A recent Fast Company article starts with, “The tectonic plates of the fashion world are moving.” This is a beautifully dramatic lead-in, and, fascinatingly, much of what the article goes on to discuss could parallel major changes afoot in the Contract Interiors market, which was built upon specification of cubicles and panel systems but is drifting into a world of ancillary that may fundamentally change core elements of how this industry operates.
The term “ancillary” was born to describe “everything else” on a floorplate when 80% of the floorplate was systems furniture. However, as ancillary nears – or sometimes exceeds – 50% of the floorplate in many projects, the term hardly holds true. Ancillary is becoming “primary” in many floor plates. Many brilliant workplace strategists, keen product development teams, and talented architects and designers are serving this industry well by doing their part to help design what this new world of work will look like in physical form, policy, and culture, but there is still much to figure out.