Workplace design is constantly evolving, and every year we like to review the market to highlight the best new office furniture products for our clients.
Over the last month, our design team has been busy curating some of their favourite new products for 2023.
With over 70 products, ranging from collaborative furniture to tables, seating and storage, we cover some of the best in furniture design to help you create a smarter, healthier, and more sustainable workplace.
What's trending this year?
Last year saw a trend towards resimercial design, with aspects of the home being brought into the workplace to blend both comfort and function. We saw a rise in Japandi design too, with products combining the functional elegance of Japanese aesthetics and the smooth modern lines of Scandinavian design.
This year, the trends gaining momentum include:
Co-creation & innovation
We’re delighted to see more designers co-creating with global manufacturers to develop innovative, one-of-a-kind products. By combining individual talent with big brand resources, exciting opportunities for creativity are emerging.
One standout is British architect John Pawson’s meeting table by Viccarbe. The Foro table, made from solid oak, brings richness, texture and dimension to the work environment. But it is also highly functional, with a practical cable management solution for commercial use.
Nichola Plummer, Design Director at IE, says:
“It’s refreshing to see people’s needs are front and centre in product development. The increased workplace adaptability and practical demands are blended with softer domestic styles. Form follows function while still looking fabulous!”
Designing for the Planet
At IE, our designers are constantly seeking innovative and sustainably sourced products. We are committed to helping our clients make sustainable choices and promoting circular product principles. So we’re pleased to see more manufacturers incorporating product circularity in their designs.
As Darren Congdon, Design Manager at IE, says:
"It's great to see a flurry of exciting new materials and products coming into the market that fully embrace designing for circularity."
One example is the new Steelcase Flex Perch stool. It's the world's first furniture product that reduces fossil resource use through Ccycling™. This innovation in sustainability transforms recycled content by repurposing waste from electronics production, once impossible to recycle, into new raw material - reducing waste and resources associated with carbon emissions.
The 100% recyclable stool is super lightweight and can transform a space to suit a team's needs in seconds.
Shape Shifters
More than three-quarters of UK employers now offer hybrid working, and it's having a big impact on workplace design. Offices now need to be 'shape shifters'. In other words, we need work settings that can be moved and adapted to suit the new hybrid working model.
Rachel Brown, Senior Designer at IE, explains:
"Research suggests collaboration is one of the key reasons for people to head back to the office, so creating user-friendly work settings that marry virtual and in-person gatherings are a vital part of a successful workplace."
In this new era, the traditional meeting room layout is no longer effective. New products like the Steelcase Flex Media Cart and Freedom by Connection empower teams to configure their own meeting spaces to better support hybrid collaboration.
Ready to be inspired?
Discover all our favourite new products in our New Products Ideas Book. If you have any questions about any of the products or to discuss your project, get in touch.
