Great Impression in Your Reception Area | Westcountry Group

Your reception area is likely to be the first part of your school that any visitor sees. Whether it’s a parent, a supply teacher, or an Ofsted inspector that’s paying a visit, your reception area should reflect the personality and soul of your school, delivering a strong first impression.

Here at Westcountry Group, we specialise in interior design for educational facilities, so we know how important it is to get the right look for your reception. In this article, we’re going to talk about what you can do to make this part of your school more welcoming and impressive.

How to make a great first impression with your reception area

There are dozens of design elements that you can incorporate into your reception area that will give it that wow factor. As an experienced school renovation company, we can provide plenty of insight into what methods will work best for your school building. These are some of the things that are worth considering:

Space and lighting

A light and airy feel is crucial to any school reception area. Nobody wants to walk in from a bright and breezy day to encounter a dark and brooding front office. While natural lighting is always preferable, the right artificial lighting can work wonders if your school building doesn’t allow for it. A reception area should offer plenty of space for visitors to gather in comfort without feeling they are bunched together. This mix of brightness and space is just one of the elements we used when working at Nishkam School in Isleworth, Middlesex.

Colour, context, and contrast

You want your school to come across as the professional educational establishment that it is. This means choosing furniture that reflects those values. A larger reception desk for your front office staff is vital as it allows them more freedom and comfort while they work, whilst also demonstrating the importance your school attaches to welcoming visitors and guests. Muted colours work well with the reception desk itself, but feel free to add more vibrant notes to the visitor furniture. Bright colours contrast well with the more subtle office furniture, giving the area a sleek and modern look, such as we provided to Sexey’s School in Bruton, Somerset.

Work with what you have

Sometimes you aren’t able to completely renovate your reception area. Perhaps the school is a Listed Building, or has an historical importance to the community, meaning you can’t tear down walls, fit new windows, or engage in major structural changes. With the right design team behind you, this doesn’t have to be a problem. At Westcountry Group, we are respectful of tradition and we understand the pride schools have in their academic history. We can still deliver fantastic results with a reception refurbishment that upgrades your fixtures and fittings while keeping the historic appeal of the building intact. Take a look at our work with Queen’s College in Taunton, Somerset to see how effective this can be.

If your school reception area could do with a full refurbishment and redesign, speak to the experts at Westcountry Group. As the leading school renovation company covering the South West and South East of England, Westcountry Group we specialises in every aspect of interior design for educational facilities. If your school reception area could do with a full refurbishment or redesign, get in touch with the experts today. Call us on 0330 030 0330 to arrange a free consultation.