Although the public face of Vitra is unquestionably their "Home Collection", for decades the backbone of the company has been their office furniture division. Consequently a central feature of Vitra's daily work involves developing new approaches to office design and attempting to predict what will be important for office workers in the coming years. In 1991 Vitra commissioned the designers Michele de Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi to develop some plans for future office design.
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We at (smow)blog we have often mentioned Vitras Net'n'Nest office design concept - one the one hand because we like it and on the other because as an official Vitra partner we at smow like to draw attention to new developments and products from Vitra. We have, however, never made a secret of the fact that one can - if one wants - mix and match furniture from various producers. Which was pretty much our third thought upon seeing Adenike by Heidelberg based designer Bao-Nghi Droste at DMY
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Following the successful visit to USM Haller the (smow)team headed on to Basel and Vitra HQ. The contrast in the external appearances of the buildings could hardly be greater. As a company Vitra don't just engage designers to create furniture for them, they also encourage them to design buildings. The finest example being the Vitra Design Museum complex at Weil am Rhein; but in interests of chronological correctness more on that later. The original Vitra building in Basel building was
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In a recent article wired magazine presented their own take on the evolution of office furnishing. From the introduction of the vast, cattle-shed like offices that characterised early office design through the cubicles and "virtual offices" of the 1980s and 90s and onwards the text makes one thing clear: Too many office workers have suffered through bad office design concepts. But one needn't work from home in order to benefit from the advantages of a convivial and stimulating office
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It may be a few months old, but as relevant as ever: The International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. During the festival in November 2008 smow sponsored, in conjunction with Vitra, the Industry Lounge. Within the festival hub – the Museum der Bildenden Künste Leipzig – industry visitors, VIps and the media were offered a quiet and relaxed atmosphere in which to hold business meetings, hold – or overhear discussions – or simply to relax and unwind. The Industry Lounge
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For the creative bosses at Vitra the days of the large unified office space are numbered. Not only are the working conditions in such environments not ideal for productivity, but much more each employee and every visitor has a feeling of surveillance, exploitation and treadmill. A more inspiring and positive atmosphere, however, promise Vitra from their playfully named "Net 'n' Nest" concept. Here the connection between individual work and rest areas and the possibilities of communicative
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At the imm in Cologne the German producer "Richard Lampert" once again proved that they can produce more than just the classic, timeless Eiermann Table. With a prototype of “Landed” by Eric Degenhardt the Stuttgart based company almost completed a leap into architecture. Almost. For while in models and sketches one could easily confuse Degenhardt’s creation with a concept building; close up one realizes that it is in fact an exceptional piece of furniture design. “Landed” with its multiple
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On our search for the future of office furniture smow spent last week at the Orgatec office furniture trade fair in Cologne. Under the motto „Better Office Greater Success“ 673 companies from 39 countries presented their concepts for the office of the future. If we are honest we have been to better trade fairs, and one noticed the absence of important industry giants such as USM Haller. That said the show was not without it's moments. Among the bravest exhibits was the new
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