No two businesses are exactly alike. Even businesses in the same industry that offer similar services can have distinctly different personalities, and their offices should reflect that. The mass production of office furniture has made it easier than ever before to furnish an office, but creating a truly customized office is a different story.
Mass production certainly has its advantages. It’s made office furniture more accessible and affordable, and made the production process more efficient. But it’s left consumers and designers alike wanting more. People long to be seen as individuals, and the concept of mass production often feels anything but personal.
Artisan furniture, on the other hand, has long been a symbol of prestige and luxury – the epitome of personalization. When you own a piece of artisan furniture, you have something nobody else in the world does; something that’s made specifically for your needs, built with the finest materials and using the highest level of craftsmanship.
While artisan furniture gives people the personal touch they long for, its cost means it’s not accessible to most people. Instead, many consumers and designers are choosing office furniture with artisan-inspired personality.
Mass production and thoughtful craftsmanship aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. Artisan-inspired style incorporates the best of both processes, giving people the chance to own products made with high-quality, carefully sourced materials and excellent craftsmanship. These types of products can give offices the customized touch workers long for, helping to foster a stronger personal connection to the workplace while bringing attention back to quality and style.
When looking to incorporate artisan-inspired style into an office design, consider how manufacturers source their materials. High-quality materials can easily elevate a piece of furniture from ordinary to extraordinary.
When one of our Coalesse product category managers traveled to Sweden to visit our leather supplier, Elmo Leather, she witnessed the extremely high level of care that’s involved in their production process. The fact that Elmo limits use of corrective and additive materials in their leather already sets them apart, but the amount of attention they put into quality control and sustainability puts them in a league of their own. A piece of furniture can’t help but feel special when the materials involved are so unique, even if it isn’t a custom-made piece.
Choosing handcrafted accent pieces over large pieces of furniture is another excellent way to add artisan style to the workplace. The right area rug can be a real statement piece in a room, whether it’s on the floor or hanging on a wall. Coalesse’s Arzu Modern Collection of rugs are hand-knotted by artisan weavers in Afghanistan working under fair labor practices. These rugs are made with 100% natural sheep wool and natural dyes when possible, creating unique variations that simply can’t be replicated with synthetic dyes and automated processes.
The possibilities for artisan-inspired office design are endless. A handcrafted accent piece here and a piece of furniture made with first-rate materials there can do a lot to create a truly unique design.
