fined to the coffee machine, the canteen and
the office party, constant cross-disciplinary
exchange is currently the holy grail of
business innovation. Office and furniture
design is playing a big role in this shift.
Consequently, the new socially orientated
office replaces the office of yesteryear with
a combination of lounge, café, hotel lobby
and workspace.
‘Connectivity, collaboration, co-work-
ing and flexibility have entered our lives,’ says
Jesús Llinares, CEO of global furniture brand
Andreu World, which is redefining its collec-
tions in order to meet new needs. ‘These four
factors require furniture that enables freedom
while guaranteeing ergonomic comfort.’ In
2018 Andreu World launched a range of
products that are designed to be at home in
the new office environment. Fresh lounge
concepts, including the light and elegant
Element sofa – the work of Studio Andreu
together with product-design consulting
firm Gensler – exemplify the trend. In the
office, they add a touch of homey informality
intended to foster the kind of relaxed interac-
tion that results in the generation of creative
ideas. On a comfy sofa, after all, anyone can
end up sitting next to anyone. ‘Office spaces
have become democratized,’ says Llinares,
who believes that workspace is no longer
about enforcing hierarchies but about helping
all employees to ‘better create, collaborate,
concentrate, learn and innovate’.
Andreu World’s Flex armchair adds
a new dimension to Piergiorgio Cazzaniga’s
iconic collection of office seating. The veteran
Italian designer reimagined his classic shell-
back chair and provided it with a multiple
personality: the piece is equally at home in
a hotel or an office. The new design avoids
popular office-furniture clichés in favour of
a rather casual approach. Unlike the classic
shell back, Flex has a more versatile aesthetic,
and its user has extra options for customiza-
tion, thanks to new bases; a larger selection
of upholstery fabrics; and fresh, contem-
porary colours. In thermo-polymer, with a
padded seat and backrest, the Flex armchair
affords the greatest ergonomic comfort.
Tables get a rethink too. Studio
Andreu’s Radial range, for example, boasts
a new connection system for its conference
tables, offering more options for integration
and technological flexibility. There are new
material choices as well: oak legs, aluminium
Sa
lva(^) L
op
ez
, (^) c
ou
rte
sy
(^) o
f (^) A
nd
re
u (^) W
or
ld
bases and wood veneers create a variety of
looks. All wiring is neatly concealed inside
the legs. More like a meeting table than a soli-
tary workstation, Radial prompts people to
gather round as it embraces the office’s new
function. The company’s Occasional table
series, conceived by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga,
features an array of models that make the
design suitable for all sorts of environments,
from hotel lobbies to conference rooms. The
product’s base in size 35, for example, can
support a larger tabletop, making it suitable
for group work.
Products from Andreu World adapt
to diverse spaces, reflecting the company’s
wish to have its furniture represent its brand.
Available in different heights and widths, the
Reverse Occasional table with marble finish
invites the customer to select the perfect size
for the space in question.
Tables from the Radial range are places
for collaboration, prompting employees
to gather round.
Andreu World’s Element lounge chair adds a
touch of homey informality to the office which is
intended to foster the kind of relaxed interaction
that results in the generation of creative ideas.
‘Today's workplaces need multipurpose
spaces designed to adapt and evolve over
time, fostering higher levels of wellness in
employees,’ says Llinares. ‘These new collec-
tions explore design and furniture concepts
that respond to new needs and to the social
and technological changes that are driving
new ways of working and living, based on
human experience. In designing new furni-
ture, our starting point is always the needs
of people. Our collections open up a wide
range of possibilities for equipping public
and private spaces that people use for
collaborating, waiting or socializing.’ ●
andreuworld.com
ANDREU WORLD X FRAME 163