Design, room structure, or space layout is essential for creating an effective interior design and working environment. Colours, shapes, and materials also have a major impact. They act directly as signals on people.

Treating materials as design elements is also particularly important when equipping office environments with technological capabilities. The host of very diverse devices requires integration to keep the technological equipment from dominating the visual work space. The material selection plays a role in ensuring safety: avoiding fire loads and using non-toxic materials are requirements that must be observed. Furthermore, the emissions of materials must also be considered: structure, composition, volume, surface, and colours emit light, sounds, and heat.

Monotonously designed rooms do not provide intellectual stimulation. Rooms should therefore contain various shapes that smoothly flow throughout the furnishings and their components.