Magazine Inspire Me

Back to work: smart and multifunctional solutions

29 September 2021

If work becomes liquid, office design evolves through flexible and efficient creative solutions

How to configure the workspaces to restart with momentum? It is appropriate to ask ourselves this in the light of a new awareness of what the operating modalities of our near future will be. Modes in which flexibility is less and less an obligation and more and more a choice of which we now know lights and shadows.

Outside or inside the home, today’s office must be flexible, resilient to the conditions that must be able to change without hindering the fluidity of work. It must be a space suitable for changing its structure, to accommodate a variable number of people and different types of activities. Comfort is a fundamental aspect because we are no longer willing to work in improvised and temporary workstations. The same goes for design: in addition to ensuring excellent technical performance, the furniture must also satisfy the desire to surround yourself with beauty and elegance. Starting from the basic elements, we therefore see some furnishing and accessories possibilities that meet all these requirements.

The desk is multifunctional

Desks and tables for new generation meetings are a perfect combination of style and functionality. Tense Material by MDF Italia perfectly embodies multifunctional furniture that naturally integrates into both a domestic and professional context. Interesting is the possibility of inserting cable trays, useful to support the professional use of the table. Arki Table by Pedrali is another example of a flexible desk: it can assume multiple configurations, and vary in height. For a more technical workstation there is Tyde by Vitra which offers interesting tools such as the sound-absorbing panel, the electric motor for height adjustment and accessory elements to keep the various cables in order. Finally, Woods is the Fantoni project that offers a customizable desk suitable for domestic and professional contexts. Among the most interesting options is the divider panel that guarantees privacy and concentration.

The seat is comfortable

Ergonomic and comfortable, the chair must accommodate long work sessions without being uncomfortable. The ideal is a swivel model, which invites you to move and change position avoiding back discomfort. Allstar by Vitra combines domestic comfort and a technical design approach in a sinuous, austere and essential line. Catifa Up (on the cover) by Arper is a professional chair with an elegant design: the seat is in leather, comfortable and rich in style and the structure is essential and discreet. Perfect in the office as well as in the living room Velis by Potocco is an enveloping and elegant chair. It is swivel, with wood details that give it warmth and a solid metal frame. Finally, the Kn chair by Knoll, padded and swivel, is the right seat for those who want maximum comfort combined with a noble design.

The light is discreet but effective

Light is a very important element for working dynamics. It must be balanced and well oriented, so it is better to have complementary sources to be activated according to the different conditions. Superline by Flos is a diffused ceiling light, ideal as a general light source. To be integrated with a wall light, such as Hay‘s Fifty Fifty: an industrial-inspired, adjustable arm light.

Accessories are not optional

They are called accessories but they are, in reality, indispensable. To have everything in order and close at hand but also to mark the space and make it more efficient. A few examples? Simple but ingenious is the Vitra Toolbox, suitable for different contexts. As well as the Arrange Desktop by the Danish brand Muuto. Among the drawer units, the reference brand is USM with its iconic and functional modular modules.

A category of accessories that has returned to the fore in recent months is the screen, useful for creating flexible work areas both at home and in the office. Divide It by MDF Italia has a sculpture-like appearance and strong decorative ability. More technical but equally pleasing to the eye is Arper‘s Paravan which can be configured as a stand-alone structure or as an element integrated into the desk.