Welcome to the office! Where we spend so much of our valuable time. Our working environment is constantly changing. We consider office furnishings successful if they support the further development of a company instead of impeding it.
Work
A modern office increasingly resembles our private atmosphere: elegantly coloured walls, nice wooden floors, snazzy seats, and the latest quarterly reports on the sideboard flanked by elegant glass vases or a series of miniature-edition sportscars. Welcome to the office! There, were we spend so much valuable time. This is why the ambience should be tailored to individual demands and needs. The central element was and is the desk. Here, employees focus and communicate, for managerial skills also show in conversation. Consulting, discussing, or having a video conference, the modern workspace promotes a culture of discussion, offering space for PC equipment and personal utensils.
Communication, exchange of knowledge, and the wellbeing of employees were the parameters for the development of new products and decorating concepts over the last few years. More knowledge, eyes, and experience at the desk are necessary to reach better conclusions in a networked world. And so, all eyes were on the IT greats such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Yahoo, who had rid themselves of the shackles of their cubicle offices and turned large offices into playgrounds. Meanwhile, the revolutionary start-ups have themselves grown into influential companies, the cool team players are now adults, and the universally propagated “fun factor” was followed by a desire for rest and concentration.
Love to communication
Communication? Vital – but not at every price. And so, creative acoustic panelling and intimate islands such as Vitras Alcove sofas or Workbays now shape everyday office life. Green oases with exotic plants and comfy seating furniture sprouted up in more and more companies – they create free spaces. As such, they broke through strict planning grids, offering employees the freedom they need to retreat, by themselves or with colleagues for a brainstorming session.
No place to work like home
If one is to believe the latest trend researchers, the number of people who work from home will almost double by 2030. The once gently mocked romantic concept of home office is by now already a part of the everyday business life of many.
Get up – Stand up
Height-adjustable standing/setting desks are a great addition to the ergonomic office landscape, making our everyday working life more dynamic. The modern office needs to above all be flexible. It should dynamically adapt to custom needs with ease, for example when teams split up or if 50 new workspaces need to suddenly be set up overnight.
Photos: ©
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Eduardo Perez
Vitra
Antonio Citterio
Barbara Benz
Daniel Breidt
Florian Böhm
Jean Prouvé
Marc Eggimann
Jorma Muijtjens
Charles & Ray Eames
Eduardo Perez
Alberto Meda
