communication, and day-to-day connection.

04/01/2026

This project is a good example of why we always pause before designing.
What started as a relatively simple brief - opening up reception and improving connection in an existing office - became a much bigger conversation once we took the time to listen.

Through staff surveys and facilitated workshops, it became clear that the issue wasn’t just layout. The tenancy itself no longer supported the culture the team was proud of, or how they wanted clients to experience them.

Rather than investing heavily in a space that would always be compromised, we stepped back and explored what other options could better support the business long-term.

That process changed the outcome entirely.
Strategy helped the leadership team make a confident, informed decision… and involving staff early created clarity and buy-in that made the move easier and the result stronger.

Sometimes the most valuable design work happens before anything is designed.

And design decisions are always easier when clarity comes first.

29/12/2025

What’s interesting about this project is that it didn’t start with a desire to relocate.

Originally, Boffa Miskell asked Bubble to explore concepts for how their existing tenancy could be opened up. At the time, the entry, reception, meeting rooms and staff kitchen were all internal, with very limited access to natural light. Even the workspaces behind had small windows and felt quite removed from the outside world.

On paper, it was a really high-quality fit-out, but through a strategic briefing process, it became clear that the space no longer supported how the team wanted to work, or the culture they were proud of.

The Tauranga team described themselves as open, collaborative and non-hierarchical. Yet the layout told a very different story. Visitors arrived into a closed, inward-facing space, with little visual connection to the team… almost creating a subconscious barrier, as if there was something to hide.

What they really wanted was the opposite.

They wanted clients to see their workspace.
To experience the culture.
To understand how the team works together openly, collaboratively, and with transparency.
And to feel welcome to be a part of that.

When we compared their existing tenancy with what was possible in other tenancies, the shift was obvious. The new space offered abundant natural light, views out to the harbour, and the ability to create a truly open environment where connection happens naturally… between team members, and with clients from the moment they arrive.

This project is a great reminder that good workspaces aren’t just about how a space looks… they’re about what a space communicates, and how it functions.

And sometimes, the most strategic move isn’t to tweak what you have… it’s to take a step back and ask whether the space is really supporting the culture and relationships you want to build.

If you’re curious to see how your workspace is supporting your team and business, grab a copy of the Workspace KPI Audit… a quick scorecard to measure how your workspace is performing across 9 key areas.

Start with clarity, and strategy… link in bio 🔗

08/12/2025

This project is a perfect example of what happens when a business finally updates its workspace to match the level it’s truly operating at.

Because here’s the thing I see all the time:
Businesses evolve long before their workspace does.
The brand matures.
The team grows.
The expectations shift.
But the office?
It stays stuck in an older chapter.

That’s exactly where this project began… a cramped, dated pre-fab that no longer reflected the calibre of the Harcourts Ōpōtiki team, or the experience they wanted clients to have.

So we took the vision bigger.
Higher ceilings.
Natural materials.
Refined detailing.
Real spaces for connection, negotiation, teamwork, and client experience.
And a reception that feels like the brand the business has become, not the one it used to be.

Swipe through to see:
✨ the stunning double-height plywood-clad reception
✨ the warm, cohesive staff kitchen + breakout area
✨ the house-framed meeting rooms (a favourite feature)
✨ the acoustic banquette behind the auction room
✨ and the full exterior glow-up

A transformation like this isn’t just about “looking better.”
It’s about alignment.
When your workspace finally reflects your identity, your culture, and your direction - everything shifts.

If your office feels like it’s still stuck in its “pre-fab” era while your business has grown into something much bigger… you’re not alone.
And you don’t need to start with a renovation.

Start with clarity - grab a copy of the Workspace KPI Audit™ by commenting KPI below (or click on the link in bio).
It’ll show you exactly what’s working, what’s not, and where your own opportunities for alignment might be.

Your environment should support your next level, not slow it down.

01/12/2025

This project wasn’t just a design challenge… it was a vision-building project from the ground up.
When the franchise owner decided to convert a run-down family-owned warehouse into a modern, multipurpose real estate office, she brought us in to help develop her vision… assist with all the decisions, and co-ordinate all the specialist trades to bring it to life.
One of her original ideas was to clad the back wall of reception in plywood.
We loved the direction, and expanded it.
We continued the plywood through the staff kitchen + breakout area, tying every zone together with consistency and intention.
And because acoustics were critical, we designed a bespoke panelled banquette to sit between the breakout + auction room.
It now serves as the perfect spot for staff catch-ups, informal client meetings, and a visual anchor that softens the entire space.
From forgotten warehouse to elevated regional Real Estate Premises… this project is proof that great design doesn’t just look good… it lifts the whole business.