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

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.

DARRAN Launches Honey

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We see that work environments with natural elements lead to a higher level of well being and productivity, which is an important consideration for business in terms of responsibility to its employees and its own bottom line.  By embracing biophilic design, Honey workspace furniture addresses the needs of individual users, their varied work styles, privacy and of course, well-being.

The space-efficient 120 degree planning grid creates a flowing geometry that meanders through a room with endless possibilities for configuring the workspace.  Honey panels are soft and rounded with compound curved surfaces.  The panel height of 55″ gives the right amount of visual and sound privacy without overwhelming the space.

Honey offers open and closed collaborative zones, meeting spaces, lounge, or desking in sitting, standing, or height adjustable, adapting to the way you work.  In addition to work space, Honey has a collection of storage and lounge products that compliment the soft lines of the workspace furniture.  Thoughtfully designed, this collection integrates an open base with height adjustable bases integrated into the panel promoting a light feeling and tidy lines.

Find more images, finish options, price list and more on the DARRAN Furniture website!

Meet DARRAN’s Edgeworks Tables!

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Interior Design’s HiP Awards at NeoCon honors industry people and innovative products.  EdgeWorks flexible meeting tables by DARRAN are honorees in the workplace: Work/Training Tables Category.

We think they’re pretty HiP, too!

ThinkingWorks Design Studio, a design team that takes curiousity to new heights, pioneered the integration of this playful product into the EdgeWorks family.  Limitless color options, a strong collection of laminate and veneer finishes, and multiple really fuel your creativity!

Tabletops can be connected with an undersurface bracket forming larger conference tables or providign ample space between team members.

See the collection and learn more about these tables on the DARRAN Furniture website!

How Can Our Team Support YOU

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Most of us are working from home and either thriving or struggling.  The days have ticked by for nearly a month here in Minneapolis, working from home, educating our children from home, experiencing lay-offs, missing our team members and adjusting to new interns/coworkers.

Know that Contract Office Marketing – Gisela, Hannah and Leah – is here to help support you and your livlihood through thick or thin!  Whether you’re looking to advance your knowledge of industry trends, hoping to fulfill some CEU credits, or just looking for a friendly face to happy hour with .. please let us know how we can help!

Here are some suggestions:
CEU Credits – 

Next-Gen Workforce: Creating Spaces that Support Diversity, Leverage Technology and Attract Talent by Exemplis: SitOnIt Seating, Ideon + Symmetry

  • Discover the top 5 drivers of change int he workplace.
  • Learn about flexibility in meeting varying generational needs at work.
  • See what hospitality-inspired amenities are expected of companies.
  • Know the role of technology integration has in creating agile workplaces.

Turn Workspaces into Idea Places by Claridge Products

The possibilities are endless when colleagues work together to solve problems and complete projects.  The task of creating spaces that foster idea sharing lands in the hands of the individuals who design workplaces and keeping up with the flood of changes is increasingly difficult.  This course sets ou tto help you understand the opportunities and challenges of creating the spaces that invite collaboration by looking at today’s writing surfaces.

Visual + Acoustic Privacy Made Simple: Best Practices for Improving Modern Workspaces and Designing for Improved Acoustic Performance: Achieving Speech Privacy in Modern Workspaces  by Making Privacy Simple

This course will provide principles, trends and research behind Acoustic Design + Speech Privacy:

  • Impacts of acoustic design on the work environment and human health and wellness
  • How speech privacy is achieved and measured
  • The ABCs of Acoustic Design
  • High ROI Solutions – acoustic panels and adaptive sound masking in productivity, speech privacy, health and welfare, and green initiatives
  • Design issues and the drawbacks of ignoring acoustic performance in modern workspace design
Product Training

Schedule a zoom meeting with our team for product training!  Gisela and I would love to connect with you and your team to share the latest from our manufacturers!  Exemplis in particular has published INCREDIBILE trainings showcasing our new product introductions, healthcare textiles, and more.  Brush up on the new Axel frame and tile system from Artopex, discover what makes Claridge unique, or learn about your new favorite sound masking team in Texas, Making Privacy Simple!  Discover Chameleon or the most attractive height adjustable desk in the industry (to quote Gisela!) with Central Park from DARRAN Furniture, and more from Oasis Berco, Berco Designs, you name it!

Reach out to our team!  We’re here for you, Minnesota, North Dakota + South Dakota! (And you over there, Western Wisconsin!)

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