Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday season!

NJ: www.bfionline.com | NY: www.bfiny.com

The Evolution of the Office: How Modern Offices Have Evolved and What to Expect in the Future

Offices are familiar to almost everyone. We know they're generally in large buildings. They’re where people go to work. It’s where you sit down in front of a computer to work on projects or come up with brilliant ideas. However, what might not be common knowledge is where the office came from or when it first began to appear.

Over the past 50 years offices have changed in both in terms of design and technology. It was only 50 years ago when we were sitting at our desks equipped with just a pen, paper and a typewriter. The workplace is constantly evolving and adapting. As new technologies and work practices come to the fore the office environment is subject to change. David Brouder of All Systems shares this interactive infographic charters the evolution of the office from the mainframes of the sixties to cloud computing and beyond.

As seen in Social Media Week.

Inside Facebook's New Frank Gehry-Designed NYC Offices

Facebook has settled into its 185,000-square-foot office in the historic Wanamaker Building at 770 Broadway near Astor Place, and to mark the occasion—and make everyone else feel sad about how completely boring and inadequate their offices are—they're unveiling the space with an event (and feature in the Wall Street Journal). Frank Gehry designed the new work space, now home to 500 employees and engineers. The floors have open layouts, there's a full service cafeteria and a library, as well as all of the things that one thinks of when picturing a hip tech company office, i.e. gaming tables, exposed ceilings, and custom-made art.

Read the rest of the article and see more photos here on ny.curbed.com.

The Shrinking of Personal Space at Work

Forget standing desks—some companies are doing away with assigned workstations entirely.

First they came for the offices, replacing four-walls-and-a-door situations with desks in cubicles, even for workers of considerable stature.

Now they're coming for the desks themselves.

On both sides of the Atlantic, big companies are moving toward more flexible setups that do away with assigned workstations. The financial motivation to make the most of premium office space is primary. But another big driver now, and going forward, is mobility.

Read article from The Atlantic

An Ergonomic Setup Guide: Sit-to-Stand Workstation

With the workplace changing, now more than ever, there is a focus on health and wellness. Research shows that moving throughout the day increases workplace satisfaction and morale, while reducing discomfort, ultimately decreasing employee absenteeism. Height-adjustable tables play an increasingly important role in contemporary office planning, offering flexibility, personalization and advanced ergonomic performance. The following tips will help set up an ergonomic workstation that ensures overall health, wellness and productivity.

1. Table Height
Table height or input devices should be just below elbow height when sitting or standing.

2. Keyboard
Keyboard should be within easy to reach and within the width of your shoulders.

3. Monitor
Monitor should be at eye level, approximately an arm’s length away from you.

4. When sitting
The task chair should be able to fully support your back and the chair height should be set to allow your feet to fully touch the floor.

5. When standing
You should distribute your weight evenly and stand tall, and ensure that the keyboard and monitor are still set appropriately

DOWNLOAD "AN ERGONOMIC SETUP: SIT-TO-STAND"

Source: www.knoll.com

The Millennials Are Coming!

Young people are clashing with traditional working environments, but soon they're going to be all the workers. Does the environment need to change, or do they?

Next year, people born between 1981 and 1996 are poised to become the new workforce majority and will eventually remake the workplace in their own image. That means office culture is in for big changes. As a new survey shows, this generation is already chafing at today's traditional company structures.

Read Fast Company's article "Millennials Will Become The Majority In The Workforce In 2015. Is Your Company Ready?".

Give your employees a space they look forward to coming to

Your office needs more nooks, less sitting. Creating paths for chance meetings, including nooks, and designing agile, unique workspaces are solutions that designers say promote collaboration, creativity, and productivity in the modern office. See Fast Company's article "Workspace Design Trends To Increase Your Productivity".

10 Office Design Tips to Foster Creativity

Furniture maker Turnstone toured the country's coolest firms for ideas on how to design spaces that encourages creativity and collaboration (without breaking the bank). Take a look at Inc.com's 10 Office Design Tips to Foster Creativity

10 Cool Office Spaces

As a means of securing the best and brightest, many companies now are paying far more attention than ever before to the environment created by their work spaces. Take a look at Forbes.com list of this year’s 10 Cool Office Spaces.

5 Steps to a Millennial-Friendly Workplace

It's OK to be hip and even a tad edgy. Just know the kegerator and bean bags aren't doing you any favors. Take a look at what Inc.com says really must be done to create a Millennial Friendly Workplace.

What will the office of the future look like?

Does your office consist of identikit cubicles, gray walls and strip lighting? Do you 'hot desk' in sterile bland spaces? Do you feel like you are living in Office Space? Take heart, because the office of the future may look and be very different. Read this interesting article on CNN.

World's Coolest Offices 2014

Meet the workplaces of your dreams. Sun-splashed atriums, sprawling outdoor verandas, and cozy, color-saturated nooks are some of the hallmarks of the most remarkable offices in the world.

Effects of Ergonomics on Employee Productivity [Infographic]

Office ergonomics have a big impact on employee comfort, which in turn effects worker productivity. The infographic below shows just how important ergonomics are to productivity.

Amazing NYC Office Interiors That Inspire and Promote Innovation

Workplace designers are always trying to find new ways to make offices a more inspiring and productive place, especially for professional creatives. A beautiful work space can keep employees excited when they clock in every day, and make sure that the water cooler talk is about new ideas, not the shoddy carpet. These new NYC offices are pretty to look at and to work in.

bfi Welcomes Michael Vedral to its Sales Team

bfi is pleased to announce that Michael Vedral has joined the bfi Parsippany sales team.

Michael rejoins the world of office furniture after a 4-year absence, having recently worked in another industry. Prior to that however, Mike had worked at the dealer level since 1999 with American Office Furniture, Bill Behrle Associates and Business Environments, earning several sales awards along the way.

Welcome Back Steve Warshauer!

bfi is thrilled to announce that Steve Warshauer, a former designer at bfi, is re-joining our team as a full-time designer! Steve worked for us for 15 years from 1987-2002. Steve has since done lighting consultation and has recently taken Project Management and Construction Management Classes. Steve was savvy in systems furniture specification back in the day... just like riding a bike, they say! He has been training on CAD, CAP and Canvas to hit the ground running as soon as possible.

The Eames's "Powers Of Ten" Is Now An iPhone App

Well, kind of.

In the classic documentary Powers of Ten, Charles and Ray Eames examine the relative scale of the universe and our own place within those orders of magnitude. Powers of Ten has been so influential that it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and has been recreated by artists and chefs. And now it's an app. Well, kind of.

Inspired by Powers of Ten, MIKMA is a work-in-progress app for iOS that allows players to explore the scale of the universe using the objects around them as a point of reference.

Created by Geneva interactive designer Nadeda Suvorova, MIKMA (the name comes from a mash-up of the words "micro" and "macro") leverages the cameras and sensors embedded in the iPhone and iPad to introduce users to the world of scientific imaging. But because of technological limitations, MIKMA doesn't work exactly the way you'd expect it to.



You point your iPhone or iPad's camera at a real-world object to zoom in or zoom out, according to what the Eameses would call the "power of ten" scale of the universe, or by orders of magnitude. But an iPad can't magnify what it's pointed at indefinitely without pixelating the image to an unusable level. So in MIKMA, the camera doesn't try to literally magnify or zoom out of what it's pointing at. Instead, MIKMA measures an object's color and luminosity, and uses those as reference points to explore a library of scientific imagery: everything from the fuzzy gray boulders of subatomic particles to the ultraviolet explosion of entire galaxies colliding.

To zoom in, you measure an object's luminosity (in other words, how dark or bright something is) with your device's camera. To zoom out, you do the same thing, but by measuring where an object's dominant color falls on the spectrum: how red or blue it is. That means that if you point MIKMA at a red shoe, it'll always show you the same thing. You can't accurately zoom in or out on an object. You can only use it as a point of reference.

As an interactive designer, Suvorova is primarily concerned with exploring new ways of showing how to interact with data. So for her, the point of the app is to use sensor data from a camera as a way of manipulating a user interface. But that doesn't mean it works, and when it comes to recreating the spirit of Powers of Ten in an interactive app, MIKMA disappoints.

Why? Because the app could fake zooming in or out on a real world object, instead of just using it for a point of reference. Zoomed out by just a single power of 10, the height of the average person is far enough away to show Earth floating in space; zoomed in, it's enough to see a single strand of DNA in crystal clarity. In other words, at a single power of 10, everything on Earth looks more or less the same. So who cares if you're actually showing a 100% accurate view of what an object looks like from a height of 12,000 feet away, or at just 5 nanometers tall? It's the scale of the thing--not its fidelity--that matters.

If you could convincingly make Powers of Ten interactive, it'd be an app that Apple would load up on every iPad by default. MIKMA is almost there--and perhaps will be when it's released on the App Store in coming months--but the app that ultimately updates Powers of Ten for the 21st century won't pull users in and out of the zooming experience. It'll make them feel like the Eames's eyeball, squinting and dilating to see the totality of creation in a single glance.

Source: 

• By John Brownlee, www.fastcodesign.com
• View Original

Take a Glimpse at The Office of Tomorrow (Video)

Take a peek at the latest trends in the Office Environment. Santa Cruz based Plantronics, makers of wireless headsets, is giving its aging facilities a complete design overhaul. The company's head of human resources, Pat Wadors, shows SmartPlanet how the new working spaces, in addition to being more tech-friendly, are also starting to create change within the company's culture.

You can see this and others on our new Office Trends webpage.

The Workplace Of The Future Is Still The Office

#479631049 / gettyimages.com

The future workplace may not be entirely free of office spaces and desks, but a hybrid where companies have to support of both remote and physical spaces for many of their workers.

Read Article at Forbes.com.  

The 10 Most Common Workplace Anxiety Dreams

#200289538-016 / gettyimages.com

Being naked at work, getting stuck in the elevator, sleeping with a co-worker. How many of these dreams have you had? We've had at least one. Take a look at the The 10 Most Common Workplace Anxiety Dreams.

How to Keep Your Top Employees From Leaving (Infographic)

Recognizing employees is one of the most overlooked facets of managements that even great leaders sometimes forget about.

Without a good employee recognition strategy, people will feel unappreciated and build up stress.

In fact, the number 1 reason why most Americans leave their jobs is that they don’t feel appreciated . The last thing you want is to have high employee turnover because of poor employee recognition.

Here are some incredible statistics about employee recognition:


This infographic was crafted with love by Officevibe, the employee engagement platform that helps managers see the ROI of employee recognition while making employees happier.

Could Having Two Workspaces Make You More Productive?

#169277060 / gettyimages.com

Jack Cheng, the founder of Steepster believes it does.

"The desk, the computer on top of it, the chair you sit in, and the space they comprise are all repositories for memory. But these things don't just store our memories; they store our behaviors, too. The sum of these stored behaviors is an object's habit field, and merely being around it compels our bodies and minds to act in certain ways," he writes in an in-depth post on A List Apart.

Read "Why You Should Have 2 Workspaces in Your Office" on Inc.'s website.

Inside Google’s New York City Office: Why Your Workplace Stinks

TIME takes a look at Google's New York City headquarters complete with office-lounge slides, subway-themed conference rooms and free food. VIEW GALLERY

Why Happiness at Work Matters

Successful leaders know happy employees contribute to better profitability. Here are two easy steps to a happier corporate culture. READ ARTICLE

Watch Charles and Ray Eames Debut Their Most Famous Chair On TV In 1956

Charles and Ray Eames were the archetypal design power couple, who each brought their own distinct kind of creative genius to the personal and professional partnership. When they visited NBC's daytime Home show in 1956 to debut their (now-iconic) eponymous lounge, Charles introduced themselves thusly: "Ray is a painter. I am an architect." Host Arlene Francis has a slightly different take: "Almost always when there is a successful man, there is a very interesting and able woman behind him."

It's a funny take on a turn of phrase that later would become a kind of feminist adage: "Behind every great man is an even greater woman." Here, however, it's clear that the common gender biases of the time kept Charles in the foreground, despite the fact that they operated as a team.

Apart from the standout sexism, this is actually a brilliant little crash course in the design ideals that drove the duo. When Charles steps forward to describe the development and evolution of their chairs leading up to the lounger's big reveal, he discusses materials, production processes, and sensibilities—toys aren't just for kids!—in a way that makes their vision feel just as clear and relevant today as it was almost 60 years ago.

Ray is relegated offscreen for the bulk of the broadcast. "She is behind the man, but terribly important," Francis explains. Terribly important indeed.

As seen on Gizmodo

Great Futures Charter School opening in Sept.

bfi is proud to have furnished this project. Great Futures, a new charter school founded by the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County, is opening next month in the club's new facility in Downtown Jersey City. READ ARTICLE

Work has changed. Most offices haven't.

Herman Miller's Living Office lets employees work in a space that lets them be the social creatures they're designed to be.

Gallery of Davis Furniture's latest products

Davis offers a wide variety of contemporary business furniture for the corporate, hospitality, healthcare, and educational environments. Their products represent some of the best award-winning designs in the industry and offer superb quality and value. As a 70-year-old, family-owned company, there is true craftsmanship that goes into every product, making available
cutting edge designs that not only offer the best in function, but add quality and aesthetics to the business environment. VIEW GALLERY

What Does Furniture Cost

Ever wonder how much office furniture costs?

What Does Furniture Cost? - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

10 Cheap Ways to Reduce Employee Stress

Do you want to see productivity go up and costs go down? Keep your employees healthy and focused with these 10 stress busters. READ ARTICLE
Source: Inc.com

The Future of Office Design

What’s the future of office design? We investigate how start-up culture is influencing everything from corporate campuses to contract furniture. See more about Office Environment.
Source: Dwell.com

30 Simply Amazing Spaces For Work

We came across this article on InteriorDesign.net. bfi was privileged to be part of one of these projects. Click on the images to read the articles and see the slideshows for each project.
VIEW SLIDE SHOW
Source: Interior Design

A Creative Office Space for a Creative Company

Zazzle's new modern and creative headquarters were designed by Studio O+A to reflect the company's handcrafted community and respect for artisanal values. We love the phone booths for private calling.
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Source - Design Milk

Press Release: Herman Miller Announces Agreement to Acquire Design Within Reach

Herman Miller Announces Agreement to Acquire Design Within Reach

July 17, 2014

The addition of North America’s largest premium retailer of authored, modern design will be a transformative advancement of the company’s diversified growth strategy and lifestyle brand ambitions

Herman Miller, Inc. (the “Company’) (NASDAQ: MLHR), today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Design Within Reach, Inc. (“DWR”) (OTC: DWRI), a Stamford, Connecticutbased marketer and seller of modern furniture, lighting and accessories. DWR had revenues of approximately $218 million in 2013. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval or expiration of applicable waiting periods and is scheduled to close July 28, 2014. The Company will acquire an ownership interest in DWR equal to approximately 84% for an estimated $154 million in cash, subject to adjustment for net debt, changes in working capital, and other post-closing items. As a result of the transaction, the Company estimates it will receive future tax benefits with a present value of approximately $10 million.

DWR’s Chief Executive Officer (John Edelman) and President (John McPhee) will together continue to lead the business within Herman Miller and report to Brian Walker, CEO, Herman Miller. Following this transaction, these executives will convert their remaining ownership interest in DWR for an approximate 8.5% ownership stake within a newly formed Herman Miller consumer business unit.

DWR was founded in 1998 with a mission to make the best in modern design readily available to the public. Today the company is North America’s largest premium retailer of authored modern design, operating 38 retail Studio locations in the U.S. and Canada, an established e-commerce presence, and a popular print catalog. DWR has a diverse and well-established customer base, including consumers, architects and interior designers and small businesses. Its comprehensive channel structure, marketing acumen, and experienced management have driven both revenue growth and brand awareness, establishing the company as the premier source for modern design. Today DWR is the largest and fastest growing retailer of Herman Miller’s furniture designs.

Brian Walker, Herman Miller’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “The addition of DWR is a transformational step forward in realizing our strategy for diversified growth and establishing Herman Miller as a premier lifestyle brand, helping people create inspiring places where they work, live, heal and learn. This combination expands our reach in the higher margin consumer sector and we have identified multiple points of strategic leverage that will benefit our other segments and operations, as well as DWR’s own growth plans.”

Walker continued, “In addition to enhancing Herman Miller’s brand visibility, we gain access to DWR’s growing and exclusive product portfolio and proven development capabilities. This offers further benefit to our commercial workplace market and beyond. Additionally we are acquiring a complete consumer-focused infrastructure and an experienced and committed leadership team and workforce that truly values Herman Miller’s design legacy. That leadership team will skillfully advance our consumer business while DWR gains new resources to further their growth plans. In short, we believe this acquisition dramatically advances our strategic interests and benefits customers, our business partners, and shareholders.”

In a shared statement John Edelman, DWR CEO, and John McPhee, President, noted, “We are thrilled to be joining the Herman Miller family. We’ve worked closely with the company and its leadership for many years and have great respect for their approach to business and people. We also share a passion for great design and making a difference in the world. This combination will enable us to accelerate our mission to make great, authentic modern design accessible.” They continued, “We represent a portfolio of the greatest modern designs from around the world. This portfolio, supported by our passionate sales and operations teams, anchors a unique value proposition focused on helping our customers create a modern life. We are excited to continue this journey with the resources and energy of Herman Miller behind us.”

Brian Walker concluded, “John Edelman and John McPhee have developed a compelling vision for DWR that is aligned with Herman Miller’s mission and our strategic plan. Customers and fans of DWR have enthusiastically responded to the new flagship Studios model, now opened in nine key cities in North America. We believe the continued implementation of this vision will expand the fan base for DWR and Herman Miller while delivering profitable growth for both organizations. While there are immediate strategic benefits to be gained by both organizations, earnings accretion, excluding the impact of one-time acquisition costs and required purchasing accounting adjustments, will be modest in our fiscal year that ends in June of 2015.”

Greg Bylsma, Herman Miller’s Chief Financial Officer, said “Each of DWR’s shareholders will be entitled to receive approximately $23 per share on a fully-diluted basis as a result of the acquisition. Furthermore, an escrow account (borne solely by the largest DWR shareholders), will be established to satisfy any post-closing obligations resulting from the transaction. Shareholders will receive further information from the Company regarding the acquisition shortly after closing.”

As previously announced, Herman Miller will be hosting an analyst day and investor conference call and webcast on July 31, 2014. This presentation will include comments from Mr. Walker and other members of his management team on the company’s strategy, including the acquisition of DWR. The presentation will also include a summary of the company’s updated three-year financial goals. Details for accessing that conference call can be found at the company’s Investor page atwww.hermanmiller.com/investors.

About Design Within Reach
Design Within Reach, Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in Stamford, Conn., is the source for the best in authentic modern design. The company markets and sells its furniture and accessories to both residential and trade customers through its retail Studios across North America, www.dwr.com and its Connecticut-based phone sales team.

DWR’s financial adviser in the transaction was Financo and its legal adviser was Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP.

About Herman Miller
Herman Miller’s inspiring designs, inventive technologies and strategic services help people do great things and organizations to perform at their best. The company’s award-winning products and services generated approximately $1.9 billion in revenue in fiscal 2014. A past recipient of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, Herman Miller designs can be found in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also helped establish Herman Miller as a recognized global leader. In 2013, Herman Miller again received the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s top rating in its annual Corporate Equality Index and was named among the 50 Best U.S. Manufacturers by Industry Week. Herman Miller is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, that are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions, current expectations, estimates, and projections about the office furniture industry, the economy, and the company itself. Words like “anticipates,” “believes,” “confident,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “likely,” “plans,” “projects,” “should,” variations of such words, and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. These statements do not guarantee future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict with regard to timing, extent, likelihood, and degree of occurrence. These risks include, without limitation, employment and general economic conditions, the pace of economic recovery in the U.S. and international markets, the level of anticipated pension amortization and settlement expenses, the pace and level of government procurement, the impact of the Affordable Care Act on healthcare markets, the increase in white-collar employment, the willingness of customers to undertake capital expenditures, the types of products purchased by customers, competitive-pricing pressures, the availability and pricing of raw materials, our reliance on a limited number of suppliers, currency fluctuations, the ability to increase prices to absorb the additional costs of raw materials, the financial strength of our dealers and customers, the mix of our products purchased by customers, our ability to attract and retain key executives and other qualified employees, our ability to continue to make product innovations, the success of newly introduced products, our ability to serve all of our markets, possible acquisitions, divestitures or alliances, the outcome of pending litigation or governmental audits or investigations, political risk in the markets we serve, and other risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, actual results and outcomes may materially differ from what we express or forecast. Furthermore, Herman Miller, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements.

Herman Miller Living Office Now - London 2014

On 23-25 June, Herman Miller hosted over 200 dealers and Herman Miller staff from all over Europe at their Living Office Now – London 2014 event. The event was a showcase of Herman Millers Living Office story, and saw the European launch of Public Office Landscape & Locale.

Workplace of the Future

The nature of work is changing. Technology is now the backbone of all business.
Source: http://corbettvideos.com/

Mohawk: 2014 NeoCon Showroom Tour

See why the manufacturer won no less than eight awards at NeoCon this year. Chris Stulpin, creative director, Mohawk, and Cindy Allen, editor in chief, Interior Design, explore the company’s new Breaking Form collection. Video produced and edited by Yokai Films. Video sponsored by Mohawk.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day from your friends at bfi!

http://www.bfionline.com

AllSeating: NeoCon 2014 Showroom Tour

Chris Binnedyk of AllSeating talks to Interior Design president Mark Strauss about emerging out of the commercial office into healthcare and higher education. Video produced and edited by Yokai Films. Video sponsored by AllSeating.

What Makes a Cool Office?

Short answer: It's more than just a billiards table and free soda. Design buffs weigh in on how to build a creative, collaborative and innovative workspace.

Read Article

Source: Regions

bfi's NeoCon 2014 Review in Photos

Miss the fair? See the Show! NeoCon 2014, North America's largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors, took place June 9-11 at the The Merchandise Mart in Chicago. bfi personnel were there first hand to take a look at the new office furniture products being introduced at the event. Jill Schipani, bfi VP Planning & Design, was kind enough to capture over 600 beautiful photographs of the event. Take a few minutes to explore our NeoCon 2014 photos on bfi's flickr page and be sure to follow us on flickr.

6 Desk Tweaks To Change The Way You Work And Maximize Your Creativity

The work you do and the office culture in which you do it are extremely important. But so too is the actual surface you work on. Here’s how thinking about your desk, its immediate environs, and your relationship to your workspace can help you become more creative. Read article.

Source: FastCompany : CoCreate

AllSeating: NeoCon 2014 Showroom Tour

Chris Binnedyk of AllSeating talks to Interior Design president Mark Strauss about emerging out of the commercial office into healthcare and higher education. Video produced and edited by Yokai Films. Video sponsored by AllSeating.

Simple and Fun Exercises You Can Do at Work

12 Exercises you can do at work during the workday. These moves were recommended by experts whose jobs involve studying motion, preventing obesity and generally getting people off their duffs. (Some look less ridiculous than others)

Read Article

Source: The Washington Post

Are you in an unhealthy office relationship?

If you spend more waking hours in your office than with your significant other, you and your workspace had better be a good match. Studies have shown that office buildings aren't benign containers but active contributors to good — or poor — health, mood and productivity.

Read Article

Eames Molded Plastic Shell Chair – New Colors Coming Soon!

The Collection is pleased to announce 8 brand new color additions to the Eames Molded Plastic Shell Chair family, and we will also be bringing back Java! The palette integrates softer, more neutral colors to our existing offer.

In 2004, Herman Miller reintroduced the Molded Plastic Chair in polypropylene. In addition to being 100 percent recyclable, the polypropylene shell chair’s subtle matte texture offers a soft tactility as well as notable durability.

Starting July 7, 2014 all 9 colors will be available to order.

New Color Additions

• Blue Ice
• Blush
• Charcoal
• Kelly Green
• Pale Yellow
• Peacock Blue
• Stone
• Alpine

Standard Colors Available

• Aqua Sky
• Black
• Java*
• Red Orange
• Sparrow
• White

Happy Father's Day

Hope all you Dad's get a day to relax and enjoy your children.

Take a Peek At Herman Miller's NeoCon Showroom featuring the Living Office

Take a look at Herman Miller's photo gallery from NeoCon 2014 featuring the Living Office.

Winners of the 2014 Best of NeoCon Competition

The Openest Collection - Haworth. Winner of Best of Competition

Update: July 7, 2014. Here is a video with photos of the winners of Best of NeoCon 2014.

The winners of the 2014 Best of NeoCon Competition were announced Monday, June 9, at an awards breakfast hosted by Contract.


BEST OF COMPETITION
Haworth: The Openest Collection by Studio Urquiola
Designer: Patricia Urquiola

ARCHITECTURAL & DECORATIVE GLASS
Silver: 3form: Pattern+
Gold: Joel Berman Glass Studios: Plank

ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS
Silver: Haworth: Trivati
Silver: Atlantic Inc:. Snowsound Acoustic Panels
Gold: molo: softwall + softblock modular system

CARPET FIBER 
Gold: Aquafil: ECONYL

CARPET: BROADLOOM
Silver: Milliken: Dissemblage Collection

CARPET: MODULAR 
Silver: Shaw Contract Group: Design Journey: Novice & Master
Gold: Patcraft: Mixed Materials

CASE GOODS
Silver: Teknion: Journal
Gold:   Haworth: Suite

COLLABORATIVE COLLECTIONS
Innovation: Clarus Glassboards: go!
Silver: Nucraft: Tesano
Gold: Haworth: The Openest Collection by Studio Urquiola

CONFERENCE ROOM FURNITURE
Silver: TUOHY Furniture Corporation: Karo Collection
Gold: Nucraft: Kai

EDUCATION SOLUTIONS
Silver: PalmerHamilton: Hive
Gold: PalmerHamilton: GO JUICE

FILES & MOBILE STORAGE SYSTEMS
Silver: JRB Studio: Straddle Ped
Gold: Inscape: Territory

FLOORING: HARD SURFACE
Silver:USF Contract: Stratum XL
Gold:Tandus: Centiva Substrate

FURNITURE SYSTEMS
Silver: HALCON: LEX
Gold: KI: Trellis

FURNITURE SYSTEMS: ENHANCEMENTS
Silver: Davies Office: Hi-Lo
Gold: Inscape: Interval+

FURNITURE: BENCHING
Silver: Knoll: Antenna Telescope
Gold: Inscape: Inscape Bench

HEALTHCARE FABRICS & TEXTILES
Innovation: CF Stinson: EnVi Nature Based Non-Wovens
Silver:  Pallas Textiles: Valetudo Collection
Gold:  KnollTextiles: Spirit Collection

HEALTHCARE FLOORING
Innovation: Tandus Centiva: Mixed Message Collection
Silver: Tandus Centiva: Tapis Collection
Gold: Shaw Contract Group: Collective Time

HEALTHCARE FURNITURE 
Silver: Okamura: Divo

HEALTHCARE: GUEST/LOUNGE SEATING
Silver: Nemschoff / Herman Miller Healthcare: Palisade Collection

HEALTHCARE: PATIENT SEATING
Silver: Krug Inc.: Jordan Active Patient Recliner

LIGHTING: DECORATIVE
Silver: Seeyond Architectural Solutions: Seeyond Dynamic Color Mix Lighting
Gold: 3M Architectural Markets: VESSEL by 3M + Todd Bracher

LIGHTING: TASK/DESKTOP
Gold: ESI Ergonomic Solutions: Lustre

LOUNGE FURNITURE COLLECTIONS
Silver: Safco Products: Kalyde
Gold: HBF: The Triscape Collection by Todd Bracher

OFFICE ACCESSORIES
Silver: Steelcase: SOTO II Worktools
Gold: Inscape: Veil

SEATING: BENCHES
Gold: Davis Furniture: Modo

SEATING: CONFERENCE 
Silver: Wilkhahn Inc.: Graph
Gold: Andreu World: Flex Corporate

SEATING: ERGONOMIC DESK/TASK
Innovation: BioFit Engineered Products: MVMT
Silver: Allsteel: Mimeo Gold: Knoll Remix Work Chair

SEATING: GUEST
Silver: Coalesse:
Gold: Knoll: The Washington Collection for Knoll

SEATING: SOFAS & LOUNGE
Silver: Bernhardt Design: Mitt
Gold: Andreu World: RAGLAN

SEATING: STACKING 
Silver: Andreu World: Unos Chair
Gold: Diemmebi: laKendo

SIGNAGE & WAYFINDING
Silver: Seeyond Architectural Solutions: Seeyond Branded Facing Series
Gold: Takeform: Moxie Graphic Panels

SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES
Silver: Allsteel:  Beyond Designer for Revit
Gold: ofcdesk:  ofcdesk IDC

SURFACING MATERIALS/FINISHES
Silver: 3form: Varia Ecoresin Full Circle
Gold: 3M Architectural Markets: 3M DI-NOC Architectural Finishes

TABLES: OCCASIONAL
Silver: Davis Furniture: Match
Gold: HBF: Triscape Occasional Table

TABLES: TRAINING & WORK 
Silver: Peter Pepper Products, Inc.: GoTo Worktables
Gold: BOLD Furniture: BOLD One Collection

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT
Silver: Innovative Office Products: Tablik
Gold: ESI Ergonomic Solutions: EDGE-Evolve

TECHNOLOGY-INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
Innovation: Presentia: PresenTable SemiPresence
Silver: OFS Brands: Eleven Sound Driver Gold: Stir Stir Kinetic Desk

TEXTILES: UPHOLSTERY
Innovation: Camira Fabrics: The Nettle Collection
Silver: KnollTextiles: Archival Collection
Gold: HBF Textiles:  Elodie Blanchard Collection

WALL TREATMENTS
Silver: Concertex: NappaCraft
Silver: Skyline Design:  Alexander Girard Collection

WALLS: MOVABLE
Silver: Inscape: Aria

WINDOW TREATMENTS
Silver: MechoSystems:  ShadeLoc
Gold: Carnegie:  Alphacoustic, Betacoustic, Gammacoustic

WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGIES
Silver: LogiSon Acoustic Network: LogiSon TARGET
Gold: FreeAxez LLC:  FreeAxez Power

EDITORS' CHOICE
Steelcase:   Susan Cain Quiet Spaces by Steelcase
Designtex:  Designtex + Wallace Sewell
Mohawk Group:  Breaking Form Collection
BuzziSpace: BuzziPicNic
Arper:  ZINTA
Gunlocke:  Savor

Moving Right Along... Is Good For You

People who sit all day are at as high a risk of back injury as those who stand all day. The key to good ergonomic health is a mix of the two. In an ideal world, you'd work standing up or moving around at least five minutes an hour.
"You can have a great chair, but we don't promote sitting all day," says Wayne Baxter of Herman Miller. "And you can have a great sit-to-stand desk, but we don't promote standing all day. It's the mixture of all the postures that makes the body happy." Watch the video above to learn more about how to move better and feel better.
See how bfi can help keep your body healthy at your job.

The World's Five Most Impressive Offices

Long gone are the days of cubicles, watercoolers, and bland boardrooms. Now companies rely on big screens TVs, pool tables, and massage rooms to help boost productivity. Bloomberg Ranx honors some of the world's most impressive offices. (Source: Bloomberg)

7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Posture at Work

Sit up and read this article from Mashable that will help you improve your posture at work.

What Happens When You Let Employees Vote On An Open Office?

Microsoft's New York City office let their employees vote on an open office or cubicles. Which do you think won? Read article

The Workspaces of Men Who Are On Their Game

MAGE: MASHABLE, CHRISTINA ASCANI

Most of us spend at least 40 hours a week at work, much of that time spent at our desks.

The fine folks at Mashable spoke with a handful of men about how they design their workspaces as reflections of their personalities and as a way to drive productivity and creativity. Check out the article, "The Workspaces of men Who Are On Their Game".

So how about you? Is your desk an extension of your home? How do you personalize your workstation where you work? Share your desk with us by posting a picture of your desk on our facebook page.

Why Your Office Environment Matters

#475103893 / gettyimages.com

Does sitting at your office cubicle day after day make you stir crazy? It could be your office environment that is making if difficult to think, work, and be as effective as possible.

Laura Smith, addresses this issue in her article titled, "The Mind Does Not Belong in a Cubicle". The article stats our brains have evolved to work most efficiently in natural environments. At bfi, we strive to produce a happy environment for workers. Take a minute to read the article.

Have you ever considered a height adjustable desk?

If you've been in the workplace for any period of time, you've probably heard by now that sitting all day long is not good for your health. So what can you do about this? Adjustable Standing desks are one solution that may help break up your work day to give you the flexibility your body needs to stay active and mobile throughout your day.

Office Snapshots, posted a good article titled, "7 Height-Adjustable Standing Desks That Won’t Murder You". Give it a read and be sure to give bfi a call. bfi represents more than 200 office furniture manufacturers and we have several of these height adjustable desks that we can recommend to you.

Gravity is Your Life Line

#173053666 / gettyimages.com

Gravity is Your Life Line
by Marilynn Preston

Gravity isn’t just the name of a movie. Gravity is also the best-kept secret for living longer, and stronger, with more energy and a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

In the ‘90s, Dr. Joan Vernikos and her NASA space program team faced a tough medical issue: When perfectly fit astronauts go into space — a gravity-fee environment — they quickly show signs of accelerated aging. Their overall health deteriorates. Their bones weaken. Their muscles weaken. They begin to show each other pictures of their grandchildren. When the astronauts return to Earth, their strength returns, their bones stop deteriorating and fitness returns. Dr. Vernikos explains: “The lack of gravity in space wreaks havoc on the body... On Earth, gravity is our life line... it centers us and grounds us... the gravity factor is present to stimulate every cell, every nerve in our body... it etches images in our brain that tells us where we are in relation to our environment... All this rapidly disappears in space... in a gravity-free environment.”

Earthly sitting is a form of weightlessness. It brings us dangerously close to a gravity-free environment, she says, and we “sitanauts” are doing more and more of it every day, for typically eight to 10 hours, in our cars and couches, at our desks and dining tables, in front of big and small screens.

“The less we move, the less we use gravity,” she explains. Modern conveniences and technology may be making our lives easier, but our sedentary lifestyles are making us sick.

And here’s the kicker: Time in the gym, even working out three to five times a week, cannot make up for the negative results that come from disengaging with gravity.

“We’ve struggled for decades to exercise more and eat less,” says Vernikos. “We’re fatter, sicker, more tired and more out of pocket than ever. Some of us even exercise strenuously. Yet, the way we live is slowly killing us.”

Which is why she wrote a book called “Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death — And Exercise Alone Won’t.” Strap on your harness and prepare for liftoff — it’s a mind-blower.

When you sit, you’re essentially disconnecting from the “life line” that is gravity. When you get up and change your position — and this is the finding that dazzled her most of all — you’re reconnecting with gravity in ways that promote health and wellness.

It’s the change of position that is most powerful and matters most, Vernikos says. “The results amazed me! Standing was more effective than walking! ”

“To reverse the damage of sedentary living,” Vernikos advises, “put gravity back in your life.”

How? Do frequent nonstrenuous activities throughout the day. Stand up every 10 to 15 minutes, bend and twist, take the stairs, wash the car, empty the dishwasher. You get the picture.

“Our bodies need perpetual motion,” says Vernikos. “The good news is that there are unlimited free opportunities for movement all around us. The key to lifelong health is more than just traditional gym exercise an hour a day, three to five days a week.

“The answer is to rediscover a lifestyle of constant, natural, low-intensity nonexercise movement that uses the gravity vector throughout the day.”

Seen on: Hi Class Living, March-April 2014, pg 75-76

17 Desk Stretches That Might Save Your Life

This infographic was crafted with love by Officevibe, the employee engagement platform that makes employee wellness easy while making people happy and productive at work.

The Cubicle Turns 50

The "liberating" construction that has boxed-in office workers for a half-century (and spawned, as backlash, the utopian "open office") celebrates its Golden Jubilee, according to Men's Journal. Celebrate the cubicle's big 50 by making some office space.

Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1964, the modern office arrived in New York. Joe Schwartz, the marketing director at a small, Michigan-based home furnishing firm name Herman Miller, was erecting the world's first modular "workplace solution" in a showroom at 600 Madison Avenue while calling every architecture firm he knew. The product, developed by the eccentric polymath Robert Probst, featured a massive desk, a carrel for making phone calls, and a vertical filing system. With it's clean steel lines, the "Action Office" looked futuristic, even era-defining. Designers flocked to the showroom.
"Then nothing happened," remembers Schwartz. "We had a few orders in Canada, but the executive market was extremely hard to penetrate. It was a first attempt."

[Read the full story at Men's Journal]

The Cubicle You Call Hell Was Designed to Set You Free

Wired.com posts a very engaging article on how office "cubicles" were not the intention that their creators envisioned them to be. Read the article to learn what their vision of the office was meant to be.

As seen on Wired.com

8 Of Google's Craziest Offices

Google is known for its zany office designs, from stroopwafel ceilings to slides to scooters. And you thought your office's foosball table was cool. Check this out.

as seen on: www.fastcodesign.com

"Mad Men's" Secret Weapon? Herman Miller

Great article from FastCompany on how the Zeeland, Michigan, furniture company helps Mad Men set decorator Claudette Didul-Mann get the details right. Read Article.

Seen on : fastcodesign.com

Do your surrounding affect the way you work?

A comfortable work chair, a desk, and technology all have a great impact on our experience of work. But what about the surrounding details? Can artwork, architecture, and even the aroma help us do our best work? Remodelista’s Editor-in-Chief Julie Carlson thinks so. http://ow.ly/vwvUk

My Year At A Standing Desk And Why I'll Never Go Back

Fast Company Web Producer Cia Bernales made the switch to a standing desk a year ago. She shares why she's never going back to a regular office chair... Read Article

My Year At A Standing Desk And Why I'll Never Go Back
credit: www.fastcompany.com

bfi Furnishes LVMH- Givenchy & Céline Divisions

bfi - New York recently completed this project for two luxury brands for a global enterprise. Two full floors were successfully completed within a very compressed construction time schedule to satisfy and complement the overall design intent and space requirements for workstations and private office furnishings for 100 plus people as well as conferencing areas, and modular case work in laboratories.

READ MORE

Throwback Thursday

An old ad for Herman Miller's Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman, a modern classic that is still available today.

bfi Furnishes Panasonic's new Newark NJ Headquarters

bfi worked with architect firm HLW to furnish Panasonic's new Newark NJ headquarters. This 273,500 sq ft facility is home to 1,280 employees. Check out some great photos on the architect's website.
http://www.hlw.com/panasonic/

This is one cool office you must see!

New York-based creative agency Barbarian Group has unveiled a brand new "superdesk" in their office. Made out of 4,400 square feet of plywood, the desk is so large that the entire company — all 125 employees — can share it.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/giant-curvy-desk-2014-2#ixzz2xHIypFsS

Seen on: http://www.businessinsider.com/