The trend of applying more of a residential feel to commercial, workplace and institutional projects is alive and well, and there’s a plethora of crossover furnishings to prove it. While these pieces look as if they can occupy a personal home office, living room or, even, nursery, they’re contract grade to withstand the wear-and-tear of everyday use by multiple people. Spec them in spaces that could use a softer, more welcoming touch.
Bernhardt Design: Los Andes
Young Chilean designer Ignacia Murtagh pays homage to her region’s Andes mountain range with this solid walnut table collection: the subtle connection is found in the tabletops’ slightly raised, asymmetrical rims, which echo the peaks and plateaus of the Andes. The round, rimmed tops are supported on four slender, tapered legs. The piece comes in a coffee-table format measuring 36-5/8 inches in diameter by 16-1/8 inches high as well as two occasional table versions measuring 22 ¼ by 18 inches high and 20 ¾ by 21 inches high.
Davis Furniture: Tre Bench
This seating product builds on the Jehs+Laub-designed Tre family, which previously included barstools and a bar-height café table. The beauty of their design is how it accentuates three individual pieces coming together at the seat’s center. The three shell pieces are formed of bent plywood joined by a plywood plate, while the bent “legs” are completed with plastic glides to protect floors that the benches rest on. The seat can be left as is or upholstered on one, two or all three shells.
© Andreas Körner
Davis Furniture
Dymitr Malcew: Treehouse 2
This Singapore-based architect garnered attention with his Treehouse 1 modular furniture series, which presented an upholstered casual work spot encased in a mobile timber frame shaped like a house. His new version, simply named Treehouse 2 (also shown at top), encloses a third side to create more of a cocoon or booth of increased privacy within open-plan workplaces. Resembling houses cut in half, the pods can be positioned to face each other for group work or meetings. In addition to providing overall comfort, the upholstered and cushioned interiors help absorb sound. The design is currently in development for distribution.
Dymitr Malcew
HBF: Andaz
New York designer Todd Bracher updates the classic bentwood side chair in this series, making the beautiful, minimal motif well-suited to every context, whether eating or meeting. Andaz is available as a stacking side chair, barstool and counter stool (with mid- and low-back options available for the stool models). The wood shell comes in ash, painted white, gray or black as well as upholstered, while the legs are available in polished chrome, powder-coated black or light gray paint.
HBF
ICF Group: Emily and Emma Lounge
Large-scale geometric quilting on both faces of the seat back combines with traditional shapes and fashion-forward colors to make this chair family cozy, retro and modern all at once. Emma is the high-back armchair, while Emily is the little sister. Both have natural or stained beech legs and a flexible plastic back and can be upholstered in a range of non-woven fabrics or leather with hand-sewn stitch details.
ICF Group
This elegant table looks at ease in a residential kitchen, but it’s actually a standing-height office piece that integrates discreet power and data access points (cords are concealed in the end-panel legs). Designed by Joey Ruiter, it comes in wood veneer or color laminate with beautiful details such as mitered corners and contrasting metal strips at either end. Options include inset glass and monitor table setup with space for wall-mounted screens. Tesano is available in three widths (30, 36 and 42 inches) and two lengths (48 and 132 inches).
Nucraft
USM Modular Furniture: Reception Station
The manufacturer’s Haller modular storage and shelving units are perfect for creating partial-height enclaves that, combined with coordinating USM tables, can function as reception stations in offices, libraries, showrooms and so on. The modules, available in a range of sizes, can be specified with metal or acoustic drop-down or flip-up doors, glass doors, drawers or divider shelves. The metal surfaces are thin-rolled steel powder-coated in any of 14 colors.
USM Modular