The established hybrid working model is a clear illustration of the change that has taken place in today’s offices – the evolution of the workplace that was previously associated with the office only. At Orgatec, the international trade fair for office furniture manufacturers in Cologne, Germany, that will take place from 25 to 29 October, NARBUTAS will be presenting a hybrid workspace concept and 13 new products to illustrate it, including the highest ever number of collections created by designers. By closely monitoring changes in the labour market, regularly attending trade fairs and collaborating with experienced designers from all over the world, NARBUTAS identifies 4 dominant trends in workspaces.
Trend 1 – flexible, multifunctional workplaces
In the markets where NARBUTAS has the highest sales, the hybrid working model, where some employees continue to work from home at least part of the time, is the most established. “The trend towards remote working, as well as the need and habit to constantly look for a more suitable, comfortable and pleasant working space or body position, where part of the tasks are carried out at the desk and the other part in the lounge area, comfortably on the sofas or even on the terrace, have made offices much more flexible. Not only are we geographically changing the workplace, but the workplace itself has become very dynamic, with a growing number of mobile, multi-functional pieces of furniture that can be customised in seconds, whenever it is needed,” Vilma Sinkevičiūtė, NARBUTAS Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said.
For example, the NARBUTAS stand includes WORKLAB, which is up for an award for innovation at this year’s Orgatec trade fair. This multifunctional piece of furniture is designed to be transformed according to your needs: it can define a permanent workplace or become a temporary workplace, it can be turned into a comfortable piece of furniture for team tasks, and it comes with integrated power solutions so that it can be equipped with a TV monitor as well as a whiteboard and a variety of storage possibilities. Finally, WORKLAB is proposed as a functional, aesthetic shelving unit – there is the possibility of attaching holders for plants, and it can be adapted to spaces of different designs thanks to the different colours and surface materials, e.g. perforated metal, PET felt elements etc. It comes with castors, so it can move around the office.
Other NARBUTAS furniture that is multifunctional and gives flexibility to spaces and workflow includes the ZEDO desk system, designed by Italian designer Paolo Pampanoni. It is a playful, seamlessly styled, visually lightweight and ultra-modern desk system that can be expanded with optional elements and complemented by the addition of higher extension tables for both individual work and collaboration.
The ZooZoo collection, created in collaboration with an American designer, consists of coffee tables of a height more comfortable for computer use and poufs that can be stacked to save some space, making it possible to furnish spaces for leisure and collaboration. Another NARBUTAS furniture that reflects the dynamic trend includes the COMBUS metal shelves, which can be customised according to individual needs. Easy to carry around high chairs, lockers as well as high desks that can be equipped with castors – all of this furniture, which will be on display at the NARBUTAS stand, speaks of the huge change that has taken place in the office, which has made our usual workplaces more active, more mobile, more multifunctional, as well as more lightweight. The ability of furniture to meet the individual needs of the employee has also become particularly important.
“The functionality, moveability as well as the versatile, playful aesthetics of the new furniture will make these products attractive in both the office and the home environment where employees set up comfortable, ergonomic workspaces – home offices,” Vilma Sinkevičiūtė said.
The hybrid working model has led to a kind of a mix and match trend in furniture combination and office furnishing, where furniture is mixed with each other that previously did not stand side by side – this experimentation is dictated by activities which, after the pandemic, are no longer carried out at a regular desk or not only at a desk. So the experiments in the workspaces are continuing, resulting in the most unexpected furniture and compositional solutions, which can be seen at the NARBUTAS stand.
Trend 2 – some things brought from home
Of course, many people find working at home more comfortable and less stressful, which is why modern offices are keen to borrow home accessories. For example, the cosiness of home is conveyed through natural materials and, in particular, the increasing use of textiles in offices. For a calmer environment, a palette of more understated, earthy colours – sea, sand, forest colours – is used. “We look for cosiness and humanity in materials and colours as well as in the shapes of furniture. For example, our SANDY collection of lounge seaters and chairs of especially wide range is inspired by the human body shapes. Our new products make extensive use of PET felt, which is not only aesthetically pleasing and visually reminiscent of a cosy fabric, but also has sound absorbing properties,” NARBUTAS Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said.
Trend 3 – ergonomics
Employee well-being is a top priority in the office, which is why special attention is paid to ergonomics. In the trade fair, NARBUTAS focuses on task chairs, which have a huge impact on the well-being and health of people in sedentary jobs. At the manufacturer’s stand, in the welcome area, on the top step of the platform, visitors will see an exclusive new piece of NARBUTAS furniture – the D-CHAIR executive chair, designed in collaboration with the Italian design studio Baldanzi & Novelli designers. D-CHAIR is expected to compete with the best products in this segment.
The D-CHAIR is distinguished by its light yet firm, synchronous movement, which is created by the synergy between the mechanism and the precision-engineered and tested lines and thicknesses of the backrest. A very subtle, small synchronous mechanism is incorporated, and completely hidden, in the design of the chair. Since it is not visible from the outside, it was possible to create a minimalist, ergonomic design, where each arm has its own functions, in line with the NARBUTAS motto of “Nothing Unnecessary”. The impression of lightness and sophistication is reinforced by the continuous mesh covering the chair – which is strong enough to provide comfortable support, yet elastic and soft enough to adapt to the human body.
Trend 4 – environmental friendliness
Growing public and consumer awareness is driving increasingly sustainable furniture production. The PET felt used extensively in NARBUTAS products is made from more than 50% recycled plastic and continues to be 100% recycled. Materials used in manufacturing are natural and easy to recycle. The complexity of the furniture’s construction is also considered, so that the different materials can be easily separated from each other, thus ensuring that they can be reused or recycled in a high-quality way. PARTHOS, for example, is a collection of desks and acoustic products that are quite easy to disassemble, in addition, environmentally friendly PET felt is one of the main materials used in this collection, and the weight of the desks are balanced by the use of upholstery fabric scraps that are no longer suitable for production.
“Environmental friendliness is also highlighted by the durability of products – this year NARBUTAS has announced that its products will be covered by a 10-year warranty, instead of the previous 5-year warranty. The created design is on-trend, yet sustainable and able to withstand the test of time. There are in fact many different aspects to environmental friendliness, so we try to cover as many as possible – from manufacturing processes that use 100% renewable energy to replacing the company’s car fleet with electric vehicles,” Vilma Sinkevičiūtė said.
You can try out all new NARBUTAS furniture specially prepared for Orgatec in Hall 10.2, Stand J-061, at Koelnmesse, an international trade fair and exhibition centre, in Cologne, Germany, from 25 to 29 October.
About NARBUTAS
The NARBUTAS group is an international office furniture manufacturer, offering a full range of solutions that implement the modern office concept. International representatives are spread out in more than 60 countries around the world, five of which – France, Germany, Lithuania, United Kingdom, USA – are premises to the company’s showrooms. The enterprise focuses on meaningful innovations, proven and easy-to-implement solutions, and globally relevant design, ensuring the opportunity for employees to work in modern and quality working spaces. Further information can be found at https://www.narbutas.com/.
Press contacts at NARBUTAS:
Elena Dumpiene
Corporate communications specialist
Narbutas International, UAB
Ukmerges St. 308, 12110 Vilnius, Lithuania
Phone: +370 659 83 485
elena.dumpiene@narbutas.lt
https://www.narbutas.com/press/
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