It probably won’t of escaped your notice but May will see the coronation of King Charles, which will be a historic event. Whereas we don’t supply and install thrones, would you say your office or workplace furniture is fit for a King? 

 

There are many qualify furniture manufacturers out there and many choices of furniture in terms of price, size, quality, fabrics and materials and so on, so which range or what furniture is right for you, your staff and your workplace? 

 

Also, many of us cannot naturally visualise what a specific chair would like look behind a certain desk type or whether the size of space/area we have is big enough to accommodate a sofa or large meeting table? 

 

And this is where Sygnus comes in, on both counts, in terms of helping you choose the right furniture and the right furniture to suit your space, needs and budget. How do we do this? 

From desks (albeit there is of course more than one type of desk) to chairs, sofas and reception desks to storage, conference tables and more. 

 

“How do you change the world? Bring people together. Where is the easiest big place to bring people together? In the work environment.” Adam Neumann 

 

Luckily for you as consumers and buyers, there is plenty of choice out there when it comes to the furniture type itself but also when it comes to design, size, material, colour, shape, fabric, price and much more. As the humble desk has evolved since its developed in the 17th and 18th Centuries (or even earlier than this some say), this piece of furniture alone comes in a range of forms from bench desks to wave and radial to sit to stand/height adjustable desks.  

 

Then there is the wood and finish to consider. 

It has been another year of change and ups and downs for us all. But as we are nearing the end of 2022, let’s look ahead to 2023 and share our review of the year with you. 

 

Desks first appeared in the late 17th century (the 1600's) as bureaus (a sloping front desk in which the writing surface can be opened and closed) and further research says the world’s first standing computer desk was invented in 1998. 

The word "desk" originated from the Modern Latin word desca "table to write on", from the mid 14th century. This blog looks at the types and purposes of the varying desks found now in today’s changing workplace. 

Businesses, corporations and employers/employees, like the rest of us, are very aware of sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. May sees the national awareness days of National clean air month and Water saving week. And June is World environment day and World oceans day to name but a few. 

Currently, there is a renewed focus on workspace design in the wake of Covid. Pretty much everyone is agreed that workspace has to change, but there is also an assumption that such change will be hugely expensive and disruptive. Nook is helping to re-shape this thinking. 

As the flow of employees gradually increases, businesses are being challenged to provide spaces that work both in terms of social distancing and everyday productivity. Furthermore, with greater numbers opting to work remotely – at least for part of the week - the workspace has already started to evolve with a greater focus on collaboration and social functions. 

 

Nook, a family of personal pods, exists to help make positive changes – to workplaces, to event space, to hospitals, to schools – in fact anywhere where people gather. Read more ... 

You must have sat in a reception or waiting area of an office or workplace on the past that didn’t strike the right chord or leave you feeling enthused at the meeting or appointment ahead. Perhaps there was a rip in the seat covers or the fabric wasn’t overly clean? Or perhaps the furniture was scratched or scuffed with out of date reading material, dying plants and a water machine that was empty! This is not the memory that you want any visitors to your workplace to have. 

With Schools and Universities returning, we are also pleased and encouraged to see a slowly but surely style return to offices and workplaces. We are pleased for many reasons as this could see a boost for the economy and the knock on effect this will have, signs of a more positive outlook and attitude and the hopeful lift for local and small businesses too. 

So what next for offices and workspaces? 

A new poll from MoreySmith (as featured in Mix Interiors) has revealed that half of British employees want specially designed areas in the office for socialising if they are to stop working from home. The survey of 1017 UK adults (in full or part time work) commissioned by the leading designers asked the public about their new expectations of work, following 14 months of COVID restrictions and working from home. 

This has been a trend for a while now of offices and working space wanting and demanding to be more homely in look and feel. Of course the space still needs to remain functional and productive to work in, but the social aspect of working is prevalent still. Another Mix Interiors article from April suggested that companies needed to take steps to consider what the future office looks like. It won’t be pre-pandemic in style and layout, but it will need to incorporate new ways of working. The article and other articles on this subject also say that wellbeing in the workplace is becoming more vital and needs to be factored into the work setting. 

So, how can working spaces and breakout areas be designed for open plan working as well as space for those needing privacy? 

Some time back, around 70% of office or office space were open plan. Is yours? Was yours? 

Could the return to the office see more open plan spaces or could it see closed off sections with doors, screens and other layout options? ...