Work spaces need to provide inspiration without compromising performance. Inspiring moments within a space can engage the mind, allow for respite from the rigors of the workday or allow people to see a problem from a new perspective.
As president of Designtex for the last five years, Susan Lyons leads a team of innovators who are relied upon to inspire others with an evolving collection of textiles, wallcoverings and other applied materials with reduced environmental impact. Designtex, a Steelcase company, is the leading company in the design and manufacturing of applied materials for the built environment.
360: How does your team keep a pulse on what’s next? What colors and textures will inspire people at work?
Susan: Now, it’s almost like you can have too much information. The trick is not so much seeing what the trends are — there’s a million places to see what people are doing. To me, the bigger trick is taking all that information and distilling it into something that’s meaningful in your space.
We use the internet as much as anyone. But, we rely on our network of partners. We believe in collaborating with the outside world. It’s really important and fruitful to look outside your company at artists and designers. They have a different point-of-view. There can be a little freedom to working with designers and artists not in your system. We rely on them to take us on a journey. They help us open the floodgates and we get taken to places we didn’t expect to be taken — which is very exciting.