We continue our recap of NeoCon 2017 with a look at our favorite furniture pieces — from simple pedestal tables to expansive workstation systems — that are at once both functional and beautiful. (Also be sure to check out our NeoCon reports on Privacy and Acoustics, Flooring and Finishes and Tech and Specialty.)
Coalesse: Potrero415 Updates
While sit-to-stand desks for individual work are all the rage in offices, there’s also been interest in providing standing-height touchdown areas for teams. So among some of the options newly offered by Coalesse is a fixed standing-height version of its attractive modern Potrero415 meeting table (also shown at top). The tabletops are available in rectangular, square, boat or round shapes in some new sizes and finishes including Corian and glass.
DatesWeiser: Highline Fifty
A departure from the slim-profile designs that have been flooding the office furniture market as of late, Highline Fifty is weighty, substantial and elegant while still offering crisp clean lines. The collection consists of rectangular, square and round tables as well as credenzas. All of DatesWeiser’s pieces are custom made-to-order in the U.S., so the material and color palette options are limitless, from metal and wood to stone and back-painted glass. Other options include power and data access panels, cable concealment and discreet drawers.
Davis Furniture: Intro
Product-design powerhouse Jehs+Laub devised this reconfigurable table system to meet the ever-changing needs of the modern office. The tables are available in different formats and shapes to create meeting, seminar and conferencing layouts ranging from U-shaped and oval to rectangular. These arrangements are flexible but can also be fixed via a tool-free locking mechanism in the aluminum legs. Tabletops are available in a variety of veneers or soft-touch Fenix laminates, while the legs can be chrome-plated or powder-coated.
HBF: Simple Writing Desk
We were amazed at the new look of the refreshed HBF brand. While the company will continue to carry its more traditional and transitional furnishings, it now boasts sleeker more modern designs, too. One example is this Simple Writing Desk conceived by Copenhagen-based OEO Studio as part of a larger furniture collection. Marrying Danish minimalism with American craftsmanship for a timeless aesthetic, the desk looks equally at home in an office or residential setting.
Herman Miller: Prospect
With privacy being one of the biggest issues in the workplace today, office furniture manufacturers have been cranking out pod after pod (or booth, carrel, partitions, screens, et al.). But one that stood out to us was the freestanding system Prospect, which features a conical acoustic partition that angles inward as it approaches the floor. Its designer Richard Holbrook explained during a NeoCon press tour that this slight angle helps redirect noise down toward the floor. A range of configurations, sizes and options are available including single desks for individual head-down work, larger tables for group touchdowns and collaborative meetings, more open semicircles, tackable surfaces, magnetic whiteboards and more.
ICF: Deco
A simple attractive table that is usable indoors or out, Deco sports a minimal yet stylish aesthetic that is well-suited to a home, office, café or lounge, among other environments. Its metal wire pedestal base — available in four different heights — supports round tops in a selection of five punchy colors and three different diameters.
Nienkämper: Vox Folding Table
This was probably one of the sharpest-looking folding tables we’ve seen in some time and a worthy addition to the manufacturer’s Vox family. The mobile conference-table model in particular collapses in half to a height that enables it to serve as a double-sided writable whiteboard. The tables are also available in other shapes and sizes with a choice of two base styles.
Teknion: Expansion Cityline
Ready for changing workplace needs, this furniture line utilizes a central beam off of which desks, storage, accessories and lounge seating can be added and arranged. This backbone allows for a variety of configurations, even accommodating standing-height and sitting desks simultaneously. Power and data can of course be routed through this beam for easy access.
West Elm Workspace: Conduit
Like the aforementioned Teknion product, Conduit, which was designed in collaboration with Gensler, is based on a spine concept to help make workplaces more flexible. The backbone, called the Power Wall, routes power and data to reconfigurable workstations and actually holds storage units and accessories — from privacy panels to coat racks — using an innovative hanging system.