Some stories last longer than furniture — even those pieces we think of as classics.
Although that might sound surprising coming from an unapologetic furniture lover, perhaps no realization is more timely as we reflect on our brand’s first ten years and look forward to the next ten.
These anniversary articles — and in fact much of what we share with our followers — are about the ideas behind our products and the bedrock of our point-of-view. They build our story. And that story describes what drives us to design — why both inspiration and insight are inseparable from how we make our products, and wherethose products lead us, to more responsive and better environments, as we navigate the new life of work. The story keeps building as we bring new solutions to market that enhance the wellbeing of others and create more fulfilling experiences for people’s whole lives at work.
This more holistic response is what gives deeper meaning to the material goods we make. It’s at the heart of how our brand continues to grow. And it’s why we’re motivated to discover new ways of bringing new life to work — time and again.
Here’s why this matters. Good things —even the best and most classic things — don’t necessarily define a complete solution, a deeper experience, or drive decision making as simply as they once did. Desirable objects can be critical components of a whole solution, but incomplete when left on their own. And novel innovation alone doesn’t stand out in a crowd.
In a culture of ever-more objects and choice available from everywhere, we believe the world wants, and more importantly, deserves something different. Something built on what a company stands for; something rewarded by the promise a brand keeps; something more meaningful that in turn becomes valuable, because it rises above the noise.
In the next ten years, as we continue bringing new life to work, we look forward to anticipating and delivering what that new lifecan fulfill. This is the something different; the aim for greater meaning that responds to the emergent demands of work.
We can’t just make better objects.
We must make better experiences possible, too.
We believe new life requires these deeper, more meaningful responses and experiences to create a more purposeful, enjoyable and beautiful workplace. And we’ve learned that people are ready for more, too — because they want better, more complete solutions to address the diverse and dynamic modes of modern work.
When those experiences come to life, when people are not only inspired but also empowered by their experiences, they will remember them and how they made work feel better. And that becomes part of the ongoing story we create together. So, as we pursue this path, we are committed to designing more meaningful experiences as well as memorable furniture. And we deliver this every day to our customers in the character and the essential feeling of our brand in our promise — bringing new life to work.
I’d like to share three attributes that we strive to instill in everything we design, to bring new life to work in meaningful ways.
Warmth
From the beginnings of our brand – in the crossover where workstyles and lifestyles connect – we’ve held a viewpoint that workspaces should embody this connection by feeling more welcoming and comfortable in all dimensions: physical, social, emotional, and cognitive, too. This is the character of warmth, not a look or a style but an invaluable feeling and expression of wellbeing. We share our warmth through the language of design, the experiences we deliver, and in the way we relate to people.
Vitality
Work is hard and the growing demand to solve more complex problems makes work all the harder. Our approach toward design is to help create settings that enliven us at work—spaces we are drawn to, that give us energy and revive us to fulfill the long, hard days at work. Vitality is the engine we activate by applying a rich, thoughtful combination of color, pattern, and materials to create our indoor and outdoor furnishings, drawn from the restorative and productive, living qualities of nature and biophilic design principles.
Soul
Iconic products have a timeless quality, an unseen element that animates them. That’s the soul of the design and designer, shining through with imagination to distinguish one version of a basic form from another. Soul is what innately sees and interprets the world into design, that links a progressivevision for solutions now, to traditions that are enduring, tried and true. Soul builds depth into a product that’s classic, so that it will hold its meaning well into the future—and remain a pleasure to use.
As a progressive brand, we strive to see the future and shoot for it in ways that are unexpected, yet which feel delightfully familiar. As in our first 10 years, we’ll continue to bring these attributes forward when solving complex problems in new ways, from our greater global presence in Munich to our highly responsive Concierge services; our partnerships with talented designers and companies, down to the details of modern craft and the utilization of new technologies in our design and manufacturing processes.
Each time we explore a new method or imagine a new product category and its applications, we’re ignited to bring new life to work with warmth, vitality and soul. Join us for more stories – and more meaningful experiences – as we bring new life to work in the years ahead.
