Every year, Salt Lake Design Week turns our city into a playground of creativity, where architects, graphic artists, interior designers, and innovators intersect. It’s a reminder that design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about shaping how we feel, think, and work.
At The Shop, we take that to heart: we believe spaces should be built not just to look good, but to support focus, flow, and productivity. Here’s how we lean into design principles that help members get into deep work, especially inspired by what emerges during Design Week.
The Connection: Design Week & Workspace Intentionality
Design Week in SLC gives us the opportunity to zoom out and see the layered impact of design, how lighting curves, finishes, acoustics, spatial sequencing, and materiality subtly influence behavior and mood. Those are exactly the levers we pull when refining The Shop’s environment.
We see echoes of this in the events, exhibits, and installations: the push for form + function, for spatial tension, and for emotional resonance. Every corner in our space is an opportunity to support someone’s concentration, well-being, or creative edge.
Why Focus Matters (Beyond Aesthetics)
Designing for focus is about removing friction. It’s not just pretty furniture—it’s about reducing distractions, improving flow, and helping your brain settle into meaningful work.
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Clutter kills attention: Research shows chaotic visual environments overload our working memory and drain focus. A tidy, intentional space primes clarity.
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Balance collaboration & quiet: Good design allows both interaction and solitude. The Harvard Business Review talks about how effective office design balances collaboration and quiet modes across a continuum.
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Noise control matters: In open plans, acoustic design and “quiet computing” strategies—like sound-absorbing materials, pods, and noise management—help preserve concentration.
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Biophilic cues & natural edges: Elements of nature, natural light, visual breaks, and texture-based surfaces calm the mind and support sustained mental effort. (Emerging research in affective design hints at how nature-infused spaces foster emotional regulation.)
Principles We Use at The Shop
Here are a few design principles we lean into when we plan or evolve our space:
| Principle | How We Apply It |
|---|---|
| Quiet zones & sound buffers | Designated focus areas, phone booths, acoustics, partitions, and strategic layout to separate high-traffic / collaborative zones from quiet work zones. |
| Ergonomic comfort | Adjustable desks, supportive chairs, thoughtful sight-lines, and minimizing physical strain so the body isn’t working harder than the mind. |
| Flexible & modular design | Moveable furniture, modular walls, reconfigurable settings so space shifts with member needs. |
| Natural connection | Access to daylight, rooftop deck, plants, natural materials, visual transitions—bringing calm and lowering cognitive load. |
| Clear spatial cues & wayfinding | Subtle signage, paths, furniture orientation to guide movement and behavior without signage overload. |
These elements are not just nice touches—they work together to create an environment where focus can happen naturally.
A Peek Behind the Scenes: How We Iterate
Each Design Week, we revisit the space with fresh eyes—attending talks, seeing installations, rethinking layouts. We collect feedback via member sessions, adjust furniture arrangements, experiment with lighting, and refine zoning. It’s part of an iterative mindset.
We also run mini experiments: “focus hours,” reassigning noisy zones, testing mobile furniture, deploying acoustic screens, or trying adjustable lighting setups. The a-ha moments often come from small tweaks.
Tips for Designing Your Own Focus Zone (At Home or Work)
If you’re reading this from your desk, here’s what you can try:
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Keep peripheral clutter minimal — store what you don’t need out of sight
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Use plant life or texture as soft visual boundaries
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Add a noise buffer: rugs, curtains, soft panels, even small white noise machines
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Layer lighting: ambient + task lighting + dimmable options
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Time-block your space orientation: rearrange for deep work vs collaborative tasks
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Test & learn: track how your most productive days felt—what layout, lighting, noise level supported that?
Looking Forward
As Salt Lake Design Week helps us see new possibilities, we lean that perspective into refining The Shop. Because our mission is more than renting desks—it’s building work settings that respect how minds focus, how bodies rest, and how people thrive together.
If you’re curious to experience a space built for focus (and creativity), we’d be glad to show you around. Or better yet—join us during Design Week, feel the shifts, and peek how we layer design into productivity.