What does the modern workplace look like? The pandemic has made adjustments to its image in the collective imagination, and the trend towards the Work From Home system is considered a feature of the post-Covid world. However, is this concept really so promising and self-sufficient? And if in Ukraine? And during the war? And after? Let’s talk about the role of design and, in particular, furniture brands in the modern workspace, consider solutions for its arrangement. The expert speaker of the material is the art director of ELIO HOME Maryna Cherkashina.
Back in 2021, Steelcase, one of the world leaders in the production of office furniture, published its own statistical study on various forms of employment and their prospects in the post-Covid period. 32 people were involved in the survey, the work was carried out in 000 countries. An unprecedented number of office workers have switched to working from home during the pandemic, according to the study. However, over time, office spaces will “make up” at least part of the lost demand. In seven out of ten countries, more than half of respondents report that they ideally plan to work from home one or two days a week, and spend the rest of their working time in the office. The same opinion is held by 10% of the surveyed employers.
“While loud headlines in the news fuel fears that offices will disappear as people work exclusively from home, our research paints a picture of a more nuanced, hybrid future. The global experiment in working from home is turning into an experiment in blended working,” the report says.
We could end with this: the pandemic has receded, the world is adapting, little by little returning to the usual mode of work with amendments based on the experience gained… Only in Ukraine, with the beginning of a full-scale war, another wave of transferring workers to a remote form of employment took place. Mass emigration, the staff of large companies scattered around the world, the impossibility of visiting the office in cities that are often under fire — all these factors forced us to adapt for our own safety once again. In a certain sense, Ukrainians are now masters of remote work. Even in cities in the west of Ukraine, where there are no active hostilities, it is often noticed that employers do not recruit workers “in person” if the work does not directly require it.
The space where we are most focused and productive should be separated from the space where we rest: visually, physically, acoustically, even just on a sensory level
However, the Steelcase report mentioned above indicates that even with the desire for greater freedom in our work processes, we still need to “switch” between work and the rest of the day. For most, this means morning coffee on the way to the office or conditionally turning off the computer before leaving the workplace and going home. Change of surroundings, change of locations. In the era of overloading with tasks and information noise, a person sometimes simply needs this clear structure in order to maintain efficiency and not burn out. The space where we are most focused and productive should be separate from the space where we rest. This can be done visually, physically, acoustically, even just at the level of sensations, with the thought “this is now my workplace, here I work, and here I don’t.”
What is the role of design in this?
Direct. Any workplace is in one way or another a part of the interior. It has a stylistic solution, it is equipped with equipment, furniture, separated by walls or partitions. This is a space filled with objects, and therefore with brands.
Against the background of the Work From Home format, which, for example, is again actively spreading in the homes and lives of Ukrainians, we are observing the second wave of “movements” of office furniture and space organization elements to apartments. Therefore, these objects are integrated into the living space, complement it or even mimic it.
"For us, a modern workplace is more of a concept. This concept is about mobility and multifunctionality," - Maryna Cherkashina
“For us, a modern workplace is more of a concept. This concept is about mobility, multifunctionality. The image of a modern person in the work process is a person with a phone, a person with a laptop. Today, the place where you work is of no fundamental importance. The idea and the speed of implementation are important,” Maryna Cherkashina, art director of ELIO HOME, a Ukrainian manufacturer of premium segment furniture, is convinced.
From the brands of this category, our modernity requires flexibility, adaptability and inclusion in Ukrainian realities (which in this context means the same new wave of popularity of “home offices”). So, for example, one of the ELIO HOME business cards is a platform system that gives the brand the same flexibility. The platform is the proprietary know-how of the company. It gives the client the opportunity to customize the selected model of the product: its color, dimensions, textures and even accessories. In this way, ELIO HOME solutions can be adapted to the individual needs of customers, as well as to non-standard locations.
“If we talk about furniture items that would most efficiently and harmoniously complement today’s office space or individual workplace, I think that first of all it could be open shelves, the so-called day area. One of our favorite products in this category is the versatile AIR LINE storage systems (closed and open, wall and island). And, of course, the SEGMENTAL system of modular panels with hanging shelves, pencil cases and cabinets.
In general, the peculiarity of ELIO HOME is to create a complex solution for the interior, where all the elements are clearly thought out, create a single picture, give a sense of harmony and help focus attention on really important things,” shares Maryna Cherkashina.
Modern, ecological, quiet
Reflecting the Work From Home format and the challenges it poses to residential interiors, today’s furniture brands are trying to follow the conventional boundary that separates “design for work” and “design for life”. Manufacturers and designers balance between these two categories and combine them in different proportions, rethink the concept of the workplace and lay down its inherent features in multifunctional furniture objects.
Nowadays, it is important that work and leisure as spheres of life do not conflict in the same space — on the contrary, they are organically and evenly distributed over the living space and are able to compromise with each other depending on the context and time of day.
“Today, even the kitchen can become a workplace,” says Maryna Cherkashina. — Let’s say, in the morning, this is a place for breakfast. During the day it is a desk. In the evening, this is the background for going live. The kitchen, in our understanding, is a kind of center of a modern home, around which all processes revolve. This kitchen is tactile, created from natural materials (stone, veneer, metal). It was from this image of its time that the Umbra kitchen project was born in ELIO HOME.
Also, currently the company’s R&D (ELIO HOME Research & Development Department. — Editor’s note) is actively working on the development of new sliding partitions made of glass and aluminum, which can be indispensable in the zoning of any space, including the work space. There will be many materials in the decoration of the new product: aluminum, veneer, glass, fabric, leather.”
A wide selection of natural materials of premium quality makes ELIO HOME products not only aesthetically pleasing and tactile (which, of course, is also important in a modern interior and workspace), but also environmentally friendly. And as world studies show, a better set of qualities for arranging a workplace today is desirable.
93% of people who work in an "eco-friendly office" feel happier at work
This year, Foster & Partners, together with Brookfield Properties, conducted the Design of the Workplace study, surveying more than 3000 office workers in Great Britain. It turned out that 93% of people who work in an “eco-friendly office” feel happier at work. It was also found that it increases their productivity and improves stress resistance indicators.
Indeed, it would be naive to believe that the attention of Ukrainians to the principles of sustainability is currently the same as the attention of the British respondents of Design of the Workspace. But ELIO HOME clients who choose furniture in the premium segment still treat this issue carefully and principledly. In addition, the company is not limited to the Ukrainian market – for many years ELIO HOME has been working on expanding its presence in foreign markets, and since the beginning of the full-scale war, this direction has generally become one of the priorities for the brand.
Such scaling requires immersion in the global context: in order to create products that keep up with the times, it is worth keeping abreast of the latest trends and proposals presented by modern designers and manufacturers. ELIO HOME can also be cited here as an example.
"Sound absorption, comfort and mobility are the main aspects that concern furniture manufacturers now," - Maryna Cherkashina
“We regularly visit specialized furniture exhibitions and, of course, look into the pavilions where novelties for office premises are presented,” shares Maryna Cherkashina. “Sound absorption, comfort and mobility are the main aspects that concern manufacturers now.”
Indeed, global designers and brands regularly present the same solutions for better organization of acoustics in work areas. So, for example, the Filipino designer Geoffrey Ibáñez designed Helios acoustic panels for the Swedish brand Impact Acoustic. Panels with a frame base can be used as partitions in residential and office spaces. They have sound-absorbing elements, the main function of which is to “pick up” the sound vibrations in the room, and therefore reduce the noise level.
"Modern workspaces to a greater extent have free planning (open space). In such rooms, good sound absorption is an important issue," — Maryna Cherkashina
Maryna Cherkashina also speaks about the importance of sound insulation in office premises:
“Modern workspaces to a greater extent have free planning (open space). In such rooms, good sound absorption is an important issue. Comfortable and productive work is possible only in the absence of excessive noise.
In the ELIO HOME line, we present a large selection of panel products. The most effective solution for wall decoration in office spaces, offices or meeting rooms will be the use of the new SEGMENTAL modular paneling system with textile decoration. The system is so versatile and adaptable that even a magnetic whiteboard can become part of it.
I would also like to note among the solutions developed by ELIO HOME, the hidden installation door ELDOOR with a drop-down threshold. The aluminum box and the door leaf are as close to each other as possible, and carefully selected door leaf filler and sealant provide maximum noise insulation. The last chord is actually a falling chord. It is he who finalizes almost complete sound insulation between rooms. Most often, in offices, it is equipped with doors to managers’ offices. Also, often in similar projects, we complete the door with an electronic lock (access control). Such additional accessories are integrated into any of our swing doors, regardless of the type of fabric finish.”
Something in common
In addition to solutions aimed directly at sound insulation, functionality or environmental friendliness of premises, furniture that is truly ideal for the workplace, in particular a number of products from ELIO HOME, mostly have one thing in common: they are visually “quiet”. Not boring, not square-perpendicular-strict. Quiet. Such furnishing of the working space is not overloaded with details, but at the same time has a certain minimalist elegance. A function transformed into a form that was created by someone who loves it very much.
Furniture ideal for the workplace mostly has one thing in common: they are visually "quiet"
As can be understood from global trends, research and exhibitions, the office and office furniture were, are and are not going to disappear anywhere. And office projects, in which furniture brands are involved, are the same.
“Actually, office projects are a very interesting segment,” Marina Cherkashina shares, “because a person usually spends most of his day at work. Therefore, it is very important that everything is thought out so that every employee feels comfortable, all communications and movement in such premises are aimed at increasing work efficiency as much as possible. In addition, in my opinion, the impression made by the premises (not only on the staff, but also on visitors, customers, partners, etc.) should form the right image of the company, broadcast its ideas and philosophy.
We worked with various designers to create such projects. For example, we implemented the designers’ ideas for the OCHI clinic and the ReFuture clinic. Yes, the ReFuture clinic gave us the opportunity to combine different materials in one interior. We have integrated into the interior veneered wall panels adapted to OTIUM sliding partitions. Cabinets are decorated with the same panels, this time supplemented with veneered shelves with brass inserts and lighting. We also implemented hidden cabinets in medical offices (integrated into panels) and OTIUM sliding partitions for room zoning.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting projects from the point of view of implementation deserves special attention. This is IQ Business Center. ELIO HOME has developed special 3D radius elements of the atrium enclosure with complex connections.”
If we believe in the prospects of a hybrid form of work, which Steelcase prophesies to the world, we will return to offices. However, at the moment, during the war, we are still faced with the need to work from home. And although office and home spaces have completely different specifics, it is worth looking for “points of intersection” and finding such interior solutions that can be “transported” to a new workplace, already at home.
Marina mentioned above multifunctional furniture items (such as the Umbra kitchen), sliding partitions and paneling systems such as the SEGMENTAL model from ELIO HOME — this can be exactly the “buffer” category of solutions for arranging the working space, which can also be implemented in living spaces . Competent zoning, sound insulation, minimalist styling and high-quality, ecological decoration in the working environment are the key to efficient work and a more structured approach to tasks in general. In addition, seclusion in the interior of the work area is an important investment in one’s psycho-emotional state, even during periods of work avrals. Because this, of course, is not a trip from the office home, but still the preservation of the emotion “work is finished, I am free, I am at home”, which activates in the evening like a switch in the head and allows you to exhale.
Physical separation in the interior of the work area is an important investment in one's psycho-emotional state, even during periods of work avrals
Indeed, it is unlikely to be possible to reproduce a meeting room in the living room (and it is not necessary, because now all conferences are held via video link). However, some solutions still exist, they are aesthetic, flexible, they can be borrowed and reproduced within the framework of the Work From Home concept, so that work is productive, and home does not lose its cozy atmosphere.