The Benefits of Armrests

July 3, 2013

Armrests are a great way to help prevent muscular tension and pain. They provide support to your upper body, keeping you feeling comfortable for longer.

Armrests guide your arms into a relaxed position, placing less stress on your shoulders and neck. This position also promotes correct postural alignment and is particularly suited to occupations that involve lots of reading and typing.

There’s been advice in recent years that armrests aren’t beneficial and may in fact be detrimental to your health. Each person’s body is different and everyone has different job requirements, so this may be the case in some occupations, however, this advice should not be taken to mean that you should’t choose a chair with armrests. As an overall rule, armrests will make your chair more comfortable.

When choosing chairs you should look for armrests that don’t interfere with free movement between you and your desk. Armrests should also be positioned at a height and width that allows you to comfortably rest your elbows without any effort. Adjustable arms are great too as they can be tailored to suit your individual preferences.

What is Laminate?

June 19, 2013

The laminate we use in our office furniture dates back to 1913, where the Formica Corporation set out to find a replacement for Mica, a commonly used electrical insulate.

Almost accidentally, Formica’s electrical engineers, Herbert A Faber and Daniel J O’Conor discovered that several sheets of brown paper soaked in phenolic resin formed a highly durable surface. After more experimentation they saw that when bathed in a melamine resin, colours could be added to the surface. By then pressing the sheets of paper together under up to 700Kgs of pressure per square inch and heat, a highly decorative and durable panel is created – laminate.

By the 1930’s Formica had mastered the process and had begun a kitchen and bathroom revolution. Many people realised the advantages of Formica laminate over conventional timber and plastics and all wanted the look and feel of laminate in their own homes.

With increasing demand a whole new range of colours were introduced in 1950, making it an even more popular choice. At the time there were few alternatives that could match quality and aesthetics of Formica laminate and the Formica laminate epidemic was spreading globally. It was around this time that laminate began to be used in the manufacturing of office furniture.

Today, virtually every household and office has laminate furniture, whether it be desktops, kitchen bench tops or storage units. It’s not hard to see why the product is still so popular.

6 Tips to Help You Choose The Right Fabric

June 13, 2013

Choosing the right fabric is a tough decision. It determines how your furniture will look, perform and wear over time. With so many different fabrics on the market, it’s good to know what to look for. Here are a few pointers to help you in the right direction:

Look for long lasting fabrics. One indication of durability is a high Martindale rub rating. The Martindale rub test gives the fabric a rating based on abrasion resistance testing. You can use these ratings to assess the suitability of the fabric for your requirements. The higher the Martindale rating, the more durable a fabric is. Commercial fabrics should have a rub rating of at least 30,000.
Polyester and wool fabrics usually wear well and are more fade resistant than many other fabrics. Wool’s a natural fibre and breathes well and is therefore perfectly suited to chair upholstery.
Woven fabrics and fabrics with a high thread count are great in high traffic areas.
Getting the fabric colour right is usually where most of the time is spent choosing fabrics and the colour you choose is an important decision. Colour trends are constantly changing, more subtle colours tend to age better and darker colours are easier to keep in excellent looking condition.
Look for fabrics that are environmentally friendly from production to disposal. Many fabrics have NCOS Carbon Neutral and Low VOC certifications, making them a greener choice.
Choose fabrics that suit the nature of the environment. Different fabric types suit different areas, some patterns and textures are more formal and suit boardroom and reception areas, whereas others are more fun and suit breakout spaces and more relaxed areas where bursts of colours are needed.

Have you checked out DESK yet?

June 4, 2013

‘DESK‘ is a stunning iPad application and website which showcases a collection of desks owned by designers, developers and illustrators from around the world. It is a project that aims to show where people find inspiration, no matter their occupation.

“You can learn everything about a person by his desk”

It’s remarkable how much a person’s desk reveals about them. Their personal items, level of organisation and choice of styling reflect their character and creativity. The desk is a place where ‘creativity is born’

– where you bring ideas to life.

We love this app. It gives a great insight into individuality and what inspires different people. We highly recommend browsing through it for a dose of inspiration and also uploading your own desk to share where your inspiration comes from.

Follow us for a Chance to Win!

May 27, 2013

Are you following our company page on Linkedin? If not, if you follow us now you’ll go into the draw to win a fabulous meal for two at the Spice Temple restaurant.

Followers of our Linkedin page are kept up to date with our latest products, most recent blog posts and any other information related to our company.

All you need to do to enter is follow us before the 3rd of June 2013. The lucky winner will be announced on the 4th of June. Good luck!

Get The Music Flowing in Your Office

May 23, 2013

Choosing the right tunes for your workplace can create a more relaxed atmosphere and boost employee productivity. Music can relax the mind, block out distractions and get you powering through your to do list.

Recent studies have shown that offices that play light background music are 10% more productive than offices that don’t. Playing music in your reception areas is great too, it often makes wait times seem shorter and the office feel more welcoming.

The best type of music to get your productivity pumping is dependent upon your workplace. Keep in mind the music should not be distracting or have any overbearing lyrics or beats, which may have an adverse affect on productivity. Some employees peak with music without lyrics such as classical or jazz music whilst others work best with easy listening commercial type, indie or rock.

Once you’ve decided on the type of music that suits your workplace, you can make a personalised playlist on online radio sites such as Spotify or Pandora. These sites allow you to enter an artist and they will automatically build a playlist of similar music around that style and will play them at random throughout the week. Best thing is you can update your list all the time, so no more listening to the same CD on repeat!

Some of the artists we’ve been basing our playlists on lately are:

Ed Sheeran
Bombay Bicycle Club
Gotye
Fleetwood Mac
The Wombats

Renault’s New Melbourne Office

May 14, 2013

Renault’s new Melbourne office unites a range of contemporary furnishings with an impressive display of cars.

Concept Office Interiors achieved the desired aesthetic by incorporating Benchwork Trak workstations, Web seating, Globe mobile pedestals, Flip tables and Future seating in an open plan office.

Clip seating and Halo tables were used for the breakout area, which is surrounded by an artistic wall mural.

A striking visual was created with a Conti boardroom table, surrounded by Sax chairs, overlooking a Formula One car and Canary Yellow Renault.

Don’t Forget To Stretch!

May 9, 2013

Are you spending up to 8 hours in your office chair each day? If the answer is yes, you should know that prolonged sitting places excessive strain on your back, neck and limbs. Leaving you feeling stiff, sore and with a higher risk of injury.

By integrating some simple desk stretches into your daily routine, you can make yourself more comfortable and protect your body from permanent injury that could affect your muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons .

Stretching also increases mental alertness, improves circulation, reduces fatigue and lowers stress and anxiety.

Here’s 6 of our favourite stretches to get you started. To reap maximum benefits make sure you breathe easily, don’t bounce, take your time, feel the stretch and know your limits – stretches should never be painful!

In addition to stretching, it’s also important to invest in ergonomic office furniture that promotes the correct posture and provides adequate support. To read more about ergonomic furniture click here.

5 Reasons to Have Plants in Your Office

April 24, 2013

Apart from looking great, there are other advantages to having plants in the office. Five of the key reasons are listed below:

1. Improved Air Quality

Offices are full of toxins generated from elements such as carpet, air-conditioning, paint, cleaning products etc. People also excrete volatile substances such as acetone and methanol, along with scents from their perfumes and soaps. Plants clean the air by absorbing these toxins and reducing carbon dioxide. In effect, they are a much cheaper alternative to expensive air filtration systems.

2. Regulate Temperature and Humidity levels

During transpiration (the cooling process of plants), plants cool down the office by releasing moisture into the air. The amount of moisture released ensures a suitable level of humidity depending on the internal office climate. On cooler days for instance, less moisture is released to keep the office warmer and vise versa on warmer days.

3. Improved Employee Health

Improvements in air quality also result in healthier employees. Offices that have introduced plants have noted a reduction in staff headaches, eye irritations, lung impairment and respiratory problems. Plants have also been known to reduce symptoms and occurrences of asthma and bronchitis.

4. Reductions in Stress Levels and Productivity Increases

With the elimination of toxins and optimal humidity, people feel less drowsy and have heightened concentration. Recent studies have indicated that offices with plants are 12% more productive than offices without plants. The presence of plants in the office also connects people with the outside world, making them feel more comfortable in their surroundings.

5. They Serve as Room Dividers

Greenery also offers an attractive room divider. Plants can be placed strategically throughout the office to divide areas and to create more privacy. Plants also have varying levels of acoustic properties that can help dampen office noise.

With so many benefits, you should definitely consider some plants for your office. Have a look at our planters. We have varieties that can fit onto the top of storage units, stand freely or fit onto our Trak system.

Happy Planting!

Product Spotlight: Mint Workstations

April 16, 2013

Mint’s contemporary and timeless aesthetic, along with its versatility, make it easily adaptable to any work environment.

The system features 40mm stylised tubular steel legs that have a unique splayed appearance. The legs come in both Silver and White and also offer a 150mm height adjustment making it flexible in a variety of settings.

Mint workstations can be arranged into a range of configurations including two, three and four way workstations along with double and single sided workbenches. All of which come with a 25mm melamine top with rounded corners.

Mint workstations work exceptionally well with our range of Vast desk mounted screens, which can be upholstered in any fabric and come with or without an accessory rail.

How to Work Out Seating Numbers for Different Sized Meeting Tables

April 11, 2013

The best way to calculate how many people can fit at different sized meeting tables is to calculate the perimeter of the table.

As a general rule, each person should have a minimum of 600mm space. A minimum of 600mm space each is necessary to have enough arm and leg room and to allow ease of movement to and from the table. Of course, the space requirements will vary for different types of settings. For an executive boardroom table up to 800mm is appropriate, but for a casual breakout table 600mm is fine.

Take a 3000mm wide by 1200mm deep meeting table for instance, it has a perimeter of 8400mm, so depending on the purpose of the table, we could potentially seat up to 14 people. However, this size is more commonly used as an executive boardroom table, so we would recommend between 10 or 12 seats. Another example is a 1500mm diameter table, which has a perimeter of approximately 4710mm. We would recommend a maximum of 7 people for this size table.

The space you elect for each person will also help determine which chairs can be used. Choosing a more compact chair maximises each person’s space. Chairs such as the Zoot, Arc, Sax and Ess are just a few of our compact chairs which allow more space for each user.

Below is a suggested guide for the amount of seats suited to different sized meeting tables.

3600W x 1200D 12-14 people
3000W x 1200D 10-12 people
2400W x 1200D 8-10 people
2100W x 1200D 6-8 people

See our range of Meeting Tables here.

Ultra Sophisticated Furnishings For The Ferrari Office

April 3, 2013

A bold and sophisticated furniture solution was created for the new Ferrari Office in Sydney.

To furnish their new workspace, Ferrari was in pursuit of furniture that would compliment their branding with regard to both quality and aesthetics.

In order to achieve that look and feel, Designers at OMG Projects specified ourBenchwork Workstations with the Trak System, Globe mobile pedestals, Conti Meeting tables and our Web and Sax seating.

We used a custom Red Polyurethane top for the Conti Meeting Table and Red and White Woven Image Echo Panel screens on the Trak Workstations. Our Black and White Web and Sax chairs also looked the part, fitting in perfectly with the colour palette.

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