by Brianna Crandall — July 3, 2015—Tuohy Furniture Corporation, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of fine office furniture, received an unprecedented five Best of NeoCon 2015 awards, including Best of Competition, for its WorkStyles Collection last month in Chicago. The collection was introduced at NeoCon 2015, North America’s largest and most significant event for interior products for the contract (office) market. The awards were for Best of Competition, a Gold Award in the Case Goods category, Gold Award for Furniture Systems, Silver Award for Furniture Collections for Collaboration, and Innovation Award for Occasional Tables.
WorkStyles is a customizable case good system with integrated lounge compatibility, supporting both the personalization and teaming characteristic of today’s workers. It is engineered to make switching from “pack work” (i.e., group problem solving) to individual focused work quick and easy. Designed to offer a more casual alternative to traditional case goods, WorkStyles also speaks to today’s blending of work life and personal life. The seating elements provide a retreat from a fast-paced world, says the company.
Designed by the consortium of David Fuehrer, Ehren Gaag, Jay Koback and Roberto Mariduena, WorkStyles offers a “provocative” alternative to the typical private office by creating “inspired” spaces for both individual work and collaborative interactions, says Tuohy. Instead of a single workwall expression for the entire collection, WorkStyles offers a range of statement-making elements as centerpieces to a universal workplace platform designed for use in private office and open plan areas equally.
As a result of WorkStyles’s simple statement of line and easily re-purposed tables and storage, the collection can adapt to a range of environments and office footprints. Table-desks fulfill individual and conference functions. Seating adds lounging or conferencing. Environments are highly multi-purpose, an aid for facilities managers who are trying to keep up with today’s rapidly evolving workspace styles.
WorkStyles employs the use of select premium materials (wood, aluminum, steel), with attention paid to detail and modularity. Materials are chosen for their inherent beauty and durability and are minimally processed to reveal their underlying qualities. The WorkStyles expression is conveyed by a sophisticated and subtle architectonic expression and minimalism, in contrast with warm wood finishes and beautifully executed metal table bases and details, says the company. WorkStyles can be configured in a number of dynamic compositions ranging from conventional to eclectic.
Designers and space planners are able to choose from FSC-certified wood sources. Tuohy’s design/manufacture processes follow DfE (Design for the Environment) protocols, a full lifecycle set of analyses and assessments.
Additional information, images and documentation are available from Tuohy’s WorkStyles Web site.
