Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Classic Designs in the Workplace


Are you in love with some of those classic chairs, the vintage desks?  Do you have a family heirloom that you could not imagine parting with?  Classic designed furniture is a staple in some parts of our world, and a beautiful accent, or perfect guest comfort station.  Though it can be used for day to day, as we did with these chairs, it’s best to use them in a limited manner, as with a guest chair, or lounge seating in your reception area.

Classically designed furniture was cutting edge and iconic when it was created.  Knoll Studio, a division of Knoll Furniture Group, has the most extensive, well-known classic furniture available.  Take a peak at some of these beauties!  http://www.knoll.com/shop/by-brand/knollstudio  For those with a smaller budget, check out http://www.dwr.com/category/designers.do?nType=1  Some of the same designers are listed here.  There is some great information about the designers as well as their furniture highlights!

The biggest reason to use newly designed chairs for task seating (everyday), and newly designed desks is that there have been major strides in ergonomic research.  Task seating was not designed for today’s world of continual computer use, long hours of sitting, or the multi-task jobs that are the norm in today’s world.  Ergonomics is the study of the human body and its cognitive abilities within the workplace equipment.  This very much includes your keyboards and mouse, but also looks at chair positions and furniture placement.  We also study the lighting effects, color rendering, eye strain, and fatigue issues that surround your office space.  All of these factors are taken into consideration when designing your cubical or office space.  The bright blues and oranges of the past, once the hype-est, newest thing, are now know to contribute to eye strain and fatigue. 

So here are some of our favorites from the Studio lines!
Richard Schultz 1960 Petal table
van der Rohe 1929 Barcelona Chair

Isamu Noguchi 1947 Noguchi Table