How Workplace Trends Affect Seating

Panels are dropping. Footprints are shrinking.  These are two common workplace trends that we’ve heard over and over again.  But, have you ever stepped back and asked yourself, “how does this affect seating?”

Lower panels and light-scale environments make seating more visible throughout the floor plan.  As a result, continuity of seating across all applications becomes very important.  To address this need, HON offers families of seating.  “Families” are comprised of many seating solutions in one universal series, creating a coordinated design language throughout your entire office.

The photo below exemplifies how our newest seating collection, Endorse, can fit seamlessly into any office space. Whether it is a conference room, private office, workstation or collaborative area, the Endorse collection offers the perfect solution

Another exciting change happening in our seating portfolio is the addition of Momentum seating fabrics into our core fabric offering.  HON has added 14 new patterns and over 200 colorways ranging from bright to neutral.  Learn more about what HON has to offer by viewing the Momentum and Perspectives Color Card.

Lighter, Brighter, Whiter: How HON’s Voi is integrating into the modern workplace

Trends are a part of consumer life; there is no getting around it. Whether it is the latest, most technologically advanced smartphone or a new clothing style, trends influence our buying, plain and simple. The office furniture industry is not immune to this phenomenon. As a manufacturer, we are faced with the challenge of an ever-changing market and it is our job to meet the demands of a diverse mix of customers in which we serve.

A prominent movement of the modern workplace is an environment that welcomes a lighter and more open aesthetic quality. We see brighter colors around offices, and it is apparent that the user preferences have been shifting this way. Back in 2011, HON launched a new desking series; Voi. Voi translates in Italian to you and is all about conforming to the needs of any working environment and user.

Voi’s contemporary appearance allows great flexibility and creative options. It incorporates mixed materials such as steel O-Leg supports, laminate and veneer surfaces, and fabric applications; it really is a designer’s open canvas for expression. Not only is a Voi user free to roam conceptually with design elements, but they will not find themselves in a fixed or confined work area. Collaboration in the workplace is on the rise. More and more companies are realizing the beauty and benefits to an interpersonal workplace, and the physical environment in which this takes place is imperative to its success.

At HON, we take pride in the opportunity to pave the way for people and ideas to come together. With Voi, collaboration is made easy. It fosters this through furniture solutions that are versatile such as multiple styles of open plan configurations. It inspires impromptu meetings with colleagues through products such as credenzas and mobile pedestals that create a comfortable sit with ample workspace, as seen in the above image.

Open. Brighter. Collaborative. These are all words that describe the market needs that led to the inception of Voi. However, one more very important need that our users are calling for is coordinated. Voi does not stop at being a great desking solution for the open and collaborative concept. Voi has the ability to outfit an entire office from the mid level employee to the executives. It is a comprehensive selection of both laminate and veneer casegoods that can simultaneously accommodate simplicity and sophistication. In fact, at HON Headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa, Voi is utilized throughout all levels. Even the President of our company sits in Voi! For those looking for a coordinated look throughout their office, Voi is a perfect fit.

Having Trouble Seeing the Big Picture? IDS Can Help!

Did you know the Integrated Design Solutions team offers a free rendering service?  With this service we can show you what your HON product will actually look like in the finishes you choose.  We can provide 2-3 renderings per project.  I really enjoy completing renderings for our dealers because it makes the project come to life.  This can be a very beneficial tool when trying to sell a customer on something they are not quite able to visualize.  Below are some examples of renderings I have completed for past projects!

 

 

A Day in the Life of a HON Designer

Did you know that HON has a team of six full-time designers?  Each of us have a degree in Interior Design and are dedicated to producing outstanding projects for HON dealers with a quick turnaround time to boot.  You can find us on the third floor of headquarters, working diligently each and every day.

During a typical day, we work in AutoCAD and silently fall into what we call a “CAD Trance”.  This is because we are focused on the enormous list of projects we work to complete each day.  Our biggest month last year was a whopping 747 projects completed and we’ve already beat that record this February by completing 779 projects.  Whew, that’s a lot of projects!

You can submit projects to the IDS team through the HON Ready Portal! How do I do this you ask?  Well, we have instructions right there on the left-hand side of our home page.  The project is then reviewed and scheduled with a turnaround time of 2-3 business days.  From this point, we work our designer magic and produce a fully guaranteed project complete with 2D and 3D line drawings and a complete bill of materials.  Oh yeah, and the majority of our design services are completely FREE!

Next time you need help designing the perfect space, contact us! We’d be more than happy to help you transform your office and make your vision a reality.