Battling the Office Winter Blues

We’ve all been there. December is filled with the excitement of the holiday season and getting ready to usher in the new year. Then we get into the heart of winter, when day after day is filled with dreary gray skies and frigid temperatures – or in Iowa’s case, an ice storm – and the lack of sun makes it that much harder for your sunny disposition to shine through. But fear not! Here are some tried and true ways to perk you up this winter and battle those winter blues, tailored specifically to the office world.

Switch it up with some swatches

Have you ever heard the saying “You eat with your eyes first?” That may pertain to how chefs plate their food, but the same applies to your surroundings, whether that’s your living room at home or your desk at work. Which sounds more appealing to you: light grey walls, dark grey floors, no decorations, or some dark chocolate woodgrains, wall art with rich pops of color, and a steaming cup of hot cocoa? I personally would be much more motivated to work in an environment that is comforting and incorporates colors and design elements that encourage positive emotions and productivity. Whether it’s a matter of adding pops of color through fabric or changing it up with darker woodgrains, you can very easily make a space feel considerably more comfortable and inviting by taking inspiration from some of HON’s color palettes:

For more office design inspiration, visit our Pinterest page or more fabric palettes on hon.com.

Take a break

Are you a hot chocolate kind of gal? Maybe you like your coffee black in the largest receptacle you can find. Or is hot tea more your jam? Regardless, you need a place to enjoy your hot beverage of choice and to catch up with your coworkers before you start the day or over your lunch break. Why not sip on some cozy lounge seating, like HON’s new Grove® line. (Don’t forget to include a tablet arm so you’ve got a resting place for that hot cocoa in between sips, or pair it with a Flock® Mini with a Laminate Top!)

Get a change of scenery

Repetition is a surefire recipe for boredom, so make sure to switch up your routine to help stave off winter weariness. HON’s collaborative furniture solutions allow you to get a change of pace and a change of scenery while still maintaining work productivity. Here’s where the new Preside® collaborative tables and the complementary Arrange® tables and Accommodate® seating come in. Designed to be used in all different parts of the office, these lines offer a variety of heights, technology options, and sizes to give you a place to work wherever you are. It’s the perfect way to rejuvenate and regain some motivation on a long winter day.

What are your tried and true methods of staying motivated during the winter months?

 

 

8 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Workspace | Part 1

If you’re anything like me, I love finding new ways to design my spaces – at home and in the office! With these 8 simple tips, you can re-decorate your workspace just in time for the holidays.

1. Add a Pop of Color

With HON’s latest fabric refresh, there are hundreds of options from which to choose that can bring life into your office this winter (my personal favorite is the Polka – Very Berry)! HON has created inspirational color palettes to make it easy to envision the right color scheme for your space. Have fun with it! Be BOLD and add patterns, or select colors that fit the season. There is no better way to make a statement to your customers, catch the attention of your guests or increase employee morale around the office than by adding a pop of color!

2. Add Whiteboards to Foster Creativity & Collaboration

Generally, we associate whiteboards with education settings, but they are also used in office spaces to foster creativity and collaboration. For example, we use whiteboards a lot in my department to give our sales team a place to brainstorm ideas, write daily goals, or even inspire each other with inspirational quotes of the week! In my experience, whiteboards can help keep people focused, allow them to collaborate with one another, and also boost productivity and creativity. To make it really easy to add to your space, HON offers both wall-mounted whiteboards and mobile whiteboards. You can even get creative and use glass stacker panels as a writing surface!

3. Create Alternative Places to Sit

Creating additional seating could be as simple as placing a cushion on your credenza or pedestal. This allows you to have short impromptu meetings right at your work space.  It’s an inexpensive way to not only create another option for seating, but also allows you to decorate your space with more fun fabrics!

4. Go Modular!

With HON’s full offering, there are so many options to choose from. Why not mix things up? HON’s soft seating line, Flock, allows you to connect multiple lounge seats together and reconfigure them in multiple designs. Plus, you can add Flock minis that can double as additional seating or workspaces when paired with the new laminate toppers! Another great product line for going modular is Voi desking with Accelerate workstations. Not only can you add a modern look with the open o-legs, but you can also create 120° workstation pods. How cool is the layout below!?

Looking for more tips to spruce up your workspace this winter? Stay tuned for more ideas coming in Thursday’s blog post or visit hon.com for more information!

Summer 2016 Color Inspiration for Office Design

With the weather warming up, are you looking ahead to summer color trends for design inspiration?  Keep it clean and simple with Black + White, punch it up with Bright + Bold or get in touch with Mother Earth with Neutral + Nature.

BLACK + WHITE

Want this look? Here’s how with HON:
Seating Fabric Solid: CF Stinson Sprint Graphite (Coming soon!)
Seating Fabric Texture: Momentum Boom II Black Ice
Seating Fabric Pattern: CF Stinson Riddle Chalkboard (Coming soon!)
Laminate 1: Natural Maple
Laminate 2: Black
Paint: Platinum Metallic
Shell Color: White
Panel Fabric 1: Mica Crystal
Panel Fabric 2: Mica Mineral

BRIGHT + BOLD

Want this look? Here’s how with HON:
Seating Fabric Solid: Momentum Infinity Atoll
Seating Fabric Texture: CF Stinson Tribeca Kiss (Coming soon!)
Seating Fabric Pattern: Momentum Lina Lush (Coming soon!)
Laminate 1: Mocha
Laminate 2: Brilliant White
Paint: Brilliant White
Shell Color: Tangelo
Panel Fabric 1: Landscape Tide
Panel Fabric 2: Landscape Cornsilk

NEUTRAL + NATURE

Want this look? Here’s how with HON:
Seating Fabric Solid: Momentum Odyssey Carbon
Seating Fabric Texture: CF Stinson Outlander Fairway (Coming soon!)
Seating Fabric Pattern: CF Stinson Concentric Curve (Coming soon!)
Laminate 1: Pinnacle
Laminate 2: Sheer Mesh
Paint: Muslin
Shell Color: Shadow
Panel Fabric 1: Tempest Full Stream
Panel Fabric 2: Tempest Dragonfly

Make finish selection a breeze with the 2016 Color Inspiration board on HON’s Pinterest page. How do you plan to use color in your workspace this summer?

 

Solve™ Seating: The Answer For Comfort and Versatility

Today’s workers are becoming more mobile, increasing the need for a seating solution that can support them as they transition between individual and collaborative work environments. Solve task chairs were designed to intuitively adapt to each user’s body and movement to provide all day comfort and support as the way we work continues to evolve. For those of you that are struggling with your typical “everyday” office chair… let us SOLVE your problem!

To provide the high level of personalization required to meet the ergonomic and functional needs of a variety of users throughout your space, Solve task chairs and stools feature 3 unique back materials, three ergonomic controls, and an optional adjustable lumbar support and arms. Additional features, such as the seat glide and waterfall seat edge, enhance natural movement and increase leg circulation. The synchronized seat and back move in harmony with the user to provide continuous comfort that can be customized, allowing people to work anywhere from individual workstations to private offices, training areas to meeting rooms.

The beauty of Solve is reflected in the design statement it makes for any organization. The new streamlined, geometric ReActiv™ back boasts an interesting hexagonal pattern and is available in two classic colors, Charcoal or Platinum. The upholstered ReActiv back showcases 6 colors from our new Compass fabric, and with the seat available in hundreds of HON fabric selections you have the ability to mix and match for a dual-fabric look! The soft ilira®-stretch mesh back is available in Black to coordinate with virtually any aesthetic.

Backed by HON’s Full Lifetime Warranty, the Solve family of chairs offers the flexibility to support an entire space as well as the durability to last for years to come. The applications really are endless! Whatever your workplace need, let Solve be the solution.

For more information, visit the Solve spotlight page on hon.com.

Add a Pop of Color to Your Work Day With This Popular Color Trend

Changing seasons this time of year typically bring to mind deep red, orange, yellow, and brown.  Those colors have been popular again this fall – but Pantone recommends that you look for creative ways to pair warm colors with bright summery tones. Here are 3 of our favorite examples of these color combinations for the end of Fall 2015:

Camel with Turquoise

Camel provides such a blank canvas for coupling a bright color. If your office space follows the neutral trend, add a pop of turquoise with desk accessories to be right on target. Check out this palette on our “Office Design & Style Inspiration” board here.

Rustic Orange with Purple

Orange comes to mind every fall in the form of pumpkin goodies. But pairing rusting orange with an unexpected purple hue creates a twist on a traditional fall palette. Check out this palette on our “Office Design & Style Inspiration” board here.

Sage Green with Peach

Capture some of summer’s last floral colors with this sage green and peach combination. The peach keeps the look light and fun, while sage reminds that it’s the season of fall. Check out this palette on our “Office Design & Style Inspiration” board here.

This fall, don’t stop at traditional autumn colors. Mix it up with a bright pop. What are your favorite color trends for fall?

You can check out these color palettes and more office design inspiration on HON’s Pinterest page.

7 Ways the Office Furniture Industry Will Change Your Life

When I joined the HON Marketing team last year, I was completely new to the office furniture world. It didn’t take me long to realize that, the moment you enter this industry, there are certain aspects of your everyday life that are forever changed:

1.  Vacations
Most people would probably want to check out from work on a vacation, but those of us in this field know that’s not how it works. My trips turn into a personal scavenger hunt to find HON product around the world or to spot a HON truck while I’m on the road. Plus, these sightings make great #HONSpotted posts on social media!

2.  Routine Appointments
You think you’ve scheduled an innocent trip to the dentist, but once you walk into that reception area and sit down in an Ignition lounge chair, it’s impossible not to tell everyone in the room that you are part of the team that made that chair possible. You aren’t afraid to turn chairs upside down during routine health check-ups, and instantly transform into a savvy Soothe salesperson whenever a patient room is lacking HON furniture.

3.  Common Office Lingo
You find yourself correcting your friends and family when they say the “C” word (it’s not a cubicle, it’s a workstation!). You also feel like it’s your job to educate people on the specific type of chair they sit in (it’s not just a chair, it’s a task chair) as well as their storage choices (Contain credenzas are a great solution for active storage needs, for instance).

4.  Movies
When you work in the office furniture industry, it’s not unusual to pause a movie every few minutes to analyze the furniture and celebrate loudly when you spot HON products….or to pause it, snap a photo of the TV screen, and send it via group text to all of your coworkers so you can talk about how much more you now love said movie.

5.  Organization
Let’s be honest, filing bills is no fun…unless you’re using a HON filing cabinet! When you understand the history behind how our products have evolved, from recipe card boxes made out of recycled steel to comprehensive workplace solutions, simple storage techniques have a whole new meaning.

6.  Your own home
I’ve had recurring dreams since NeoCon about finding space in my home for all of the awesome new HON furniture from our Chicago showroom, and I’ve found that there’s always a way to add it to your existing décor. Updating a home office? A new Height Adjustable Table will look great! Redecorating a playroom? Adding some Flock minis with a fun new fabric should do the trick!

7.  Where you work
When you sit in the chair you designed, or work at the desk you’re tasked to create marketing campaigns around all day long, you develop a whole new level of appreciation for the furniture that supports you throughout the day. And, when you know you can trust the tools that support you, it’s easier to make a difference and feel ready to change the world.

How has office furniture changed your life?

What Your Favorite Color Says About You

With a little help from our HON favorites, learn how your favorite color can say a lot about you. (I personally find it hard not to stick with HON Ready green…)

Green: Refreshing, hope, rejuvenation, healing.

Black: Elegance, mystery, power.

White: Truth, honesty, purity.

Blue: Serenity, peace, trust, harmony.

Red: Passion, energy, courage.

Orange: Joy, originality, action, social.

Yellow: Optimism, cheerfulness, focus.

Which of these colors speaks most to your personality?