The Next Evolution Of Office? Service-Oriented, Well-Designed Space

Offices will transform into service-oriented space with a purpose in 2018 - Read Article

ASID In-Depth Research Report on Office Design

Check out ASID’s NEW in-depth research on office design.

http://

ow.ly/Atxo30hfG9x

Brian Moran Joins BFI as Vice President of Sales for the BFI-Parsippany office

bfi is pleased to announce Brian Moran has joined bfi as Vice President of Sales. Brian will assume total responsibility for all sales initiatives in the Parsippany office.

Brian started his career at Herman Miller as a Design Consultant & Workplace Specialist assisting customers such as Amex, Avon, and Calvin Klein in the design, planning and strategic thinking of how they could change the way they work in a new creative environment.

He then went to Steelcase as head of their Workplace Strategy team. Similar to Herman Miller Inc., Brian helped develop and create spaces for customers such as Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young, and Google focusing on workplace strategy, technology integration and ergonomics.

Brian left Steelcase to run a Steelcase dealership, Dancker Sellew & Douglas, in New York City as Vice President of Sales where he was responsible for sales and marketing.

Brian was then offered a great opportunity to become President of TopdeQ, an international furniture group that sold furniture through the Internet and catalogues.

He later moved to Florida to rebuild a Steelcase dealership, Storr Office Furniture. Brian served as the General Manager where he ran and later helped prepare the sell of the company. He then ran a Haworth dealer, Florida Business Interiors, which was sold this year. Brian recently moved back to New Jersey to be closer to his family. He is very excited to be “back home” to where he started with the Herman Miller family many years ago.

Brian can be reached at 973-503-0730, extension 6435 or by email at bmoran@bfifurniture.com.

The Game-Changer for Cities: Driverless Cars

Gensler recently published a thought provoking article about driverless cars and the impact it will have on cities and towns. Issues such as more pedestrian space on sidewalks and streets and a total overhaul of parking are discussed. It's a very interesting read. Here is a snippet...

We’re at a watershed moment in the design of our cities, and it’s all being caused by a new technology: driverless cars. No other innovation will impact the urban landscape and the ways people experience cities as thoroughly in the coming years. And that future is coming sooner than you might think. 

Most experts agree that the automobile as we know it will be largely obsolete by 2030. In its place will be fleets of driverless cars that shuttle people safely and efficiently through our city streets. But it’s the broader impacts of this technology that are a game-changer for the future of our cities and the human experience. The opportunity is not only to create new places that accommodate driverless cars, but to reshape our existing cities and towns into the kind of amenity-rich, vibrant places that we all enjoy.

Read the article "The Game-Changer for Cities: Driverless Cars"
Source: Gensler

Nightingale Award Winners Announced for Products at Healthcare Design Expo + Conference

The Best of Competition winner is Mohawk Group in the carpet category for Lichen. Image courtesy Mohawk Group

Contract Editor in Chief John Czarnecki and Healthcare Design Editor in Chief Jennifer Silvis presented the winners of this year’s Nightingale Awards earlier today at the Healthcare Design Expo & Conference. Named after Florence Nightingale, and initiated by Contract editors and The Center for Health Design’s founders in 1990, the awards recognize contribution to the healthcare built environment through product design and innovation that contributes to healing.

The Best of Competition winner is Mohawk Group in the carpet category for Lichen. Image courtesy Mohawk Group

A jury panel of healthcare architects, interior designers, and facilities managers selected 27 winners in 14 product categories. Mohawk Group’s Lichen carpet collection was honored as the Best of Competition winner. Lichen was also honored with the Gold Award in the Carpet category.

This year’s winners are:

Silver Award in Architectural Products: Clinical

Matrix M., Pressalit Care

Gold Award in Architectural Products: Clinical 

Acrovyn by Design Patterns Collection, Construction Specialties

Gold Award in Architectural Products: Non-Clinical

Ligature-Resistant Sliding Door System, Accurate Lock and Hardware

Silver Award in Carpet

Sanctuary, Shaw Contract

Gold Award in Carpet 

Lichen, Mohawk Group

Silver Award in Fabrics & Textiles

Genie Medical Copper Mesh, Via Seating

Gold Award in Fabrics & Textiles

Project ICU, C.F. Stinson

Silver Award in Flooring: Hard Surface

AdMix Encore, Patcraft

Innovation Award in Flooring: Resilient 

Innate, Shaw Contract

Silver Award in Flooring: Resilient 

Terasu, Shaw Contract

Gold Award in Flooring: Resilient 

norament arago, nora systems

Gold Award in Furniture: Clinician Support 

Intent Solution, Herman Miller

Silver Award in Furniture Collections 

Mora, Herman Miller

Gold Award in Furniture Collections 

Resilia Drum Table, Stance Healthcare

Silver Award in Lighting 

Sole, Visa Lighting

Innovation Award in Seating: Guest/Lounge 

Surround, Steelcase Health

Silver Award in Seating: Guest/Lounge 

Tailor, Spec Furniture

Gold Award in Seating: Guest/Lounge 

Valayo Collection, Integra Seating

Innovation Award in Seating: Patient

Saven Rocker, Carolina/OFS Brands

Silver Award in Seating: Patient 

Hardi, Spec Furniture

Gold Award in Seating: Patient

Ruckus Task Chair, KI

Innovation Award in Surfacing Materials 

GetWell Patient Room, Kwalu

Innovation Award in Technology-Integrated Solutions 

5.0 + See, Sample, Spec, C.F. Stinson

Gold Award in Technology-Integrated Solutions 

IQvitals Zone, Midmark Corporation

Innovation Award in Window Shading & Treatments 

ElectroPocket, MechoSystems

Silver Award in Window Shading & Treatments 

ElectroPocket, MechoSystems

Healthcare Design Expo + Conference continues through Tuesday, November 14, at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Don’t Get Too Comfortable at That Desk

First there were individual offices. Then cubicles and open floor plans. Now, there is a “palette of places.”

New office designs are coming to a workplace near you, with layouts meant to cater to the variety of tasks required of modern white-collar workers. Put another way, it means people don’t sit in just one place.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

Source: nytimes.com

Why We’re Never Going Back to the Traditional Office Layout

Certain things seem to go out of fashion, only to come around again: suede and velvet clothing for men, vinyl records, the underhanded free throw in basketball.

But Brian Walker, the CEO of furniture company Herman Miller, is convinced that the traditional office—with executives stuck behind closed doors and most everyone else assigned to a fixed workstation—is gone for good.

READ MORE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Source: CapitalandMain.com

Why You Can Focus in a Coffee Shop but Not in Your Open Office

A few years ago, during a media interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still ponder often. Ranting about the level of distraction in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus.”

While I fully support the backlash against open offices, the comment struck me as odd. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout.

But I recently came across a series of studies examining the effect of sound on the brain that reveals why his strategy works.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

Source: hbr.org

6 Office Design Trends Taking the Workplace by Storm

Next to the rise of flexible work hours, remote work, and modern technology, office design has undergone significant changes. These changes have opened up the door to a whole new area of how the workplace looks and functions. This includes open-plan layouts, coworking spaces, ergonomic workstations, and the like. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the most popular office design trends that millennials have brought about.

READ ARTICLE

Source: MillennialMagazine.com

Workforce Powered by Human Experience

A place of work is more than a property. It is a living environment that helps individuals and businesses craft and experience a rewarding fusion of life and work.

JLL’s 2017 Global Research project reveals experience is a primary differentiator whenever individuals engage with an organization, and should play a core role in every company – both strategically and operationally.

VIEW THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE MODEL

Can minimalism make you more productive at work?

When it comes to workspace style, there seem to be two types of people: those who prefer a neat and orderly desktop, and those who love working among the chaos. Chances are you fall somewhere on the spectrum while perhaps intending to be tidy but running out of time, space, and energy to follow through. Whether you’re a freelancer with a home setup or plugging away in an open office, you likely spend the majority of your waking hours at your workspace.

Your workspace (and even your digital workspace) can affect your mindset, which has the unique ability to make or break how happy you are at work. Of course, there will always be something we can’t control, but most professionals have some influence over their workspaces. Here’s a minimalist guide to designing your workspace to help increase happiness and productivity.

CONTINUE READING

Source: MindBodyGreen

Introducing the Rutckus Collection

Watch the Intro Video

Shaking up learning spaces!

It's not so much an evolution as a revolution. It looks like nothing else. It can be used like nothing else. It's Ruckus...a simple, inspiring, and astonishingly innovative collection that supports today's learning space transformations like nothing else.

The collection includes innovative seating that promotes student movement and lets users choose how they relate to Ruckus; cantilevered desks that adapt to individuals and circumstances; plus super-functional lockers, cubbies, and bookcases that keep learning tools handy and learning spaces neat.

KI Ruckus Chair
Ruckus innovative seating promotes student movement and lets users choose how they relate to their learning spaces.
Learn More »

Ruckus Desks
The Ruckus collection fosters student engagement, enables a wide range of teaching styles and adapts to a variety of users and uses.
Learn More »

Five things about Charles and Ray Eames that continue to inspire us today

On their 75th wedding anniversary, we reflect on five things about Charles and Ray Eames that continue to inspire us today.

READ ARTICLE

Source: Eames Official Site

3 Near-Future Scenarios That Are Changing The Way We Work Today

A look at how Herman Miller, the iconic 100-year-old office furniture manufacturer, creates stories about the future to inform its product design.

The nature of work has been changing at an incredible rate. Work has become inherently global and seamlessly digital. The traditional roles of organizations and individuals have blurred as the means of production and creation have become democratized. The lifecycle of ideas, products, and businesses has accelerated from decades to years to minutes.

Every five years or so, Herman Miller spends a fair amount of time picking a year in the near future and exploring the question “How will the world of work be different?” We call this effort scenario planning.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

Source: FastCompany

9 Questions to Ask When Looking for Office Space

Whether you’re hitting the office space market for the first time or you’ve moved your business before, staying focused on the immediate steps at hand will save you time, money and stress. That starts with honing in on the right questions early on in the office leasing process.

READ ARTICLE

Source: Squarefoot.com

Geiger fine tunes ergonomics and style with their Taper Chair

This chair does a whole lot more than just look good.

There's no denying that the Taper Chair by Mark Goetz is one handsome piece of office furniture, but what good is an office chair if it's not comfortable or ergonomic. Goetz teamed up with Dr. Brock Walker, who has been a longtime advisor to Herman Miller to create chairs that not only look good, but feel good too. And it's not simply about comfort either, the contours of the chair offer spinal and lumbar support to ensure that you're sitting correctly and comfortably. Contact a bfi sales representative for more information.

Take Naps at Work. Apologize to No One.

Naps at work can make you more productive. Maybe don’t be this obvious about it, though. 

In the past two weeks I’ve taken three naps at work, a total of an hour or so of shut-eye while on the clock. And I have no shame or uncertainty about doing it. I couldn’t feel better about it, and my productivity reflects it, too.

READ ARTICLE

Source: The New York Times

3 Ways to Design an Open Office That Employees Love

Too much transparency. Disruption. Lack of engagement. These are a few of the words executives have tossed around in their discussions about the once-cool open office work environment. But before you jump on the anti-open office bandwagon, learn why these types of workspaces often fail.

With the right strategy for success, companies can reap the positive benefits of an open office environment. From enhanced knowledge sharing between employees to improved productivity and job satisfaction, it all starts with three key components: evidence-based design, technology, and training.

CONTINUE READING

Source: Inc.com

Care represents a new concept in nursing chairs

Care represents a new concept in nursing chairs. Ideally suited for patient transport, treatment, and recovery, the chair is easy to operate and certified as a medical product.

It is available with a wood or metal frame and a variety of options, including a push-on tray, IV stand, push bar, and a folding footrest. Its versatility allows Care to replace the ordinary hospital wheelchair or even a hospital bed in outpatient, intravenous therapy, and recovery rooms.

The 7 Best Chairs Designed By Architects

If you’re a design geek or an architecture enthusiast, you likely dream of living in works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, or Marcel Breuer. While this is possible, it isn’t exactly plausible. Houses designed by the greats often sell for around $1 million and can go as high as $7 million. The good thing is, you can own a piece of architecture history, designed by the greats, at a lower and more manageable price point. Many architects doubled as furniture designers and crafted some of the most famous chairs in history, occupying museums and celebrity homes across the globe. These are a few of the best, that are readily available for purchase.

READ ARTICLE

Source: GearPatrol

7 Ways Millennials Are Changing the Workplace for the Better

The generation is spearheading change in the workforce — and they’ll switch jobs until they find what they want.

When it comes to the workplace, millennials get a bad rap. The generation (loosely defined as those born after 1982 and before 2004) tend to to be labeled lazy, entitled and glued to their iPhones. But a recent survey conducted by Gallup shows that they're more aligned with other generations when it comes to contentment in the workplace than you may think.

The poll garnered responses from almost 200,000 people from across organizations in a wide variety of industries to give us a snapshot of the American workplace today. One of the major findings: Out of the more than 100 million full-time employees that make up the American workforce, only one-third of them are engaged at work — which is defined as being "emotionally and psychologically attached to their work and workplace."

So, what gives?

Research shows that millennials are a driving force behind workplace change, so it’s no coincidence that the generation clocks in with the lowest percentage of engaged employees. This may be simply because as millennials get older they are able to navigate their career, finding work that better suits them, which in turn increases their levels of engagement. But the fact that they are the major advocates for change also suggests that they may feel like they're "waiting" for their employers to catch up with them, thus affecting how much they are able to emotionally commit at work.

CONTINUE READING

Source: NBCNews

Herman Miller, creator of the Aeron chair, wants to make your desk more like a Fitbit

Imagine that you’re sitting at your desk, working on a spreadsheet. That’s when you feel a vibration in your hands. Then you see a subtly glowing light. And you realize it’s nearly noon, and you’ve been sitting all morning. So you touch the light. Your desk raises to standing level. And you ditch your chair.

READ MORE

Source: FastCompany

The 2017 Best of NeoCon Winners

The winners of the 2017 Best of NeoCon Competition were announced on Monday, June 12, during an awards breakfast hosted by Contract at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago. Ninety-six awards were distributed in this year’s competition of contract furnishing products, including 10 Innovation Awards and a Best of Competition Award.

HALCON won Best of Competition for Halo in the Conference Room Furniture category.

View the full list of winners here. 

View the Best of NeoCon 2017 Gallery of Winners here.

Source: Contract Design

5 fun office hacks to increase productivity

Image credit: herman miller

An office that is simultaneously relaxed and productive? How does that work?

In the corporate world, we’ve long been conditioned to believe that a good work ethic is synonymous with a gritty, grinding style of professionalism, where the optimal results spring from long hours of hard work and discipline.

But recently, experience has told us otherwise, as startups embrace mantras like “work smarter, not harder,” as a way of re-engineering productivity.

A company like Google, which gives employees gourmet food, endless entertainment and over-the-top perks, is arguably successful because of these policies, not despite them. The model goes a long way in explaining why so many startups have embraced more holistic work cultures, designed to nourish employees to their fullest potential rather than simply demanding more from them.

Here are five methods I have found work well at our company, a web and mobile search tool for commercial office space, to promote business growth through a positive, relaxed work culture.

1. Establish an open-door policy

This flexible policy invites employees to interact, ask questions and challenge their managers — in a good way. When team members feel comfortable with one another as well as with their superiors, communication is faster, good ideas are less likely to be left on the table, and alternately, red flags are less likely to escape detection.

And “open-door” policies are not relegated to more open, transparent work cultures. Successful companies with more traditional organizational structures and cultures employ them successfully as well.

2. Keep everyone full

Free coffee is always nice, but a fridge full of snacks is even better. About 67 percent of employees who receive free food at work are very happy with their jobs. In addition to the cost benefit for employees, food around the office helps people stay energized and gives them less incentive to eat a heavy lunch that will put them to sleep later on in the afternoon.

The same study found that this perk is more important to millennials than to other age group, yet only 16 percent of employees claim they get free snacks at work. That’s easy to fix.

3. Encourage creativity

Give your employees an interactive canvas, collectively. For us, the canvas is a giant blackboard on the wall where anyone on the team can draw with chalk, write inspiring messages, place Post-it notes and more.

While Slack often serves a similar purpose for us, we find the act of physically writing or drawing to be creatively liberating. Since many of us spend so much time behind our screens, it can act as a much-needed distraction, especially an artistic one that will stimulate the mind with new ideas.

Finally, it doesn’t hurt to add a bit of culture to the office by way of paintings or music, as long as it’s not provocative.

4. Get out of the office

Even though the office is a professional workplace, your teammates can benefit from getting to know each other on a personal level as well.

Engage your team through periodic happy hours and dinners to show that the relationships you build go well beyond the confines of office walls. You can even try out team-building outings like sporting events, hikes, company-wide retreats and other events.

These outings can promote bonding between team members, reduce employee stress and give employees the chance to get to know one another outside of the office. When your colleague is also your friend, it’s that much easier to support them professionally.

5. Choose the right layout

Our recent survey of 75 New York startups revealed that 94 percent of founders believe office space plays a role in attracting talent. Rightfully so, considering most of us spend a significant part of our days (and sadly, our lives) in the office.

For your team to be comfortable and productive, choosing an airy space with plenty of natural light can be surprisingly effective. It’s one reason open floor plans are all the rage these days. This type of layout tends to be more visually appealing, friendly, and ultimately yields more fluid, collaborative work.

In order for this type of layout to work without creating too many distractions, you’ll need to dedicate a few isolated quiet spaces (or breakout rooms) for meetings, calls or just heads-down work.

You don’t have to choose productivity over employee well-being and happiness. Instead, you can create an environment that melds perfectly with your mission and team while keeping things efficient and positive.

Happy employees are 38 percent more productive than unhappy employees and produce 37 percent greater sales. The implications for employee retention and productivity are significant.

In time, you will find an optimal balance between your team’s enjoyment of the workplace and their productivity. You need both for your company to reach its true potential.

This article originally appeared on BusinessCollective.

Bring Your Work Home

We asked the designers from Sight Unseen’s 2016 American Design Hot List how their homes inspire their design practices.

George Nelson once called the ideal office "a daytime living room,” a place organized for productivity while still conferring the comforts of home. WHY recently asked some of the designers from Sight Unseen’s 2016 Hot List about the relationship between where they work and where they live. From living with prototypes of their designs to surrounding themselves at work with the stuff of home—food, plants, and pets carry the day—WHY takes a peek into how, for so many of them, the personal and the professional blur into one.

READ MORE

Three Most Commonly Asked Questions When Planning an Office Move

If you're planning on moving your business to another location there are many things to consider. Here are three most commonly asked questions when planning an office move.

1. How much space do I need?

bfi can be your advocate in helping you determine how much space you will need. We do this by asking all the right questions and evaluating the office space you are considering to see if it meets your space requirements, present and future.

2. What is it going to look like?

bfi's designers will create visual space plans that work with your program requirements so that you can see what your office space will look like before any work has begun. We will make sure your office space is productive, aesthetically pleasing, functional and within budget.

3. How much is it going to cost?

bfi can help you identify the REAL COSTS involved so you can make an educated decision BEFORE signing your lease. We will identify your space requirements, provide a written estimate to build-out the space according to your requirements, and compare it with your building allowance. bfi can provide you with important information to help you and your Broker save money and valuable time in the lease negotiation process.

Do you know the answers?

We would like to get these questions answered on your behalf. We want to be your advocate to help you get the best office space for your needs.

Please call Bryan Effron to set up an appointment. 973-795-6402

Ever Try a Standing Desk?

A Healthier Way to Work

Our bodies aren't designed to stay in one position. We were made to move. But between sitting and sleeping, most Americans are sedentary for around 21 hours a day. Research shows links between sedentary lifestyles and a higher risk of diabetes, some cancers, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. But the Renew Sit-to-Stand Table makes it easier to change positions throughout the day.

Natural Part of Your Office

Renew works in all the same places you do. Use it in a private office, collaborative spaces, integrated with system furniture, or in an open office. It even works in a conference room, giving you the freedom to hold efficient stand-up meetings or stay fresh by making healthy movement a part of your agenda.

Earth-Friendly

Renew’s height adjustment system sips electricity, using less energy than a cell phone charger left plugged into the wall—and the optional counterweight mechanism uses no electricity at all. It’s designed to ship in just two boxes, minimizing space during transportation and reducing packaging waste.

Contact a bfi representative to learn more. Try it, you'll like it!

4 Tips for Working Comfortably at Your Desk

Photo Source: Herman Miller

It is important to feel comfortable at your office in order to increase your efficiency and protect your health. There are many small steps you can take to create a better work environment for yourself. You can start by implementing the below office ergonomics tips to improve your work day, care for yourself and decrease work related injuries.

READ ARTICLE

Source: Entrepreneur Magazine

Are Phone Booths Coming Back?

Photo credit: Framery

Anyone who has worked in an office can relate to the many distractions fellow colleagues can produce. From loud conversations to pungent wafts of lunch foods, coworkers are often real roadblocks to productivity (you might even be experiencing it at your desk right now). Indeed, a study from researchers at the University of Sydney found that office noise was cited as the most frustrating aspect of the work environment by about 50 percent of employees in open offices. What’s more, Oxford Economics — an independent global advisory firm — found that 53 percent of office employees complain that workplace noise reduces their satisfaction and productivity.

It’s these findings — and working in office environments themselves — that compelled the founders of technology start-up Framery to create a device that solves this age-old problem. And ironically, the Finnish firm looked back a few decades for its solution: phone booths.

CONTINUE READING

Source: Huffington Post

The 20 best office spaces we've ever seen

Office space matters -- the right office space, especially. Research links smart, innovative-looking office spaces to worker productivity and happiness.

Here are 20 offices that make us happy just looking at them. Collectively, they are triumphs of design, tech, and sustainability.

READ ARTICLE

Source: ZDNet.com

bfi Furnishes Princeton Public Library 2nd Floor Project

The Princeton Public Library embarked on an ambitious project to adapt their second floor to meet the changing needs of the Princeton community. bfi worked in conjunction with Andrew Berman Architects to design and furnish the second floor of the Princeton Library. With new spaces for quiet reading, collaborative work, instruction and programming, the new second floor is equipped for 21st century library users. bfi was proud to be part of this prestigious project and the client was very pleased with the end result.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE STUNNING END RESULT

If you would like more information about this project or would like to discuss a project for your library, school, or company, please contact us.

bfi NY Office Moves to New Location

In March, our New York City office moved a few blocks to a new lovely, bright and sunny office. The office is conveniently located just one block from Penn Station and only four blocks from Port Authority. The new address is:

237 West 35th St, Ste 1004

​New York, NY 10001

Take a look at our new digs!

Come Visit Us!

Is it time to break up with your office chair?

credit: Ducky Office Furniture

We all know that person who won’t stop talking about their standing desk, how they love it, and how you should get one, too. Maybe we know several of those people, and these standing desk fans are in good company. Ernest Hemmingway stood while he worked, propping his typewriter on top of a bookshelf, and Charles Dickens did, too. Thomas Jefferson drew architectural drawings for the Virginia state capitol at his tall desk.

Many people claim that standing helps them feel more energetic and productive, and there are recent studies to show it can be good for your health. If you’re thinking of disowning your chair, here are a few things you need to know.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

As seen on: SeattleTimes.com

How to Create Productive Workspaces for Your Company

A company's productivity is closely linked to its environment and team members, with workplace design playing a powerful role in uniting the two.

Image Credit: herman miller

In recent years, the physical design of the typical workplace has undergone significant change. Many organizations have shifted from individual cubicles and private offices to open-plan designs, and have implemented features like standing desks and whiteboard walls to emphasize increased focus, teamwork and flexibility.

While the perfect workspace must be unique when it comes to any particular business, there are common steps that every organization can take to realize its ideal environment.

If you too are hoping to create productive workspaces for your company, these three steps may be of use to you.

CONTINUE READING

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Recline Intervention

Photo Credit: Herman Miller

There’s a problem with recliners, one that starts with their rec room aesthetics and ends with the reclining mechanism itself. But as designers David Ritch and Mark Saffell of multidisciplinary 5d studio discovered when Herman Miller and Nemschoff asked them to design a brand-new healthcare recliner, making something that both the ailing and their caregivers could not only use but also enjoy was going to require truly putting the “multi” into “multidisciplinary.” Working with engineers and designers, they’ve produced Ava, a recliner that looks narrow but feels roomy, is inviting but also antibacterial, and that’s just as appealing to the people pushing the chair as the people sitting in it.

READ ARTICLE

How Long Until You Are Standing at Your Desk?

Photo Credit: Herman Miller

I first encountered a guy standing at his desk several decades ago, when I was a fresh-faced attorney at Disney. One of my colleagues had ordered a lectern to do his contract drafting, and he said it was for health reasons, sitting for a long time was simply too painful. Over the years I have seen more folks standing, but most folks who work in an office fly their desk from a seated position.

READ ARTICLE

Source: Forbes.com

Is An Open Office Plan Healthy For Your Staff?

photo credit: herman miller

Depending on who you ask, open work spaces are the best thing to come along since sliced bread, or they’re the devil’s invention to sow chaos and discord among employees. Fair-minded managers and efficiency experts say that the open office space plan can be both a blessing and a curse; it all depends on how it’s structured and supported. Remember that the original purpose of the open office was to bust employees out of their mind-numbing cubicles to increase their satisfaction and efficiency. The jury is still out as to whether this has succeeded one-hundred percent. My own office space has both open and closed areas. Here’s a look at the pros and cons to help you see what you might do if you’re considering an open office space.

READ ARTICLE

Source: Forbes.com

Herman Miller Featured for 13th Year in RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook

Global design manufacturer Herman Miller (NASDAQ:MLHR) has once again qualified for inclusion in RobecoSAM’s 2017 Sustainability Yearbook, achieving Bronze Class distinction for industry-leading economic, environmental, and social sustainability performance. The Yearbook is a listing of the world’s most sustainable companies as determined by their score in the annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Selection criteria for inclusion in the Yearbook becomes more rigorous each year, and only the top 15 percent of companies within each industry are selected. This is Herman Miller’s 13th consecutive appearance in the yearbook.

“Since our founding days, we have believed strongly that our primary purpose as a company is to positively impact humanity,” said Michael Ramirez, Executive Vice President of People, Places, and Administration. “Whether we’re being good stewards of the environment, giving back to the community, or fostering a culture where inclusiveness can thrive, we are persistent in our efforts to create a better world.”

RobecoSAM’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment measures financially material factors that impact a company’s core business value drivers. Factors including a company’s ability to innovate, attract and retain talent, and increase operational eco-efficiency are weighted heavily because of the impact on a company’s competitive position and long-term financial performance. The Sustainability Yearbook is the world’s most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability and has grown to become one of the leading reference guides for investors seeking out innovative approaches to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their portfolios.

About Herman Miller, Inc.
Herman Miller is a globally recognized provider of furnishings and related technologies and services. Headquartered in West Michigan, the global company has relied on innovative design for over 100 years to solve problems for people wherever they work, live, learn, and heal. Herman Miller’s designs are part of museum collections worldwide, and the company is a past recipient of the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. Known and respected for its leadership in corporate social responsibility, Herman Miller has earned the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s top rating in its Corporate Equality Index ten years in a row, was named a 2016 Top 100 Healthiest Employer, and has earned numerous global sustainability awards. In fiscal 2016, the company generated $2.26 billion in revenue and employed nearly 8,000 people worldwide. Herman Miller trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.

bfi is an authorized herman miller dealer in NJ.

15 Modern Office Furniture and Layout Trends (Infographic)

Office culture and layouts have evolved tremendously over the past few years, thanks in part to the startup and tech world. Layouts that feature comfortable creative spaces, collaboration-focused work stations and an overall fun environment is a trend that is here to stay.

While Silicon Valley startups were the first to debut this type of office environment, it has now caught on with companies of all sizes and across a wide range of industries. It's a trend that I personally see becoming even more popular -- the benefits of this type of office environment are hard to deny.

Check out the infographic below by Rove Concepts that highlights fifteen popular modern office furniture and layout trends that you can get some inspiration from to help transform your current office into a more productive and creative space.

As seen on entrepreneur.com

bfi Furnishes Riverview Medical Center’s New Cancer Center

bfi is proud to have been chosen to furnish the new medical facility at Riverview Medical Center. Included in the scope were the waiting areas, in-patient rooms, family lounge, nurses workstations, meeting rooms, and more; completing an attractive project for a very pleased client, whose patients will now benefit from the state of the art amenities. Take a look at the tour video below for an overview of this beautiful space.

Informative Review of Herman Miller's New Aeron Chair

Herman Miller’s Aeron was the chair when it launched in the ’90s. It catapulted the word “ergonomics” into the workplace, and, with its foam-free mesh-seat design, it looked nothing like office chairs before it. Everyone from the early dot-com techies to Hollywood producers — and their mothers — had to have one not only because it was radically different, cutting-edge and darn-right comfortable, but also because it had become a status symbol. However, even an icon can be improved.

READ ARTICLE

Source: architizer.com

State of the Open Office

Findings Revealed From SCG’s State of the Open Office Research Study

Thank You!

in 2016, Stegmeier Consulting Group concluded our latest research study, the State of the Open Office, with the intent of tracking reasons for employee resistance to open plans and the overall trend of open office implementation. Of the nearly 500 respondents (spanning 6 continents), approximately 200 provided a business email, allowing us to determine a representative workforce size of over 5.5 million employees.

Our Report

We conducted this study with the goal of injecting pertinent data and real voices into a workplace conversation that is increasingly deluged with sensationalist (The Open Office is the Devil) thought-pieces. Today, we’d like to share our findings with you. Please visit the research section of our site to download a PDF copy of our report.

Key Findings

As a preview, we’d like to highlight a few particularly salient findings:

First, our study revealed the top three concerns about working in an open plan: 1) audible distractions, 2) a lack of audible privacy, and 3) uninvited interruptions from coworkers.

For individuals who recently moved to an open plan, the top annoyance was uninvited interruptions, which makes sense in that once workstation partitions are lowered or removed, coworkers often naturally perceive their colleagues to be available for collaboration, simply because they are now more visible.

Speaking of breaking down walls, it’s not just individual contributors shifting to a more open plan. The trend revealed in this study indicates a future shift to assigned and unassigned open workstations by all levels of organizations, including senior leaders and executives. The chart below (one of many in the full report) shows how overall plans are expected to evolve moving forward.

CONTINUE READING

Source: Officeinsight

Are You a Design Genius? Take Our Modern Icons Quiz to Find Out

(Image credit: Nancy Mitchell)

Can you tell an Eames from a Saarinen? You might know the designer of the Egg, but what about the Arco? Take our quiz filled with iconic modernist furniture and lighting designs to test your knowledge of who made what. If you get "Design Genius," go ahead, flaunt those bragging rights in the comments below!

TAKE THE QUIZ

5 Office Space Design Trends for the Year 2017

With the continuously evolving technology, the office space trends are also changing in the same pace. When we talked to our design experts who are highly knowledgeable and capable of creating efficient office spaces, they predicted a few major office space designs that could be in the top trends this year. Check them all below.

1. Hiding Messy Wires 

Office space design experts say that eliminating the wires and clutter is one of the most talked about topic in the recent times. It doesn’t matter how spacious and colourful the office space is until and unless it’s neat and organized. Wires of laptops, headphones and other electronic devices make the workplace look much disorganized.

Even the table worth RS 1 lakh will be of no value if the wires are hanging around giving it an odd look. They also anticipate that office spaces will have all their wires concealed within the table this year as the manufacturers are developing solutions that are simple and clean.

2. Future Proof Design

Future proof design is nothing but a flexible design which never makes the employees bored. Usage of furniture that can easily adapt to new and changing requirements, modular workbenches, modular sofa seats, meet point tables, collaborative breakout furniture, acoustic elements; these are  a few examples of smart office furniture that make office space adaptable and highly functional.

Yet another important thing to be considered for future proof design is power and data. Simple soft wiring installation allows you to save time by letting you do rewiring easily, so that you can adapt easily if any changes have to be made in future.

3. Integrated Technology

Workplace getting integrated with technology is a logical design trend that’s in the boom right now. Sooner or later this year, we can expect to see wireless charging of devices becoming very common. And it is more likely to be embraced in the workplaces if Apple and other major brands support this feature in their devices.

In 2017, we can also expect office furniture with built in power adapters and multimedia capabilities.

4. Bring Outdoors Inside

Bringing outdoors inside was the trend last year too and the trend is expected to continue this year as well. With employees spending most of their time at workplace, bringing some outdoors inside can certainly help them be lively and more productive during the work hours.

Bringing in some live plants creates an element of nature; it also helps to purify the air, so that the employees will also feel healthier.

5. Productive Wellbeing Design

This is everlasting trend in office space industry as every company wants their office space to be productive. The business owners may take the above 4 trends lightly, but not this one.

An employee can be productive only when he’s happy and healthy at the workplace. So providing a healthy environment is what the business owners should be concerned about. With the health and wellbeing being considered while designing the office space, we can certainly see a positive impact in the productivity of employees.

Minor things like areas for collaboration, standing desks, privacy, comfort, lighting, airflow and acoustics can have a great impact on the productivity.

So do you think your office space is up to today’s trend? No? Then why don’t you choose an office space that’s perfect for trend?

Source: FurnishedOfficeBangalore