Breaking Down Beauty: What Makes an Office Attractive?

We all recognize an attractive office when we see one, but defining what makes it attractive is far more difficult.

For years, architects, developers, and designers have debated which elements make a space appealing. However, recent research suggests that behind dozens of different attributes, people may actually be responding to just three fundamental questions: Do I understand this space? Do I feel comfortable in it? And do I want to explore it?

Researchers analyzed 16 different variables used to describe interior spaces, ranging from beauty and comfort to organization, interest, and familiarity. Despite that diversity, they found that between 76% and 90% of the differences in how people evaluated a space could be explained by just three psychological dimensions: coherence, fascination, and hominess. In other words, people seemed to evaluate environments based on how easy they were to navigate, how comfortable they felt, and how much they sparked curiosity.

In that context, beauty did not emerge as an independent category. In the statistical analysis, perceptions of beauty tended to blend with the other dimensions, suggesting that beauty may be less a characteristic of design and more a consequence of how people experience a space.

The findings also help explain why certain architectural features appear again and again in offices, shopping centers, hotels, and other contemporary environments. Among the three dimensions, fascination showed the strongest relationship with the physical design of a space. As a result, environments with greater visual richness tended to generate more interest and create a more welcoming experience for those who observed them.

The observation is particularly noteworthy because it challenges a preference for extremely minimalist environments. Rather than suggesting that fewer elements create better spaces, the data indicate that a certain level of visual complexity may be necessary to sustain interest.

As such, the question shifts from what makes a space beautiful to which characteristics can generate that perception.

Spatial openness proved particularly important. Among the characteristics analyzed, it was one of the few that showed significant effects across all three dimensions simultaneously. As a result, more open spaces were not only perceived as more interesting, but also as easier to understand and more comfortable for those who experienced them.

Beyond beauty, office appeal takes on greater significance at a time when workplaces no longer compete solely with other office buildings, but also with the home. Following the expansion of hybrid and remote work, particularly after the pandemic, occupant experience has become a primary argument for encouraging employees to return to corporate spaces.

In Mexico, where vacancy rates across the main office corridors still exceed 16%—reflecting office absorption that has stabilized over the past year and new supply growth that is advancing at a more moderate pace than three years ago—understanding what makes a space attractive is no longer purely an aesthetic matter. It has also become a competitive advantage that can influence occupancy, retention, and return-to-office decisions.

To learn more about the trends transforming how people work and use corporate spaces in Mexico, visit SiiLA Market Analytics or contact us at contacto@siila.com.mx.