DARRAN Furniture Awarded Best of NeoCon Competition and NeoCon Gold

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We are excited to announce that DARRAN Furniture won the prestigious award for Best of Competition and NeoCon Gold in the Furniture Systems + Enhancements Category for BEst of NeoCon.  It is such a wonderful moment, especially for those who have worked so increidbly hard to get the Honey collection where it is today!  Designers Christopher Wright and Mark Müller designed such an innovative and thoughtful collection!

Following the announcement, the showroom was all a buzz with designers, dealers, and end users circling the showroom that displayed multiple configurations of the biophilic panel system.  Mobile, height adjustable, fixed height, storage, lounge .. Honey can help you feel at home no matter how you work.

Explore the entire collection on the DARRAN website via the link, below.  If you’re looking for more information, or want to see Honey for yourself, reach out to our team to schedule a showroom tour or a 15-30 minute video conference!

Honey – Workspaces | DARRAN Furniture

Visit the DARRAN showroom at the Merchandise Mart:

NeoCon 2021 Installation | DARRAN Furniture

Meet Cora by SitOnIt Seating

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With expert insight from Certified Healthcare Interior Designers (CHID), Cora was designed to withstand the high demands of our modern spaces.  It’s a research-driven solution engeinered for cleanability, reliability and durability – while ensuring central comfort and cohesion across every model!

Cora is a high performance solution for multiple environments, including healthcare, education, corporate and more!  The curated collection not only meets the needs of these environments, but also fits an array of users.  An array of weight capacity warranties fit within the Cora collection – guest model (500lbs), midsize model (600lbs) and bariatric model (750lbs).  Cora also blends well with multiple SitOnIt Seating collections, including Pasea and Rio, above, and the Tensor table shown in the last photo, below.

The wall saver frame keeps things fresh, preventing scuffs and marks on walls and keeping upholstery clean.  Looped arms are streamlined yet wide enough to sit down and get up with ease.  This easy to maintain chair also features a clean-out space and field-replaceable components, including the seat and back.

Visit the SitOnIt Seating website to learn more about this versatile (and cute!) new introduction!  Here you can download the brochure to share with a friend or colleage, too!

Artopex + LaserTec Technology

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Artopex is proud to announce the introduction of LaserTec technology.  This innovative technology merges the edgebanding with the surface to leave no visible seams.  Not only does this new process enhance the aesthetics of the design, it eliminates the risk of liquid infiltration and increases durability.

 

This is the last phase of the Artopex factory transformation that began in 2016.  The project to robotize and automate production lines has modernized and improvedn upon the company’s manufacturing capabilities and flexibility.

Additionally, laser edge banding is better for the environment and reflects Artopex’s commitment to the sustainability. One of the main chemicals used by Artopex is solvent.  For many years, production units have had the goal of optimizing solvent use in order to reduce their consumption.  Since 2010, an important decrease in use was observed despite an increase in production.  This improvement is due in part to the integration of new equipment and awareness measures.

With the integration of laser edge banding, solvent use will continue to decrease.  It will notably eliminate the use of glue when installing edge banding and therefore the use of solvent.

LazerTech technology utilizes an ABS edge banding attached via laser.  Not only does this reduce the amount of solvent used by Artopex, but it also reduces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) consumption.  PVC has been the subject of many debaites in the community, notably due to its impact on health and the environment.

We are proud of Artopex’s investment into not only manufacturing, but our environment!

Explore Artopex’s Sustainability Report.

Download a quick fact sheet on Lazer Edge Technolgy at the Artopex website.

Lazer Edgebanding will be gradually introduced to all Artopex Collections beginning with Receptions and TakeOff Conference.

 

Reshaping Education with SitOnIt Seating

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Our team recently had the pleasure of participating in a webinar with our SitOnIt Seating Team to discover how the pandemic is reshaping education.  This presentation beautifully showcased what is happening in education with regard to where students learn, the use of technology, how we are focusing on wellness and safety, and of course, product trends!

Where Students Learn

Homeschooling will increase

Continued eLearning / Hybrid attendance

Flexible / Mobile Structures and Furniture

Increase in outdoor learning

Our team has experienced this with our children as they have ebb’d and flowed from classroom to home to hybrid and back again.  We see how flexible environments (ie. our showroom) promote comfortable eLearning as our little students move throughout the space seeking lounge furniture, active seating options, or the privacy of the Mute Box (by Artopex).  Comfortable, flexible spaces also help to reduce stress and fatigue from over-exposure to technology.

   

Use of Technology

Video Assited Learning

Augmented Reality Learning

Technology will create new opportunities / digital ecosystems

We have had high school physics lessons, Future Problem Solving Club meetings and even virtual fieldtrips occur in the showroom this year.  How cool!  Technology has created new opportunities for learning!

Focus on Wellness and Safety

Focus on student well-being

More school health clinics

High performance air filtration

Traditional nurse’s offices are busier places these days!  Not only is the traffic volume increasing, but the focus on mental health and academic progress has increased demand on spaces that traditionally only housed ill children.  Hand sanitizer, temperature stations, isolation spaces … schools are looking to customize nurses offices, mental health spaces, and more.

Returning to School:  Product Trends

Divider Screens help support spatial distancing in the immediate situation and can be used for privacy in the future.

Mobile seating allows you to immediately reduce the density in a given classroom and ramp back up as appropriate for community guidelines.

Mobile storage brings much needed flexibility to the learning environment.

Mobile tables keep environments flexible.  Add a Sector Tabletop Screen to promote spatial division!

Lounge seating’s innate weight and scale make them ideal for delineating space while still facilitating student interaction.

Mobile Screens create nooks, individual spaces, and add flexibility as guidelines change.

Universal Screens retrofit to the back and/or sides of a worksurface.  Clamp on screens make a quick fix!

Build a home learning environment with SitOnIt’s Work From Home collection.  Free residential delivery and a great discount mean you can create a dedicated environment at home for less! (Did we mention the 5-year warranty?)

On the SitOnIt website you can find Education Design Plans showcasing how our collection of products work together to create standard and distanced environments ranging from student lounges to classrooms, even administrative and faculty offices!  Click on a space to explore your options, select a typical, and add it to your project in ChairBuilder!  The part numbers and finishes automatically populate with list pricing.  Quick and simple.

Learn more about SitOnIt’s approach to education here!  You can explore more ways to return to school safely, find care and cleaning guides specific to SitOnIt Seating’s products, and learn more about evolving education.  The Project Spotlight featuring Suffolk Community College is outstanding, as well!

Reach out to our team for a more in-depth presentation surrounding education trends and product highlights or for assistance in gathering furniture samples, literature or finishes for your next project!  Stay tuned for information pertaining to some fantastic promotions to support the Education buying season, as well!

Please reach out to our team for a list of sources pertaining to the above information regarding trends and more.

The Screen Scene – Dividing Space for a Safe Return to Work

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Screens are the new toilet paper in our industry as we strive to safely return to work!  Just like toilet paper, we have so many choices and applications appropriate for today’s working world.  With a variety of mounting options and materials, our manufacturers are likely to have a solution that meets your needs!

 

Symmetry – Sector

Symmetry offers the widest selection of brackets and materials with their Sector screens.  From clear and frosted acrylic to fabric dividers, Sector screens allow you to stay social and service-oriented while keeping a safe distance.  Screens can be panel mounted, adjustable in height, or edge mounted to protect worksurfaces from holes .. and more!  Symmetry also offers a variety of ergonomic accessories from monitor arms to keyboard trays and pencil trays that mount effortlessly to your worksurface making cleaning and sanitization of your workplace quick and easy!  Stay tuned for an exciting introduction coming soon in the category of divider screens from Symmetry!

Artopex Screens

Artopex offers a collection of freestanding, universal and worksurface mounted screens in clear or frosted acrylic. If we dive a little deeper into their product offering, we find panel mounted screens that will accomodate a 1″ thick laminate panel, mobile panels, and more.  Worried about your freestanding worksurface screen drifting away?  Velcro helps hold it securely, and temporarily in place.  Artopex strives to address 2 key points: safety + density, while remaining 6′ apart.  Learn more about Artopex’s protective solutions here.

Making Privacy Simple Ecoprivacy Acoustic

MPS has a collection of acoustic dividers developed to help you get back to work and create space, without creating more opportunities for distraction.  It can be difficult to social distance in an open space and using hard surfaces to create separation can compromise accoustic comfort.  The acoustic dividers from MPS are a simple way to put a physical barrier between employees who work near each other in a desking or benching environment without sacrificing acoustic comfort.

Claridge Divider Screens

Claridge Products offers a wealth of screen options from mobile to stationary, dividing space with freestanding boards in glass, porcelain or even fabric!  Most dividers can accomodate 72″ heights coming in 30″, 36″ and 48″ widths.  Some will gang together while others will add a contemporary twist on space division.  New to Claridge is the opportunity to cut a “temperature reading” opening into your screen.  Quickly and easily assess an empolyee’s temperature with as little face to fact contact as possible!

Berco Designs + Oasis Berco Desk Masks

Available in arcylic or vinyl, Desk Mask is a foldable desk screen providing a safety barrier between workstations in the open office.  Need to create individual space in your conference rooms?  Desk mask could be a great fit!  Looking to add stability?  The vinyl Desk Mask features support feet while the acrylic version easily adheres to the surface with velcro.

And More …

Need to get creative in how to divide your space and create separation in your office?  Our team is ready to answer your questions and make suggestions to help you return to work safely.  Many of our manufacturers have screens, partitions, and options beyond what is shown here.

We can’t wait to help your team get back to work comfortably and efficiently!

 

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2300 NE Kennedy Street #210
Minneapolis, MN 55413
P: 612.788.9763 | F: 612.788.9765