Elevator Cab Design: An Essential Element in Building Aesthetics

In modern buildings, the elevator is no longer just a metal box hidden in the corner that exists purely for functional purposes. Today’s elevators are a signature part of a building’s aesthetics and a window into a company’s values and personality. Whether the aesthetic you’re going for is luxury hotel, hygienic medical facility, or anything in between, your elevator cab can enhance your design.

Make a Positive First Impression With Good Elevator Cab Design

Making a good first impression on your building’s visitors is important, and the visual aesthetic of your elevator can play a part in that. It’s been shown that it only takes 3 seconds for a stranger to form their first impression of you. And while that statistic is technically referring to interpersonal relationships, it can also be true of your building and your elevator.

Depending on how your building is designed, your elevator may very well be one of the first things a visitor sees when they walk through the front door. A well-designed  elevator helps ensure you make the best first impression possible on your visitors and prospective clients.

Updated Design Instills Trust in Riders

Speaking of first impressions, your elevator’s design has the power to instill either trust or uncertainty in riders. An outdated or poorly designed elevator cab could cause guests to question the safety of the elevator’s mechanics. If your elevator looks like it hasn’t been updated in a couple of decades, guests may wonder if the same is true of the elevator’s mechanical elements. Updated elevator design provides a sense of comfort and safety to building occupants and visitors.

Use Design to Highlight Your Branding

An elevator can be a great place to display your logo, company colors, or other visual elements that highlight your branding. Vinyl wraps can be printed with your logo or other desired design, then used to cover your elevator door or cab walls. Implementing branding into your elevator design helps portray a professional working environment and offer visitors a peek into your company’s personality and values.

Enhance Your Building’s Overall Aesthetic Appeal

Good elevator cab design improves the attractiveness and value of your building. Like any other space in your building, your elevator’s design should be in harmony with the overall building aesthetic. Luckily, modern elevator design offers a wide array of options. With a variety of materials, lighting, and color to choose from, you are sure to find something that suits your building’s aesthetic.

Some trending design elements to consider:

• Stainless Steel. Stainless steel is used in elevator design often, and for good reason: it is exceptionally durable, environmentally sustainable, hygienic, and versatile. It’s also ideal for enhancing lighting effects and provides a great backdrop for other design elements.
• Metallic Accents. Add classy, minimalist style to a stainless steel cab with accents of gold, silver, brass, bronze, rose gold, polished silver, or nickel.
• Glass. Glass-enclosed elevators offer a way to minimize the design of the actual elevator cab while highlighting the beauty of building architecture or external scenery. Imagine a glass-enclosed elevator in the center of a building, beside a decorative staircase, or overlooking a scenic vista outside the building.
• Greenery and Natural Light. Incorporating glass into an elevator’s design also opens the way for adding some greenery and reflected natural light inside the elevator cab.
• Wood Veneer. Combining durability with the warmth and charm of real wood, wood veneer is an excellent way to add beauty and comfort to an elevator. Choose from a variety of veneers like oak, birch, walnut, and cherry.
• Bold Colors. Bold, vivid colors are trending in elevator cab design—think bright blues, reds, purples…or any bold color that matches your company logo or building design.
• Natural Tones. If bold colors don’t fit your design aesthetic, don’t worry—natural tones are also trending. Light, soft, and warm neutral tones add a sense of calm to a space.

These are just a handful of the style elements available in modern elevator design—truly, whatever you can imagine, you can likely incorporate into your elevator design. The world is full of uniquely-styled elevators that can provide even more inspiration: check out our blog post about unique elevators of the world here!

Design Affects an Elevator’s Functionality and Accessibility

Some design elements not only offer aesthetic nuance, they also enhance the functionality of your elevator and make it more accessible to more people. For example, mirrors inside the elevator cab make it look more spacious while reducing claustrophobia, and well-designed handrails can both add aesthetic appeal and help provide balance support to riders.

SCS Has Elevator Buttons and Signage to Suit Any Design

When it’s time to consider a design update for your building’s elevators, count on SCS’s wide range of elevator buttons and signage to outfit your look. With more than 70,000 unique offerings, you’re sure to find one to complement any style choice. Shop our online store here or give our friendly customer service staff a call anytime at 800.783.4633.