FRIDAY MAY 7, 2021
The Upfront
Why Room & Board has been an exception to the retail rule for 40 years
With DWR picked up by Herman Miller years ago and Luminaire owned by Haworth, there are precious few high-end furniture retailers (who also sell some level of contract furniture) left to acquire. However, one in particular stands out.
When John Gabbert set out to open a furniture store in 1980, he said if it was going to be successful, it had to be different. As the company enters its fifth decade, Room & Board has certainly proven that to be very true.
As one of the largest home furnishings retailers in the country—and probably one of the lowest-profile ones, too—Room & Board is the exception to just about every rule in the industry book. It’s a national chain, but with its 20th location opening later this year, it is hardly a household name. Though significantly smaller than some of the retailers it is often compared to, like RH or Pottery Barn, Room & Board also has a full assortment of home goods, from furniture to decorative accessories and home textiles—but 90 percent of what it sells is made domestically, a far cry from the import-dominated mixes of comparable competitors.
For years, the brand has been talking about things like sustainability, customer service, working conditions and direct-to-consumer sales—long before they became buzzwords in the business. And while the entire furniture and furnishings sector has been having an outstanding year as consumers focus on improving their homes, it’s fair to say that few have had the boom Room & Board has experienced, with business up 35 percent last year to $500 million and projections for 2021 to top out at $675 million.
“We believe we are the leaders in modern home furnishings,” said president and chief operating officer Bruce Champeau(a company lifer, like many of his colleagues) in an interview with Business of Home earlier this month. “Of course we’re aware of others, but we’re competing against ourselves. Everyone looks for what is their niche, and for us, it’s never been growth for the sake of growth.”
That may be an understatement given the measured approach the company has taken since Gabbert—who by his mid-20s was the president of Gabberts, the Minneapolis furniture dealer founded by his father—set out to create his own independently owned and operated home retailer. Today, Room & Board only operates in 10 states and Washington, D.C., with most of its locations in the 35,000- to 50,000-square-foot range, either free-standing or located in “lifestyle” outdoor centers. (The one exception is a new 5,000-square-foot Design Studio that opened last year in Pasadena, California.) Another state will be added to the roster when the newest store opens in Bethesda, Maryland, this fall.
Kimball International, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Sales Declined 26%
Kimball International, Inc. Tuesday announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.
Third Quarter FY 2021
Net sales of $138.7 million, a decline of 26% from the year earlier quarter
Gross margin was 28.7%
Net loss of $4.5 million; Adjusted net loss was $1.0 million
Diluted EPS of $(0.12); Adjusted diluted EPS was $(0.03)
Adjusted EBITDA of $1.9 million
Backlog of $129.6 million
Consolidated net sales were $138.7 million, compared to $178.2 million in the prior-year third quarter. Organic net sales were $129.8 million. Gross margin of 28.7%, was impacted by higher domestic and ocean freight costs, raw material inflation, higher healthcare costs and the loss of leverage on a lower revenue base. Selling and administrative expenses (S&A) of $44.9 million declined $0.7 million compared to the prior year. Adjusted selling and administrative expenses were $42.6 million or 30.8% of net sales, compared to $47.2 million or 26.5% of net sales in last year’s third quarter. Our transformation plan benefits totaled $6.0 million in the third quarter. The net loss was $4.5 million, or $(0.12) per diluted share, compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.25 reported in the fiscal 2020 third quarter. Adjusted net loss and adjusted earnings per share, which exclude intangible amortization expense and acquisition-related and restructuring charges were $1.0 million, and $(0.03), respectively. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.9 million compared to $17.5 million in the year ago quarter.
CEO Kristie Juster commented, “In the third quarter, we moved ahead with several important initiatives aligned with our strategy to drive sustainable share gains, as our end markets adapt to a post-pandemic operating environment. Although challenging business conditions persisted throughout what is our seasonally slowest quarter, we were pleased to see order rates in our Workplace and Health end markets improve progressively during the period, and that positive trend continued into April. Additionally, our bidding activity in the third quarter was substantially higher sequentially in both Workplace and Health, which together accounted for nearly 80% of our fiscal year-to-date sales. As expected, the impact of inflationary pressures on raw materials and continued high logistics costs were most pronounced in the third quarter and will begin to be mitigated in future quarters by our recent price increases and continued manufacturing cost savings which will drive substantial improvement in gross margin levels in the fourth quarter.
Outlook
“Based on current backlog and order flows we expect fourth quarter revenue to be similar to third quarter levels, representing a sequential increase in Workplace and Health, offset by a sequential decline in Hospitality
DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd. (DRTT) Reports Q1 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates
DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd., an interior construction company that uses proprietary software to design, manufacture and install fully customizable environments, today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2021. All financial information in this news release is presented in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated.
First Quarter 2021
Sales Decline of 28% from year earlier quarter
Revenue of $29.5 million
Gross profit margin of 11.4%
Adjusted Gross Profit Margin1 of 24.3%
Net loss of $12.5 million
Net loss margin of (42.4%)
Adjusted EBITDA1 of ($11.4) million
Adjusted EBITDA Margin1 of (38.6%)
Revenue for the first quarter of 2021 was $29.5 million, a decline of $11.5 million or 28% from $41.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. We believe this decrease principally reflects the severe economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a major contraction in construction activity levels in North America due to non-essential business closures, work-from-home requirements, lock-down measures and other regulatory responses implemented by governments and public health officials.
Correspondingly, gross profit for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 was $3.4 million or 11.4% of revenue, a decline of $7.9 million or 70% from $11.3 million or 27.6% of revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. This reduction was attributable to our decline in revenues and, the impact of fixed costs and excess labor capacity on lower revenues. In anticipation of a recovery in demand for our products and services in the second half of 2021 and to preserve our skilled workforce, we deliberately maintained manufacturing headcount, while implementing selective furlough days, in the first quarter of 2021 despite the shortfall in revenues relative to capacity.
Net loss for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2020 was $12.5 million and $5.3 million, respectively. The higher net loss was primarily the result of the above noted reduction in gross profit, a $2.5 million reduction in foreign exchange gains, a $1.4 million reduction of income tax recoveries and a $0.6 million increase in net interest expense. These decreases were partially offset by $4.1 million of government subsidies and a $1.2 million reduction in operating expenses, which was largely due to lower commissions on reduced sales activities, reduced professional fees, and lower activity as a result of COVID-19.
Management Commentary
“Throughout 2020, we were able to mitigate some of the COVID-19 induced slowdown in overall construction activity through the completion of projects that were in progress when the pandemic started,” stated Kevin O’Meara, chief executive officer. “With most of these projects delivered by the end of the fourth quarter, we believe the first quarter of 2021 reflected the full impact of the slowdown in non-residential construction activity in North America on DIRTT’s business.”
Herman Miller Has Quietly Cornered the Luxury Gaming Chair Market
Herman Miller’s Director of Gaming Jon Campbell now oversees its new forays in gaming chair design with revisions to its iconic Aeron Chair, collaborations with Logitech, and more.
In this interview, we discuss with Campbell the aesthetic and practical nuances involved in creating the perfect gaming chair.
Was it a premeditated decision to get into gaming? Was it somebody's vision in particular?
Jon Campbell: I actually started working on this probably about three years ago, and my role before this was leading our North American task business. Part of what I was looking at doing was trying to figure out who our new customers will be: who are the people that sit and also value things like wellness and performance? And that led me down a path of a bunch of different people, from writers to photographers. But then there was actually one night where I was up late playing video games at my gaming setup. It was three in the morning, I’d lost track of time, and it kind of hit me. It's my community. It's the people that I hang out with and play with, people I interact with in these virtual worlds who can truly benefit from what we have to offer. And that really set us off on this journey to dive deeper.
What physically is so different between gaming and working?
As you would expect from Herman Miller, we spent quite a bit of time researching and sitting with gamers – watching them, observing them, asking them questions. What do they like most about their setups? What do they need? Posture wise, what we found was that a player sits more upright and slightly forward when they are very much in tune and in flow in their game. That's what we identified, and we started to think about how we can modify our existing products to better suit a player’s needs. We took that information back into our R&D lab and started to build bespoke products that are engineered and designed specifically for the player.
Blog: How Herman Miller's blockbuster deal will impact the home furnishings industry
Herman Miller’s $1.8 billion acquisition of Knoll Inc. two weeks ago sent shockwaves through the commercial furniture industry. The No. 2 largest company acquired No. 5, to now become No. 1 in the business office/contract world. This transaction is the melding of a $2.5 billion revenue company with a $1.4 billion company, to surpass behemoth Steelcase, which has annual revenues over $3 billion.Office and commercial furnishings have historically been separated from home furnishings, but this deal will accelerate the blurring of the lines into the “resi-mercial” world. Is home office furniture from home furnishings manufacturers or the office players? How about that awesome C-suite sofa? Did it come from Steelcase or Hancock & Moore?
A deeper unpacking of these two companies shows an even larger residential story: The combined residential revenues of these companies is nearly $1 billion, which would place them third on the Furniture Today Top 25 list, behind only Ashley and La-Z-Boy, and ahead of Ethan Allen and Hooker. Wow. This is a transaction that the entire residential home furniture industry should be watching very closely.Herman Miller has been a consistent player in home furnishings, with its early adoption of e-commerce and its Design Within Reach retail stores. It has very strong relationships in the A&D community, which can access their products for all types of commercial, residential and hospitality venues. Via acquisition, it also owns Hay (Scandinavian home furnishings www.hayfurniture.com). Knoll had also been actively pursuing the A&D community for years and via acquisition now boasts Muuto (European casual seating www.muuto.com ) and Fully (DTC home office furniture www.fully.com).
So what impact will this deal have going forward? We believe these two companies will now push harder into residential furnishings with their legacy existing assets, new ones developed internally, as well as via acquisition. Contract/commercial furniture companies historically sell through dealers/distributors, but increasingly will be direct to enterprises and consumers via e-commerce, retail stores, third-party resellers/e-tailers.Other major contract/commercial players are watching this trend carefully, and we expect Steelcase, Haworth, HNI, Global and Kimball to make moves towards the residential world. Kimball’s recent acquisition of Poppin (www.poppin.com) and HNI’s acquisition of Design Public Group (https://www.designpublic.com/) highlights the growing importance of the e-commerce channel. Haworth’s ownership of European brand Poltrona Frau would suggest a keen interest in higher end residential goods as well.
So, we are watching these events closely. Are you?
By Bo Stump and Stuart Mullens, Stump & Company
Used furniture is about to become a $16.6 billion business
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve bought furniture on impulse or out of desperation without thinking about its environmental impact. That rickety $150 Ikea bed I used for only two years in grad school. The $99 Target bar cart I picked up while shopping for a party. The $75 Wayfair lamp that completed my living room.
I’m not alone. Since the 1990s, the American market has been awash with inexpensive home goods made in low-wage overseas factories, designed to last only a few years. This affordable furniture makes it possible to redecorate regularly and live itinerant lives, since we can toss everything out with each move. But the convenience comes at a great environmental cost. Making and shipping a single piece of furniture emits an estimated 90 kilograms of carbon, the equivalent of flying a Boeing 747 for an hour. And Americans throw out 12 million tons of furniture annually, up from 2 million in 1960, which clogs our landfills and wastes the wood, metal, and plastic required to create it.
The good news is that a growing number of companies are now making it easy to buy and sell used furniture, allowing consumers to reduce the environmental footprint of furnishing their homes. Startups such as Chairish, 1stDibs, AptDeco, One King’s Lane, and Apartment Therapy Bazaar have found innovative ways to make online shopping for secondhand furniture fun, with beautifully photographed pieces styled in chic rooms. Meanwhile, the industry giant Ikea along with smaller furniture brands such as Sabai and Floyd have recently launched buyback programs so customers can buy refurbished pieces. Analysts believe these new retail channels will cause the furniture resale industry to hit $16.6 billionin sales by 2025, a 70% increase from 2018.
There are still major obstacles to selling secondhand furniture at scale, from shipping to curation pieces. But if resale takes off, it could provide an attractive alternative to all the cheap, disposable furniture that has become so widespread.
Workplace Re-Entry and Changing the Value of Real Estate
By: Nick Meter – Vice President, Sales and Customer Experience for Tangram Interiors
In-Office Benefits and “Tradition”
Many executives and managers place significant value in the tradition of the office. Among other things, an office can provide line-of-sight evidence of accountability and productivity. It gives the perception of progress and success. The pandemic has rearranged that thinking.
Pre-pandemic, 12% of white-collar workers reported working from home just once per month. According to Brookings Institute, in June of 2020, between 31-50% of white-collar workers worked from home. Beyond the adjustment period of being thrown into a new work lifestyle due to the pandemic, CNN has cited that 90% of employers have reported working remotely hasn’t hurt their productivity (though that number has trended downwards since the early days of the pandemic, as employees and employers alike have realized “productivity” goes beyond the execution of focus work).
If you are an executive questioning your post-pandemic office real estate strategy, you’re not alone. So, now what?
Dragging People Back to the Office
Many companies were forced to enact a work-from-home model, and company leaders struggled with the idea employees could continue to be productive away from the office. But, there was little time to prepare for the pandemic and many CEOs did not have a choice and were forced to close their office doors. Then came the boom of remote employees, with countless zoom calls and a different work model most companies had never tapped into. While news outlets have saturated the headlines with different returning to work theories, models, and safety precautions, few people are discussing what was really discovered during this forced COVID lifestyle. Why would people want to go back to the office? What is the value? How does it affect mood and general attitude towards work? With studies showing working from home can be just as productive, if not more productive, what is the argument to convince employees to return to a Monday to Friday in-office work schedule?
Some CEOs are interested in making a change, and most employees are expecting change. According to Brookings, “over a quarter of recently surveyed Fortune 500 CEOs were leaning toward making telework permanent for at least some of their employees.” Brookings’ research suggests that less in-person time at the office does not decrease its value. It might very well increase the value, because the time spent will be applied towards activities that couldn’t occur elsewhere. This is a difficult change some CEO’s will not support. If an office only held its value when employees were there to do focus work, companies are missing a trend that existed before Covid and has been accelerated since.
If the understanding of productivity extended only to what could be seen and accounted for in front of company leaders, it’s time to rethink. The daily occupancy number in the office does not equate to productivity and performance. People need to return to the office, but companies need to understand the benefits of shifting the traditional work model and how it will exponentially change their business and success.
Tangibles vs. Intangibles and the Long Game
The initial concern from a CEO perspective might be: “How does this asset, now in use less than ever before, still provide the same or better value to my company?”
My (rather frank) reply might be: “When did the value of an office derive specifically from the number of hours being clocked within its walls?”
There are tangible benefits that do come from consistent presence in the office: collaboration on projects, trust-building with co-workers, and culture connection are typically cited. Unfortunately, leaders and managers feel comfort with another type of tangible: the ability to see people working, and the feedback loop of “productivity and success” they derive from that visual.
It’s time for a perspective shift. If the company you managed or led survived, maintained, or even grew while doing remote work over the past year, you possess strong evidence that “seeing people in the office working” (in other words, observing focus work) was not the existential necessity you might have once thought. In fact, focus work is the easiest type of activity to manage remotely. It typically carries tangible outputs and evidence of productivity that drive through the value stream.
Reconsider the Premise
In my line of work, the word “essential” was so frequently used during the pandemic - in the form of “essential business”- that the adjective lost some of its superlative connotation. So with that awareness, I’ll state the obvious: the office - for my company and probably yours - is essential. For many companies, it’s the conduit for channeling culture, trust, and collaboration. I believe that the first order of business for returning to the office (once suitable safety protocols are established) is to encourage the type of interactions between people that are not possible working from home: routine team meetings, breakfasts and lunches, long-term planning and strategy...the list goes on. These can be accomplished in accordance with employee comfort levels and the prevailing wisdom regarding distance and masks. Do not place a high emphasis on coming to the office to do the same thing you could accomplish from home, the coffee shop, or elsewhere.
An employee can still be successful with a 4 or 6 hour visit to the office. In-office days should never be about counting hours, let employees take control of their own work model. Offer flexible work hours, capitalize technological advances for remote work, create a performance-driven culture while managing outcomes, not just practices. When shifting your company culture, emphasize personal responsibility and accountability and consider your new hybrid environment when hiring. Train employees and provide new techniques to achieve the most success in exchange for more independence and flexibility. The office is an incredibly valuable tool and if it is correctly utilized, increased employee retention and satisfaction, improved productivity, reduced business expenses, and a smaller carbon footprint will be at the fingertips for companies daring to make the change.
How wearable technology is transforming wellbeing in the workplace
From watches to smart helmets and goggles, wearables are playing a growing role in helping employees stay healthier and perform better at work
As more companies focus on improving employee health and wellness, wearable technology is becoming a means for employers to monitor and support how people feel at work.
While smart watches and fitness bands that track data like heart rate and steps taken are most common in the workplace – due to high uptake in personal life – other devices are also emerging.
Smart patches can monitor health indicators such as heart rate variability, blood pressure and posture, while in warehouses and on construction sites, smart goggles augment workers’ vision with information overlays that aid decision-making. Smart helmets and full-body suits can improve safety by tracking vital stats on workers’ physical condition.
“We invest so much in the healthy, productive workplace – such as sensors measuring occupancy, air quality and movement – yet the most important metric is its impact on individuals,” says Andrew O’Donnell, UK Real Estate and Workplace Director at JLL. “Employers are recognising this and seeing wearables as a way to understand whether and how they can improve employee wellness.”
A growing market
The wearable technology market is currently valued at US$37 billion (£26.9 billion), according to Grand View Research and is forecast to hit 1 billion connected wearable devices by 2022.
Wearables that facilitate social distancing have become popular during the pandemic. Bluetooth-enabled tags or company apps buzz to let people know they’re too close to others, while safety passes at mining giant Anglo American flash red if employees stand within 1.5 metres of one another.
Other devices collect data on sleep habits, daily activity levels and other markers that encourage employees to consider their health, and in turn give employers a better understanding of how employees feel.
“Wearables contribute to the big picture on employee experience, enabling a more holistic approach to supporting and driving employee engagement and performance,” says Paul Smith, Chief Strategy Officer at ART Health Solutions. “If a company is serious about improving wellbeing, they need to consider what occurs outside the workplace too.”
Strategy shift
As companies adopt remote working policies, wearables can help employers understand how staff wellness fluctuates across different workspaces.
Colors are changing the world, one trend at a time
Life is a balancing act. Achieving a harmonious relationship between work and life is a tightrope walk most of us struggle with. Since the beginning of the pandemic, that struggle is being fought on new ground, with work and home suddenly stuffed within the same four walls. We all left our workplaces – spaces that were carefully created to support working life – and set up on couches and at kitchen tables. Without a separate space to confine our 9-to-5 personas, it all began to run together.
There have been benefits. The trip from the coffee maker to the living room is far less fraught than the rush hour commute. But more than ever, work is bleeding into our personal lives and vice versa. The days of feeling frustrated by weekend work emails don’t seem so bad in a time when you never leave work – because you live there.
While the pandemic may have us looking to rebuild those walls between work and home, it has also opened a door: All this disruption presents an ideal opportunity to finally nail down that always elusive work/life balance.
New building certification system is like LEED for COVID era
During this pandemic, the simple act of walking into a building can feel like entering a biohazard area. With a virus that’s primarily transmitted through the air, being inside almost any space is a risk. But not all spaces are equally risky. A new certification system lets building owners quickly convey the safety of their indoor spaces to occupants.
Global safety science company UL has created a Verified Healthy Buildings certification, offering building owners and operators the chance to prove to people that they’ve done as much as they can to reduce the potential risk of contracting the virus indoors. About 400 buildings and spaces have received the mark so far, and a total of 175 million square feet of buildings have either been verified or are in the process of being verified. That includes properties owned and operated by some of the biggest commercial real estate holders, including Brookfield Properties and Brandywine Realty Trust, as well as entertainment venues like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
The certification focuses primarily on air, according to Sean McCrady, director of assets and sustainability for real estate and properties at UL. “In many respects air quality is the bedrock of optimizing the indoor environment overall,” he says. “Because that’s how people get sick; it’s a lack of ventilation in crowded spaces. We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to have that much more focus on what’s always been important.”
Building certification systems are nothing new but most, like the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, tend to focus more on design and environmental metrics.
The year that launched a thousand design firms
San Diego designer Susan Wintersteen has been in business 19 years, a span that covers two financial downturns, two recoveries and now one global pandemic. She’s seen a lot, and not much fazes her, but last month something took her by surprise: Two members of her 13-person team left to start their own firm. That had never happened before, but it wasn’t a total shock. The really surprising part? They were in their early 20s, only a couple of years into the industry.
“It was so far off my radar,” she tells Business of Home. “It wasn’t the money—they were paid well. For them, it was about: Now is the time to do it. The market is hot. And it’s true, there are so many clients out there, you can hang up a shingle and get projects. There are so many design businesses that will be born out of this.”
Over the past year, the COVID-instigated home boom—a perfect storm of mass relocations, shelter-in-place orders, a buzzy stock market and work-from-home culture—has created unprecedented opportunity for interior designers. The secondary effects of the surge are only starting to become clear. One is a hypercompetitive job market for design talent (several people described it as “a jungle”). The other is a surge in new interior designers, soaking up the excess demand. Among (many) other things, 2020 will be remembered in the design industry as the year that launched a thousand firms.
Seattle workplace lab offers a possible glimpse into the post-Covid office
As companies mull a return to the office, local business leaders are figuring out the best practices for their physical footprints. A new lab and pilot space that opened Monday in downtown Seattle allows them to glimpse what the office in the post-Covid world could look like.
The space, near the waterfront at 51 University St., is a project spearheaded by One Workplace and Steelcase. The goal is to inspire visitors with possibilities for their own office spaces.
Visitors to the WorkBetter Lab are greeted with unusual set-ups such as a tent-like pod where individual employees can work. There are cameras designed for meetings that track movement. Some offices have been converted to foster collaborative work.
One Workplace, an interior design firm based out of California, and Steelcase, a design and furniture firm based in Michigan, say they aren't simply showing off products — they're trying to learn from potential clients what they are looking for.
"The inspiration behind the space really came out of a couple of pop-ups that we did down in the Bay Area over the last couple of years," said Mark Baker, chief operating officer of One Workplace. "The idea is for us to prototype a range of different ideas and make them physical."
The firms came up with the idea for the WorkBetter Lab in December but started working on the project in January. The lab is in what used to be a law office consisting largely of individual offices for partners. The offices have been converted to more collaborative work environments, complete with whiteboards, Zoom stations and movable desks.
The WorkBetter Lab has already starting hosting visitors. The firms understand that, after working from home for more than a year, luring employees back into an office could be challenging, and many of the amenities are meant to foster flexibility. Portable charging stations, for example, allow employees to move around the office as they work. The space has portable cameras to allow people to participate in meetings remotely, and an app enables employees to reserve desks before coming into the office.
"After more than a year of working from home, employee expectations of their work experience have changed. This means employers must create an experience that’s fundamentally different and better than the workplace they left,” said Kathleen Selke, co-founder and vice president of sales at One Workplace brand Porter, in a news release. “The elements we liked about the office before the crisis have become even more critical, while those that frustrated us will become an even more significant barrier if not addressed."
Hightower™ in first-time partnership with Australia, introduces ‘Adapt’
In a first-ever partnership, Hightower celebrates public spaces with the US launch of the Adapt collection. Designed in Australia, Adapt seating gives commercial spaces nearly limitless options for the interior requirements of today plus the ability to configure for future needs in the long term.
“The definition of adapt is 'to fit' and that's exactly what these pieces do, providing so many ways to create, configure, or evolve the design for changing spaces, which is especially relevant now,” shared Shawn Sowers, Design Director for Hightower. “The casual and familiar feel we’ve experienced working from home has become more meaningful than ever for the future of public interiors. The Adapt collection is a fresh, evolved design that reflects our current state of being, offering that sense of belonging we've come to value,” continued Sowers.
Australian Design
Adapt marks the first partnership of Hightower Studio and Ross Gardam, an Australian designer who “loves to elicit joy and defy convention.” Designed in Melbourne, Adapt is made at Hightower’s manufacturing facility in High Point, North Carolina. The aesthetic of Adapt is casually sophisticated, inspired by the open, genuine lifestyle of Australians. Designer Ross Gardam shared, "Adapt's design is Melbourne-influenced yet it can sit anywhere in the world so I’m especially excited to see how North American architects, interior designers, and specifiers will use this collection.”
Configurable
The Adapt collection includes a Lounge, Settee, Sofa, Bench/Ottoman, and Sectional (straight or 60° curved), and a Table. The varying elevations and configurations of Adapt include three height levels plus a backless option. Low, mid, and highback Adapt seating can be included in one layout.
It’s all in the comfortable (and need-anticipating) details
Adapt’s features include lower back cushion support, a comfortably firm sit, and flexible privacy. Adapt is available with distinguished French seams, ‘floating’ ganged tables, detached side table, and an attached pivot table, plus the option to include power integration. Peekaboo metal nodes connecting the panels create an unexpected and unique detail.
Simple and easy to install
The simplicity of Adapt comes down to 5 key elements: the frame, seat cushion, back + arm cushions, privacy panels, and a table. Like many Hightower products, Adapt’s installation and setup requires minimal onsite time and effort.
The newest collection from Hightower adapts anywhere, providing space definition as well as giving users a sense of privacy. Adapt’s configuration and flexibility make it a perfect option for hospitality, workplace, airports, galleries, education; even mixed use retail with multi-family units. Adapt, from Hightower Studio x Ross Gardam is available now exclusively in North America through Hightower independent sales representatives and authorized dealers. Learn more about Adapt by viewing the Look Book https://adapt.hightoweraccess.com/
Icon Modern’s new outdoor furniture collection pays homage to local craftmanship and collaboration
Icon Modern, a sustainable furniture company in Chicago, IL, announced a new custom outdoor furniture collection including a collaboration with fellow Chicago furniture maker Zachary A. Design. The collection fuses Zachary A.’s durable composites and powerful concrete that is unexpectedly light with Icon Modern’s signature wood and steel, culminating into a modern, neutral-color collection that mimics its natural surroundings.
“When the pandemic hit, it magnified the need for outdoor spaces,” said Rocky Levy, co-owner of Icon Modern. “The outdoors is how we stayed connected to our local communities. And Icon Modern has a strong connection to our local city of Chicago. We source almost all of our materials within a 100-mile radius, including fallen urban trees designated for landfill that we transform into unique pieces of furniture. And that’s what inspired this collection – connecting with our vibrant city and the outdoors.”
He continued, “We have known and admired Zachary A. for several years, being that we are both part of the maker community in Chicago. We have a shared passion for exploring the unique and unexpected – their modern material and furniture shapes combined with our vast capabilities in unique custom furniture – the collaboration was just very natural and fluid. It seemed like a perfect fit.”
The collection is completely made-to-order, in-keeping with Icon Modern’s sustainability values, and features:
Community, café and coffee tables, benches, laptop tables, planters and fire pit tables
Designs made for outdoor durability and drainage
Customization options for every piece in the collection
Accessories including furniture covers and umbrellas
Zac Bitner, founder of Zachary A. Design, concluded on the collection, “We’ve been waiting for a material that complements our work. Icon Modern’s warm wood tones are fantastic with our stone look. Our pieces ground outdoor rooms. Great gathering places. Together we want to make outdoor spaces beautiful, unique and functional.”
The collection is suited for all kinds of spaces, particularly commercial environments.
Studio Other & Elkus Manfredi Architects Create Smooth Sailing to Support a Flexible and Adaptive Workspace
Studio Other (formerly Tangram Studio), a creator of custom solutions for commercial interior environments and workspaces, has announced the release of Smooth Sailing, a new product created in collaboration with Elkus Manfredi Architects. Smooth Sailing is designed to support a flexible and adaptive workspace, with extensive options for use. Studio Other engineered Smooth Sailing while Elkus Manfredi Architects provided complete product design informed by expertise in workplace strategy.
Smooth Sailing is a monitor rail system designed to offer workplace flexibility and quick adaptability for in-office needs. The product has the capability to shift a private office from solo use to a collaborative workspace within moments. The Smooth Sailing rail provides nearly limitless viewing options for individual users, a team meeting, or full presentation viewing mode.
Smooth Sailing features an 8-inch high rail with the ability to hold one or multiple monitors. It can attach to any monitor arm and has customizable installation options for any desk width. The unique design allows users to move the monitor(s) horizontally along the entire rail length, vertically at any angle via the full articulation of the monitor arm, or pulled toward viewers for close-up observing. This enables users to pull out a monitor for visibility for anyone to the left or right in the room to see. The new product can also move with or separately from the desk, providing sit-to-stand options and stand-up meetings. The Smooth Sailing rail system can independently rotate 90 degrees, is discrete and installs on a wall above a desk or within a workstation, and keeps cables out of sight.
Smooth Sailing joins a new suite of products for the future workplace, designed by Elkus Manfredi, engineered by Studio Other, and inspired by the natural organic forms of Boston Harbor, found outside Elkus Manfredi’s office in Boston. Suite products include Harbor Stone® System, a first-of-its-kind alternative to traditional orthogonal workplace benching systems that introduces more humanity to the workplace with increased user control. Other products are in development.
The Core by Bene explores how the pandemic will reshape the office
With Covid-19 profoundly changing workplaces the world over, Austrian furniture provider Bene has launched a new office concept, The Core by Bene, which is designed to meet both current and future workplace needs.
Created with three key themes in mind, the range meets safety measures; it adapts to new ways of working, styles of leadership and digitalisation; and it also helps businesses adjust to agile working, allowing companies and its employees to take advantage of remote working benefits.
Collaboration, interaction and finding a purpose at work are at the forefront of future workplace discussions, and will only gain greater importance in the post-pandemic world of work. While agile working will remain, the workspace is still a vital part of the office landscape, whether face-to-face exchanges with colleagues, brainstorming new business ideas or developing and maintaining strong corporate cultures.
“Meeting and communication zones are becoming increasingly important in the office,” says Michael Fried Executive Board member for Sales, Marketing & Innovation at Bene. “The office gives space for ideas and opportunities. It becomes a motor for innovation. The focus is more on teamwork and less on individual work.”
Stefan Diez's Costume sofa for Magis "rethinks the traditional sofa system"
In this video produced by Dezeen for Magis, Stefan Diez explains how the new sofa system he designed for the Italian furniture brand is both user-friendly and part of a circular economy.
The Costume modular sofa, designed by Munich-based industrial designer Diez for Magis, is made of recycled plastic and designed to be easily assembled and dismantled by the user when needed.
The sofa's modular construction was designed to make cleaning, repairing and replacing its components simpler than with traditional sofa systems.
Concertex Embraces Sunshine with Scatter
Trends have shifted, tendencies have changed, and the indoors are now wanted outdoors. Concertex’s spring 2021 Air collection includes three new indoor/outdoor upholstery products – Scatter, Granite, and Nappa – To accommodate the demands needed in the modern world of today. With a growing interest to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces, Concertex provides a variety of bleach cleanable, durable products that are stylishly sophisticated.
The hero of the collection, Scatter, creates a dazzling rhythm that dances and dissipates across the face of the upholstery. The organic design breathes life into high-performance products. The indoor/outdoor textile is constructed with Sunbrella solution dyed acrylic and polyester yarns to allow for extreme lightfastness and durability (100,000 double rubs). Bleach cleanable, ecofriendly, and offered with a stain resistant finishing, Scatter is as durable as it is handsome. Offered in six light and airy colorways – Moon Rock, Sweetwater, Celestial, Bittersweet, Driftwood, and Outer Space – Scatter’s mid-scale design pairs well in healthcare settings, educational buildings, or can even lounge poolside.
Fil Doux Textiles Debuts New Pattern, Icon
Fil Doux Textiles, a Brooklyn-based textile company producing mill-direct, luxurious upholstery, and Otratex, the first-ever degradable vinyl alternative has officially launched its new pattern—Icon.
Icon is reminiscent of the free-flowing, organic appearance of clouds lining the Chilean sky. Icon feels like part of an artist’s freshly painted canvas––an intentional departure from rigid lines and traditional stripes. Each of the five colors––Crimson, Cricket, Baby Blue, Marine, and Steel––are light and earthy to complement a wide range of color palettes. The ambiguity of the design makes Icon the ideal textile to mix and match with other patterns as well. For upholstered pieces such as lounge chairs, sofas, or headboards, Icon is available with an added protectant, Copper Shield with Pro-Tech®. This medicinal-grade, copper-based, antimicrobial topcoat works non-stop to keep guests safe from the spread of viruses, bacteria, mold, and mildew without compromising the hand, look, or feel of the textile. Icon can also serve as drapery, making it incredibly versatile, inspirational, and destined to become a timeless classic.
ID+A Inc Congratulates New VP of Sales
Louisville, Kentucky – ID&A announced that Jessica Hardin has been promoted to Vice President of Sales for the company. She will be responsible for developing the company’s sales strategy, growing the sales organization, and executing both components to enhance ID&A’s position as a market leader in interior construction and furnishing solutions.
Leveraging her 14 years of experience at ID&A, Jessica joined the team in an administrative capacity. She has progressed through numerous positions in Administrative, Marketing and Sales. She played a key role in the standardization of the ID&A brand in print, in our studios and in our community. Being goal and results oriented, Jessica began to assist in various sales efforts and made a difference in ID&A’s strategy and culture. Jessica brings a significant track record of success in both sales and leadership of the sales team. She was named Sales Manager and Partner in 2018.
Jessica’s passion for people and finding solutions has bolstered connected the future of ID&A, our team members, and our clients.
In her spare time, Jessica volunteers for the International Interior Design Association Ohio Kentucky Chapter committee in Louisville and Lexington as well as a Jefferson County Public Schools PTA board and SDBM council. She is married to Jason Hardin and they share two children, Jackson, 14 and Juliette, 11.
Accuracy Offices – Paris
An office to match the sophistication of Accuracy, the French financial consulting firm enjoys a friendly, yet upscale space to call their home away from home in Paris
Atelier Flow was engaged by Accuracy, a well-known and respected financial consulting firm, to design their upscale offices in Paris, France.
Accuracy is moving its 3,000 m² headquarters to Avenue Matignon in Paris. As much concerned about its clients as its employees, the firm wanted to build an upscale but friendly space..
Heading wesT
For many furniture companies, sales have remained robust over the past year, with clients upgrading homes and revamping offices. Retail growth has been tricky, however, and so it’s heartening to see Danish furniture brand Hay continuing its expansion into the US with this new shop in Berkeley, California. A subsidiary of US furniture giant Herman Miller Group, the space will allow Californians to get up close and personal with the brand’s colourful and practical array of furniture.
“In recent months we’ve found that customers are wanting to shop for home decor in-person, as they near the end of their decision-making process,” says Debbie Propst, president of Herman Miller Group Retail. He adds that while online channels can support design companies, furniture shopping is still very much a physical affair – and should be celebrated as such.
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