(Fourth of a four part series on Office Furniture Trends for 2012)

During 2012, we’ll be designing more open offices than ever before, with fewer cubicles, and more common work areas.

Cubicles sales peaked in 2000, when they accounted for nearly 37 percent of all office furniture sales. That’s fallen to about 26 percent. Companies now prefer more open spaces that make it easier for employees to work together.

Workers used to spend most of their day at a desk or cubicle, report to a conference room for meetings, then tread a familiar path back to their workstation. Now, companies are setting up more gathering areas in “in between” spaces, where workers can hold informal conferences, chat with colleagues, or plop down with a laptop. Workers like the flexibility, and companies encourage the collaboration.

More and more employees aren’t even in the office most of the time.  They may be outside sales people or they could be working from home.  Why waste precious office space on people who are rarely actually in the office.  Common work areas and tables provide these workers with what they need to be productive during those rare times they are physically in the building.

The equipment we use and the way we work keep evolving, and so must our office designs.  2012 promises to be a year when we will see many of these changes take place.

As usual, we here at Workspace Solutions will keep you up to date on our “What’s New” blog.

(Third of a four part series on Office Furniture Trends for 2012)

Most of us like the idea of saving the world’s resources for future generations, but it hasn’t always been easy to put our money where our heart is.  Happily, this is changing.

Office furniture stores like Workspace Solutions are now awash in green goods. Furniture made from recycled content, low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints that emit fewer greenhouse gases, organic fabrics and Energy Star business equipment that uses less electricity have become commonplace. The best news, they are price competitive with ordinary, non-green counterparts. Our top office furniture suppliers all feature green lines and products, and are introducing more every day.

Voi from Hon

 Productivity is key for any piece of office furniture. White laminates provide a clean, blank work space that can spur creativity for the user.

It is refreshing and brings brightness. Previously shunned due to its strong reflective quality, white is becoming a popular option for the office. White is the sum of all colors and has no negative connotations. It can be used as both a main color and a contrast color. White creates room and size, brightens up and allows room to breath. It lends exclusivity and drama to spaces or objects. Black against a white background delineates and emphasizes form and design.

It may not be right for everyone, but more and more, white has become a color of choice in office design.  What do you think?  Are you ready for a white desk?

We used to design every work station the same way, and each worker just had to adapt. Today, we design work stations for the task that person will actually be performing, thereby increasing their efficiency and productivity. The downside to doing this in the past was having to mix and match furniture from different manufacturers or style lines. With the new Voi line from Hon, we can now make all of your office furniture look the same from the boardroom to the reception area. Voi gives us the ability to create incredibly flexible offices with a common look. Every desk and work station can be different, yet colors and surfaces all match.

Check out the Voi Video, or contact Workspace Solutions to learn more about Voi from Hon.

(First of a four part series on Office Furniture Trends for 2012)

As the office world becomes more mobile and tech savvy, we are seeing the introduction of new and exciting office furniture designs that accommodate workers on the go.

Desks and tables that are wired and have cut outs for computer hardware are becoming popular just for this reason.  Some even have recharging stations for phones or laptops built in.

The electronic whiteboard is gaining popularity in the work area because a laptop screen can be projected onto the board for everyone to see, and an electronic “pen” can be used to move items around.

What tech features are you looking for in your next office design?

Here at Workspace Solutions we can help you modernize and choose work spaces and desks that with infuse your office with technology and laptop accessibility.

Cubicles divide office space into private spaces all with the same function.  That’s great as long as everyone performs the same tasks and you never have the need for collaboration.

Involve, from Allsteel, was developed to support collaboration spontaneously at each individual workstation.  This makes work areas far more productive and efficient.   The collection incorporates soft seating to encourage spontaneous interaction, laminate storage options that support active work, and screens that define space and create varied separation. One unique solution supports all the ways work happens.

You can download the brochure by clicking here.

Workspace Solutions is your AllSteel dealer for Fort Wayne, South Bend and Indianapolis, providing you with 21^st Century ideas for designing your office for maximum efficiency.  To find out how you can use new ideas in office design, contact us today at Workspace Solutions.

Here at Workspace Solutions, we’re watching the trends in office design in order to make sure you’re new office will be state of the art for years to come.  Right now, we’re watching four exciting new trends:

1. Technology infused office furniture

2. New used of colors for desks and other office furniture, especially white.

3. More open office design for better collaboration and space usage

4. Going Green will become easier as eco-pricing starts to come down.

Check our “What’s New” page every week in January for a new post about these new trends, or just contact us here at Workspace Solutions and we’ll be happy to talk with you about them.

Click here or on graphic to go to entry page

It’s the new look of office design, with storage built across one side, and plenty of desk or table room on the other. It’s more efficient, ergonomic and works better with technology. Workspace Solutions has just added the new Keel line from Abco that is designed to fit today’s office styles. Check out Abco on our website here. Check out the Keel video:

Keel NeoCon 2011 from izzy+ on Vimeo.

Learning environments are more flexible, diverse and technology-driven than ever. The Fixtures line from Izzy+ was designed after long discussions with actual end users, students, teachers, and educators. As a result of that research, Fixtures is focused on outfitting the perfect learning environment: flexible and adaptable, supporting technology, encouraging collaboration, and supplying the kind of easy-care durability that are must-haves for high-use schools and corporate training areas.

Workspace Solutions is proud to handle the Izzy+ Fixtures line for Northern Indiana. Contact us and we’ll be happy to show you more. You can also visit the Izzy+ website and see some great examples of how schools are using this innovative product.