Ctrlshiftspace

09/15/2023

🥳Whoop whoop!! ctrl+shift+space is now… A+E Design Lab!! We’ve partnered up with and are SO excited to start creating some amazing interior/exterior living/working spaces right here in our great PacificNW backyard. Please reach out to us design beautiful spaces together! ✨🤩✨www.aedesignlab.com

02/25/2023

Hello! It’s been a moment…or several! We’ve been busy creating, living, learning…and as always, loving to design! Here’s a little we created for our friends for a recent we attended. So much food for thought was shared on upcoming design trends to watch for… and ’astroMOD’ is our take on with a dash of and pinch of thrown in for fun. We hope you like what you see!

09/30/2021

Our friends at Your Exceptional Space, are still in a phase of cautious optimism, planning the Return to Office and the Hybrid Workforce. Their recent blog post on “Solving for ‘Flex’ – Planning for the Hybrid Workforce” highlights a number of findings and data points that have them looking to the long view, where the transition to hybrid work models will take years to perfect, not weeks or months. 🤓

Click for the full post, additional facts and suggestions for what workplace developments to watch for in the years to come…

Our friends at YES! Your Exceptional Space, are still in a phase of cautious optimism, planning the Return to Office and the Hybrid Workforce. Their recent blog post, “Solving for ‘Flex’ – Planning for the Hybrid Workforce”, highlights a number of findings and data points that have them lo...

09/23/2021

We’ve said it before in our future of work blog pieces, and we’ll say it again here. We need to repurpose, reimagine and reinvent the built environment – without chewing up more land and natural resources. 🌏 Our Planet (you know the one whose climate is now in Code Red), must be a driving force behind why hybrid/remote work models should be a mainstay moving forward. 🌱

In Bisnow’s new podcast, “Office Politics: The Battle For The Future Of Work,” experts share that 75% of the carbon emitted during a building’s life cycle comes from its construction and demolition, and just 25% from its operations. So, the focus should now fall on refurbishing existing buildings as a less carbon-intensive strategy. Click to check out the full article and podcast.

Changes in office demand could reduce the need for new buildings, which means fewer carbon emissions.

09/16/2021

Interested in commercial office renovation trends that improve wellbeing? Then check out our newest guest blog post... 😍

Natalie Akins, Interior Design Editor with Innovative Building Materials, writes: “While creativity and collaboration are undoubtedly optimized in open floor plans, the pandemic reminded everyone that, in addition to the periodic need for privacy, some measures must be taken to provide social distance and ensure employee wellness.”

Click below to read the full article!

We’re pleased to share this guest post written by Natalie Akins, Interior Design Editor with Innovative Building Materials. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevailing trend in commercial office design was to open up spaces to create a more inviting work atmosphere. While creativity and collabo...

09/13/2021

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Mukhtara Yusuf, the Equitable Design Coordinator for one of our clients Human Solutions. A Yoruba designer from what is now known as southwestern Nigeria, Mukhtara is a decolonial designer with a background in environmentalism and culturally responsive, trauma-informed community engagement.

Not only has Mukhtara wow-ed us with their emphasis on inclusive processes during the entire design process, they have served as an invaluable resource for Human Solutions in helping the organization's physical spaces – like housing, shelters, offices and service centers – be inclusive, trauma-informed and welcoming to all who use them, especially BIPOC folks who historically have been less considered.

Mukhtara and ctrl+shift+space founder, Allyson Strowbridge, worked closely together during the project design process to identify furnishings that would allow families to sit together, and be easily reconfigurable to allow for parents and children to snuggle up...or for older kids and teens to sit wherever they want. They selected geometric shaped modular furniture pieces similar to floor cushions, which many cultures are more accustomed to sitting on instead of standard couches or chairs. In addition, they chose small tables and short stools for toddlers to use for drawing/reading, as well as a sensory “wall toy” for interactive entertainment. Overall, brighter, more cheerful upholstery colors were used so that the space could be inviting to younger people.

Want to learn more about Mukhtara? Follow along with them on Instagram and click below to read more!

https://humansolutions.org/meet-mukhtara-yusuf/

09/08/2021

Ahhh, positive disruption is in the air! 😌 ctrl+shift+space founder, Allyson Strowbridge, was recently featured on The Business Storytelling Show podcast with Christoph Trappe in an episode titled “How to Actually Change the Status Quo.”

Click to hear Allyson’s thoughts on how to move past our inclinations as creatures of habit, why the hard questions matter and to glean some tips and tricks for moving out of your comfort zone to adopt new behaviors that can change your mindset, industry, team and ultimately the status quo…

Status-quo breaker Allyson Strowbridge joins me on this livestream to discuss the topic. When has the status quo held you back? Join us. Check out her c…

08/26/2021

As the world slowly returns to physical workspaces, how should we rebuild them to be more inclusive with equity in mind, and to be culturally and psychologically sensitive for the people who will use them? To answer just that, check out our newest blog post that expands on all eight design tips from our recent series, Design Tips for Inclusive Workspaces.

Each tip focuses on elements of human-centered design (a CORE value for us here at ctrl+shift+space). From selecting furnishings for different body-types or space uses that are equal in value, quality and efficiency...to protecting those who are re-entering workspaces from being overwhelmed and overloaded, these tips teach us how to put people first using human-centered design.

Miss the series or curious how to design an inclusive workspace? Click to read the full-length blog post!

"Inclusive Design Principles are about putting people first. It's about designing for the needs of people with permanent, temporary, situational, or changing disabilities — all of us really." – InclusiveDesignPrinciples.org

08/24/2021

Feeling blah? Take a joy break. We’re in awe of this magical mood-boosting experience created by NPR. ✨ 🌊

Click below to find your flow through doodling, immerse yourself in soothing nature sounds and discover your poetic side...

Feeling blah? We've got ideas you can try out right now.

08/19/2021

The future workplace will be one that heavily relies on flexibility and equity, and that serves as a destination of choice. This new era will focus on the entire Human Experience (HX) as a whole, versus being confined within the walls of a workplace environment. Instead of placing attention on renovation budgets or move timelines, people will be the first consideration when it comes to selecting locations and designing offices with HX in mind.

Click the link below to learn more about the three interdependent pillars that form the foundation for the destination workplace…

📸: Anders Norrback Bornholm

Until recent times, never has there been a moment in history that has truly and repeatedly turned our world upside down – on so many levels. The global pandemic and the civil rights movement continues to put us through the ringer with what feels like weekly (and sometimes daily) shocks to the hear...

08/17/2021

When it comes to rethinking the ways we work, our friends over at SWAYworkplace know what’s up. The disruption to our daily lives during the pandemic caused many of us to adjust to working from home, finding ourselves trying to balance our personal lives – like homeschooling or video calls with a partner in the same room – with our professional responsibilities. As we leave old unuseful habits behind, how can we achieve flexibility and work as a lifestyle?

“Work-as-a-Lifestyle is the opposite of work/life balance. The phrase ‘work/life balance’ is a corporate term that assumes you have two separate and distinct lives that must be glued together to create a cohesive approach to productivity and, ultimately, happiness. By contrast, “work-as-a-lifestyle” is a personal term that correctly postulates that you are one person, living one life, and endeavoring to make it count.”

Click link below to read the full article, including real life ways to achieve work-as-a-lifestyle.

https://www.swayworkplace.com/blog/work-as-a-lifestyle

📸: Bruno Cervera

08/12/2021

Change can be overwhelming. As we reimagine our work spaces and professional realms that surround us, don’t forget to take it slow and keep it manageable. Your own mental health and personal self awareness journey comes first. 🌼🌼🌼

Artwork courtesy of on Instagram.