Home > Articles By Issue > Space Planning & Interiors > Article Nov. 2002

Furniture Trends: Sinking Or Sailing?

By Jill Aronson-Korot

Many unprecedented events have had an impact on facility executives charged with budget justification responsibilities related to furnishing America’s workplaces. From the unexpected loss of Space Planning Guru Mike Brill, to the accounting scandals that shook America’s faith in corporate industry practices, and from the failing economy to the continually shrinking footprint of the office environment, many factors have surfaced this year. Consequently, the key players in the contract furniture industry have had to scrutinize their production practices, and they have had to re-examine the customer base that supports the design and manufacture of their products.

Space Planning
"Certainly human needs, preferences, and desires do not shift every year just because some segment of the market expects something new," says Jay Brand, cognitive psychologist, organizational behavior and human factors at Holland, MI-based Haworth. That said, Brand does see a number of trends emerging in the contract market.

First, facility managers are still being pushed to put more people into less space. In Brand’s view, this is misguided–especially for knowledge work environments where descriptions of preferred workplaces include comfortable, productive, efficient, spacious, relaxed, and private.

Second, it seems personalization and customization are becoming increasingly important. Homogeneity and repetitive aesthetics are often blamed for the visible disdain workers show for cubicle based environments.

Third, people are subordinating the design, components, and layouts of individual spaces to the overall floor plate to make the resulting spaces more interesting as whole environments.

Finally, Brand has observed a shift toward an approach that subordinates real estate and facility savings to the needs, preferences, and effectiveness of office workers. "After all, as Mike Brill showed us, people (in the form of salaries and benefits) comprise 82% of an organization’s costs over 10 years, while real estate and facilities make up only 5% of those costs. It just doesn’t make any sense to minimize 5% of your costs if you might be interfering with the effectiveness and outputs of 82% of your costs," Brand observes.

Open Plan/Systems Furniture
Caledonia, MI-based Steelcase is in the midst of what it calls a community based planning initiative. Research has shown that cubicle standards do not suffice for the floor plate. More casual or café spaces, enclaves for private phone conversations, and the support structure of conference and meeting rooms are needed as well.

"Effective spaces integrate technology and architecture," says John Hamilton, manager of design, furniture studio (a division of Steelcase). "For example, meeting rooms are increasingly being supported by technology. Whiteboards, presentation screens, and video and teleconferencing equipment are being used to leverage technology as a means of compensating for the nation’s decrease in travel. The end users are asking for methods of using a facility’s ability to support technology by integrating it into the architecture."

Wood Furnishings And Case Goods
Craig Wilson, general manager of Steelcase Wood Furniture, believes the wood furnishings niche is continuing to see a higher level of expectation in terms of design details. One of the trends that Wilson says has had the greatest impact on the industry is a generally increased awareness of organizations that are making the most of what they have. These companies have been settling for less, and that trend is poised to continue.

Wilson agrees with Hamilton regarding the integration of technology into architecture. However, integrating cabling into a more aesthetically delicate environment presents challenges. "Wood private offices require more refined techniques than standard open plan systems," states Wilson.

Dick Conoyer, president and CEO of Geneva, NY-based CCN, says the trends he sees have been long coming. "For about the last 12 years, companies have been downsizing and products have become homogenized. Most major vendors are using computer numerical control equipment for manufacturing, which makes it a very automated process. The popular solution in the industry over the years to accommodate this flux has been to defeature the product."

Conoyer says, "The trend seems to be toward a return to values, to a sense of community, and to at least the illusion of permanence; wood furniture has that feeling. Systems furniture has a more transient feel, because it was designed for flexibility, turnover, mobility, hoteling, and telecommuting."

Seating
Sava Cvek, AIA, IDSA, architect and industrial designer for Delanco, NJ-based STYLEX, says the primary trend he sees in the seating sector is recognition that more can be done to meet user need. Consumers want more than a piece of art to sit on; they want a comfortable, functional, enduring piece of workplace furniture.

"We are reaching a point where the furniture industry is being based on outdated materials and production technologies. Manufacturing plants use very basic and traditional technology to make chairs, which prevents the execution of more interesting products."

Wilson counters, "The technology used in today’s manufacturing plants can read color variation in finished products better than the human eye can. While technologies can be used in productive and creative ways, there is always a human element–this is what allows the execution of innovative products."

An influx of European manufacturers is hitting the market this year, according to Cvek. "While they are traditionally more trendy, and they try to be functional, European designers are a bit behind in understanding the demands of intense office environments."

Cvek claims there is a renewed appreciation for things of real value. "We need to adapt to that knowledge and demand it in the products we buy," he says. "This should be demonstrated in the ways both the producer and the consumer conduct business."

Vendors are heeding users’ needs, and their research should help facility managers justify buying products that answer those needs.

For more information about these and other furniture vendors, visit www.facilitycity.com. For a companion story on the economic state of the contract furniture industry, see this month's Web exclusive entitled, "Office Furniture Outlook Weakens for 2002, Gradual Improvement Expected in 2003."