social spaces IQ—EQ

A RESILIENT WORK CULTURE CAN OUTLIVE ANY SPACE— EVEN AN EMPTY ONE.

BECAUSE WORK CULTURES START FROM WITHIN. They burrow deep in our ideals and aspirations, flow effortlessly through our interactions and expressions. When our work culture takes hold, it becomes part of our identity, nearly inseparable from who we are or the way we get things done. AND YET, THEY CAN SURPRISE US IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED WAYS. It’s as though lying beneath the surface is a sleeping giant waiting for the right set of conditions to provoke something truly spectacular in the workplace. And often, all it takes is a gentle nudge or a subtle cue to reveal a culture’s intrinsic potential....

SOCIAL SPACES CREATE RICH ENVIRONMENTS RIPE FOR THE WORK CULTURE TO THRIVE. By aligning the performance (IQ) and poetics (EQ) of the workplace, they can unleash an alchemy of new thinking that previously lay dormant. SOCIAL SPACES DO NOT DEFINE THE WORK CULTURE. THEY LIBERATE IT. They can cultivate happy accidents and serendipitous encounters. Aesthetically stimulate well-being and personal balance.

SOCIAL SPACES NEED PRODUCTS THAT ARE ROOTED IN IQ AND EQ THINKING TO MAKE THE WORK CULTURE TRULY SING.

dual toan nguyen SAY HELLO TO DUAL, A DYNAMIC SEATING COLLECTION DESIGNED TO CELEBRATE EXPRESSION AND ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION.

dual toan nguyen IQ— Posture Perfect Find the right posture for every occasion. A low-back chair for the relaxed and casual collaboration. A high-back chair for when you need time to unwind and recharge. Sit up straight or sink into conversation. Detail— Seaming accentuates the natural contours EQ— One-of-a-Kind x 2 The duality of material options offers a seat ripe for expression. Upholster it in a single color, choose two, or split the difference with a partially opaque knit base available in eleven finishes, including five accent colors.

IQ— Swivel, Swivel Each chair is equipped with a return-to-center swivel. This subtle gesture can change a static setting into a dynamic space that keeps the conversation flowing and ensures good ideas spread far and wide.

Home is where the heart is, but the office needs heart too. The lounge design introduces a residential aesthetic to create a welcoming environment for focus and recharge—so that work doesn’t feel like work. CREATING HAPPY ACCIDENTS— BY DESIGN

In 15th century Florence, the House of Medici had become one of the most powerful ruling dynasties in Europe. History looks back at the Medicis as having ushered an era of peace and stability into an otherwise volatile region. And yet everything they achieved politically was least among their successes. Outside of their public affairs, the Medicis were patrons of the arts and sciences. They sponsored people from all fields and disciplines to pursue their craft in Florence. For many in the Medici family, this was their passion project writ large. But little did they realize that by bringing a...

Steven Johnson, author of “Where Good Ideas Come From,” cautions that we are quick to attribute big ideas to a singular instance of clarity—a “eureka!” moment—when in fact, “a lot of great ideas linger on, sometimes for decades, in the back of people’s minds.” Johnson argues that ideas compound and require spaces like the 17th century English coffeehouses, “where you have lots of different ideas (coming) together; different backgrounds, different interests, jostling with each other, bouncing off each other.” Much in the way the Medicis helped cultivate the Renaissance, English coffeehouses were...

Fayard and Weeks also highlight the importance of a permission structure. If a culture sets norms for behavior, “people generally deem a space to be a comfortable, natural place to interact only if company culture, reinforced by management, designates it as such.” Fayard and Weeks make the case that it’s not enough to just create a space— management needs to empower employees to use it. Human Resources expert Jeanne Meister suggests that to create such an environment requires management to recognize that employees each have unique needs from their workplace. By providing a culture of choice,...

bevy mario ruiz THIS IS BEVY, A DYNAMIC TABLE DESIGN YOU CAN CONFIGURE TO YOUR HEART’S DELIGHT.

mario ruiz EQ— Below the Surface IQ- Power Onward In spaces that value serendipity, spending time in search of an outlet and away from work and colleagues is a missed opportunity. Each table can be configured with power and a thoughtful chord management system to ensure all your energy is going to the right place. Reimagine the workplace from the ground up. Multiple base options and a variety of finishes offer a range of ways to customize for the perfect cultural fit. Natural wood, polished aluminum, or a versatile powdercoat available in three colors offer different ways to soften the workspace....

EQ— Top it Off Personalize your space to express all that your work culture aspires to be. With a range of tabletop shapes and finishes, including laminate, veneer, solid surface, and backpainted glass, you can create surface appeal with a deeper cultural meaning. Detail— Oak veneer surface

FINDING CALM IN BASQUE COUNTRY

- Nestled between the northern Atlantic coast and the western stretches of the Pyrenees Mountains lies the village of Itsasu. Here, they call it Basque Country. Straddling the borders of France and Spain, the region reflects a mix of geography, language, and culture melded into an identity all its own. It was in this tradition that the Itsasu-based workshop and furniture studio, Alki, was founded. FOR OVER 35 YEARS, ALKI HAS BEEN DRAWING UPON THE REGION’S RICH ARTISAN TRADITIONS AND THE QUIET BEAUTY OF ITS NATURAL SURROUNDINGS TO DESIGN PIECES THAT COULD BE DESCRIBED AS MODERN BASQUE CRAFT. For...

kuskoa — kuskoa bi alki INTRODUCING KUSKOA AND KUSKOA BI, TWO COLLECTIONS RETHINKING THE ROLE OF FORM & MATERIALITY IN THE WORKPLACE.