Patricia Urquiola creates a personalizable cocoonlike working environment

With her new collection Cabana Lounge system for Haworth presented at NeoCon 2019 Patricia Urquiola creates a personalizable cocoonlike working environment:

Cabana Lounge can be configured with tables for added functionality

source: Spencer + Company

Cabana Lounge system by Urquiola with padded privacy panels and power outlets for Haworth

Office workers can find calm and quiet in Cabana’s highly configurable modules, which are debuting at NeoCon 2019. “The office is no longer thought of as a division of space, but rather a landscape of places for possible moments,” explains Urquiola. source: Metrolis

Haworth showroom in Chicago, source: Wallpaper

 Trend alert: softness and comfort, blurring the line between the work and home environments - this is how the modern office feels today.

Trend alert: Making the office a home away from home

The new office design more and more tries to create relaxed, comfortable, even cozy atmosphere which is expected to inspire cerativity and improve results. At NeoCon 2015 a lot of the new furnure designs show this trend. One example I like very much is Patricia Urquiola's soft upholstered chair Poppy for Haworth 
with a backrest that can put the sitter into reposeful recline:

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Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, another one from my favourite designers has created Colours, a seating system 

for Bernhardt Design:

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LAZY armchair

- cozy and comfortable, ideal for resting and reading, it features curvy lines and an ample, snug seat. 

Oblivion

Step into Oblivion – experience the office in an entirely new way. Creating circular voids, versus a series of 

boxes, this pod is infinitely adaptable offering myriad spatial experiences for the user.

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Naoto Fukasawa's  modular benches for Viccarbe are so soft rounded, cozy and flexible to use in multiple ways.
 Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful home office design

As interior designer I am impressed with the beautiful use of materials and simple functionality of space organization:

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This beautiful home office is designed by Brno based Design ATAK

A nice office to work in :) - what do you think?

Office furniture is getting more and more fun to use

I have already posted about Patricia Urquiola's success with office furniture at the last NeoCon exposition -  the world’s largest contract furniture fair held in Chicago, but hers are just some of the best designs. Let's have a look at some other office designs that will make work more fun:

TriScape by HBF, source

  I like very much these colourful chairs - Mitt by Bernhardt Design:

Ballo by Humanscale

Urquiola Designs For the Office

At NEOCON 2013 Patricia Urquiola presented suggestions for agile workplace environment created for the American manufacturer Haworth:

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Not the usual offfice design - look!

The office plan was arranged around three sections - 'Think', 'Do' and 'Make'  with bold graphics defining each section. One of my favorite scenes is this: 

A great use of  Driade ‘Nemo’ face chairs - they are comfortable and provide selective privacy

The design is by Alrik Koudenburg who teamed up with design-artist RJW Elsinga for a stunning space of nearly 2000sq meters for JWT Amsterdam, a historic advertising firm located in a building on bustling Leidseplein.





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Office trend: productive away from your desk

I like this new office trend - cozy spaces that do not remind you even remotely of a traditional desk. Some of them are created especially to separate you from the surroundings and allow you to create in your own world.

 The Incontri series above by Altek, design Paolo Ceola,  implement also the idea of the “furniture island” - a system of seating and mobile relaxation areas that can be assembled in different ways by grouping together the various elements. Incontri can be supplied on request with an integrated sound system with computer connections. It can also be integrated with the folding Archimede table (design Leonardo Rossano) that offers two surfaces whose height and inclination can be adjusted via a simple movement.(via)

Pearson Lloyd

There is also a maturing market for office “breakout” areas offered by Pearson Lloyd
(Wallpaper* Magazine),  also in Ronan and Erwan Bouroulec's idea of modern offices.

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Redefining Office Cubicle

The standard office cubicle has long been considered the closest thing to working inside a self storage unit. They're often close quartered and monotonous and seem to define the disenchantment of being a member of the adult workforce. With that said cubicles have their purpose. Workers need a space to be free from distraction and surfaces to call their own. 


But for employers who want to provide cubicles yet want to avoid their seemingly unavoidable reputation as spirit-destroyers, there's an impressive collection from Herman Miller designer Ayse Birsel that compromises both desires. 

The Resolve Collection's signature style is its lack of hardened paneling in favor of canvas like fabrics that stretch between poles. This allows far more freedom to wrap around a confined office space and provide personal work station privacy for employees without condemning them to long periods of isolation. The cubicle space created from the Resolve Collection is designed to be unregulated and free roaming, which is sure to keep employee spirits higher than the average office space.
Another great perk about this collection is that power strips and cord connectors have been built right into the framework and poles, eliminating the need for routing the workstations after the installing is complete. Then there's the acoustic inserts that can be embedded in the fabric walls to reduce noise distractions for workers without barricading them inside a hole. To top it off, the Resolve Collection offers unique canopy spreads which overhang cubicles and can be retracted or adjusted to fine tune privacy.
This all by the way comes with an impressive range of customization. Screens can be printed with a variety of landscaping scenes such as beaches and wintry trees or even customizing them with the company logo.

 

Eco-Friendly Offices

As offices become more technologically advanced, many businesses are looking for ways to update their offices while also bridging an environmentally friendly gap. There are many ways an office can incorporate eco-friendly practices into the everyday routine that are inexpensive and positive for lowering overhead expenditures. There are some small things employee can do to impact the environment, while also positively impacting the company wallet, including:

• Turn off the lights

Take advantage of natural light during the day, by turning off the lights in the office. Also, incorporate a "light out" policy for rooms not in use. This slight change over time will make a difference in utility costs. If there are a limited amount of windows, try using lamps with dimmer options, and pick styles that fit with the image of the company.

Recycled biders

(Image via TheDailyGreen)

• Eliminate paper waste

Paper is one of the leading environmental impacts, and business practices are intrinsically tied to the usage of paper. From contracts to printing, paper is one of the highest overhead expenditures, but this can be remedied. There is software that can lessen paper waste, eliminate the need for space-consuming filing systems, and maintenance of machinery, such as fax machines.

• Update Connectivity

It may be easier to run a system of computer through an Ethernet broadband service, but the amount of extra costs in electricity and equipment will cost a company unnecessary funds. The systems are also usually slower than the technology that is available. The initial costs to switch to wireless may seem extensive, but in comparison to systems that usually require complicated connection, they are about the same price as most home networking products.
One perk is the government now offers tax incentives for businesses willing to adopt more eco-friendly practices. The Department of Energy has a list of tax credits for businesses as a part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. While the changes may seem difficult at first, they will save business overhead and monthly expenditures.
 

• The gap that is left behind allows more open space, which can be used to update style options in the office. Create a space for employees to relax outside of the cubicle. Eliminating unnecessary equipment means there will be less need for more office space, which could lead to constructive downsizing.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroulec's idea of modern offices