01-10-24 | As part of our series called “How To Design Office Spaces That People Love To Work In”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine Berger, NCIDQ, WELL AP, Associate Principal / Director of Interior Design.

An experienced interior designer, Katherine’s diverse portfolio spans the education, civic, corporate, residential, and healthcare sectors. Her drive for efficiency and desire to keep projects moving along make her a valuable team member to every project she works on. Katherine’s top priority as a designer is to deliver a space that improves the well-being of its users. This means the space must be aesthetically accommodating, but more importantly, it must function at a high level for its occupants. In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New England School of Art & Design, Katherine pursued her WELL accreditation to further develop her expertise in creating spaces that enhance the human condition.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I started my college career as a dual major in fine art and psychology with the desire to become an art therapist. I credit those two years of study as being essential to my career path as an interior designer. Not only was I honing my artistic talents, but I was also learning more about humans: attempting to get inside their heads to understand why we are the way we are. This orientation directed me to understand users’ needs in the spaces we design. It has also helped with personal skills which are essential for anyone aspiring to serve in a leadership role.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

Something exciting happens every week thanks to the diverse clients and teams with whom we work. It’s fun seeing how various organizations develop and design different cultures for themselves. On a more festive note, one of our clients throws an annual holiday party, and brings in “blast from the past” entertainment, like Peabo Bryson and members of NSYNC. That is always a good time. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say the most interesting thing that has happened to me since I started my career is that I met my husband in the industry. Every day is an adventure. You just never know what might happen.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting and a lesson you learned from that?

It has taken me time and experience to learn this, but what I know now is the importance of using your voice. Early in our careers, we often choose to stay quiet and let more senior people take the stage. This makes sense to an extent: we learn a lot from listening over talking. However, as our experience grows, we need to jump in and share our ideas. In the right environment, your ideas meld with others, evolve and develop, and ultimately create team success. We must believe in ourselves otherwise there’s no chance others will believe in you.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

There is a common phrase that has always bothered me: “It is what it is.” I have made it my mission not to accept it. It motivates me to push beyond the status quo, pivot when I come up against roadblocks, and face my days with a can-do attitude. So much of my work as a designer is about problem-solving; there is always a path forward or improvements to be made.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Thankfully I have had several mentors and advisors throughout both my college and professional career that I have relied on for advice and support. While in college, the director of the interior design program taught one of my studio classes and it was the first time I felt seen and recognized by a professor for having potential within this profession. I quickly requested to make her my advisor which had a significant impact on the rest of my college career. She gave me the confidence to trust my instincts and I will be forever grateful. Thank you, Nancy!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Right now, we are doing a lot of work with New Haven, Conn.-based biotech companies. When we talk to these scientists and researchers, I am always blown away by the work they are doing and how they truly change lives for the better with the technology they are developing. It is incredibly inspiring, and drives our design team to create the best spaces to support their work.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “Five Things You Should Do To Design Office Spaces That People Love To Work In” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Focus on occupant well-being. A healthy employee is a happy employee. Prioritize daylight, bring in biophilia, increase opportunities for movement throughout the day. Investments in these areas will bring significant returns by helping your employees feel their best.

2. Invite users into the planning process. This goes beyond standard programming questions, but involves diving deeply into the emotional aspects of experiencing a space. Keeping users engaged and heard provides a sense of ownership and pride of place, making users more likely to want to be in the space regularly.

3. Design for flexibility and customization. You can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to workspaces. Providing flexibility and choice is a necessity in a hybrid world. Hot-desking gets a bad rap, but it can be a great way to provide a multitude of work environments and lets employees choose the environment that best supports their task at hand.

4. Design for community. Social isolation is said to have a significant impact on a person’s risk of premature death — some have even compared it to being just as dangerous as smoking. Creating spaces where employees can participate in communal activities, both actively and passively, can alleviate some of those lonely feelings. During the pandemic, a lot of people were forced into nesting or cocooning, and we, as a society, have had a difficult time moving away from those patterns and habits. Giving employees opportunities to engage at their own pace will make them more comfortable.

5. Tell your story. Every organization has its unique story and culture. When that story is told in your environment, it creates an emotional connection with those who experience it. It helps employees become ambassadors for your brand, and gives them a sense of pride and belonging that fosters loyalty, retention, and affinity.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Current events have me thinking a lot about peace, both globally and within my own communities. I think the path toward peace requires empathy and acceptance — which, in my opinion, is only possible through education. It is one of the reasons why I love working on academic spaces from early childhood through higher education. So, I suppose if I could start a movement, it would be to expand high quality education for everyone.