Interface's Drawn Lines in Diamond. Photography courtesy of Interface.

By Anna Gibertini

We’re all born with varying degrees of creativity. Enlightened by the digital revolution and the subsequent development of mobile technologies, employers prize creativity because it directly correlates to increased ideation and innovation.

Companies that want to be competitive and innovative in today’s market are turning to workplace design as a solution to boost creativity. Designers, manufacturers, and end-users are embracing a new design aesthetic that acknowledges the dichotomous reality of the contemporary workplace: the space needs to lend itself to plugged-in collaboration and be a respite for solitary work; there needs to be elements that elevate high-tech innovations but not at the expense of tangible, high-touch comforts.

Herman Miller pioneered this concept with Living Office, the manufacturer’s people-first workspace design service. Last year, Steelcase upped the ante when they announced a partnership with Microsoft called “Creative Spaces.” This design-focused partnership developed a collection of singular and group spaces intended to stimulate creative, tech-focused work with intuitive technological elements and hospitality-inspired ancillary furnishings.

Rapidly, the design community has responded by envisioning projects and products that honor the creative urge in all of us and seek to hone that drive into an even sharper expression of what the contemporary digital workforce is able to accomplish.