NeoCon or the National Exposition of Contract Furnishings is the largest trade show of its kind in North America with over 1,000 designers and architects exhibiting their contract and commercial furnishings to thousands and thousands of attendees and design professionals.
Held from June 13 to 15 at The Mart in Chicago, NeoCon 2016 saw over 500 leading companies participating in the exhibition of their top designs. Featuring dynamic, fluid office plans as well as innovative product designs, the event was a huge success.
Here are some of the highlights from NeoCon 2016, courtesy of Interior Design.
NeoCon 2016 Product Recap: Office Furniture
David Rockwell agrees that the workplace is a stage where the scene should change effortlessly according to the task at hand—the freestanding mobile elements of Unscripted, produced by Knoll, deliver on his ad-hoc promise with the designer’s quintessential panache. See full post here
For office plan consultations, contact Vision Office Interiors. Find new and used furniture for all your office requirements at the most convenient prices.
Concentration, collaboration and productivity – how an open plan affects your work is truly just subject to your disposition.
Despite the success of open office designs, fueled by the prosperity of tech giants like Google and Amazon, many employees from many organizations report a decline in productivity due to the constant distractions and interventions enabled by an open design.
Modern Office Furniture
To surpass this conundrum, StrongProject provides ideas for closed workspaces for groups or individuals.
THE OPPOSITE OF OPEN OFFICE DESIGN
Based on all the trends coming out of Silicon Valley, workers today want bright, open-air, open office designs with plenty of social interaction and zero privacy – right?
Open Office Design Furniture (Source: StrongProject.com)
Maybe not. Based on recent findings from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, higher levels of distress, irritation, fatigue and difficulty concentrating were reported by workers in open-plan offices rather than those who work in private offices. Additionally, employees with private offices report feeling more satisfied with their job performances than open-plan office employees, and some studies show that open-plan offices actually have a negative impact on collaboration because of the lack of privacy. See full post here
For office furniture that complements closed workspaces, visit Vision Office Interiors. Whether you need closed workspaces or are just sticking to an open design, feel free to browse through our endless office furniture collection.
THREE OFFICE DESIGN TWISTS TO NURTURE A WORK-LIFE BALANCE
The elusive work-life balance. It’s been reported that a typical employee spends between 38-60 hours at the office. Now, with the exponential rise of connectivity, employees feel pressured to check in for work using their smartphone, tablet, or laptop on the go–during their lunch break, commute, and even at night after dinner or before bed.
This is counterproductive to an employee’s mental health and workload stamina because it forces engagement instead of fostering it.
Even though we can’t all have offices that literally disappear after 6 p.m. to discourage employees from working late, we can embrace work spaces that mimic some of the key comforts of home. These design twists help an employee feel relaxed and engaged on their own, while understanding they can take breaks to increase focus and productivity in projects.
Source: strongproject.com
Here are three ways to shift your modern office design to invite more balance:
Recreate the family hearth with your employee lounge or cafeteria
Even a company with hundreds of employees can create a cozier feel in their lounge or cafeteria. By using acoustic furniture pieces or lounge couches and club chairs, the staff will appreciate the little details that help them relax. Acoustic furniture helps deaden echoes in loud open spaces such as cafeterias and lounges, while creating coffee break nooks and private conversation areas over lunch. See full post here
Good or bad lighting can massively affect office productivity which is why poor lighting is often cited as one of the biggest office design mistakes.
Depending on where your workplace is located, you may or may not have access to sublime natural light. Studies have indicated that natural light not only increases employee satisfaction but also has a positive effect on their productivity.
Whether you’re asking yourself if your office needs better lighting or have already made up your mind in favor, this article by Rachel Bindl from National Business Furniture is a must-read.
How to Properly Light Your Office
Poor lighting is often cited as one of the most common interior design mistakes. While poor lighting is sure to be stressful and annoying no matter what room you may be in, it can be especially problematic in a home office or in any business setting; in fact, bad lighting is one of the most popular complaints from office employees around the globe.
It’s easy to understand why employees are less than thrilled to be in a working environment that’s either too bright or too dim. Improper lighting in the office can negatively affect worker productivity and the quality of the work produced. It can also be a safety and health hazard. Too little light can make it difficult to see, making it much more likely for accidents and injuries to occur. Headaches, fatigue and eye strain, like watery or burning eyes, may also be caused from too much or too little light. See full post here
