Southern California IIDA San Diego NeoCan’t 2009 Recap
Posted: 08.31.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Last week’s first annual Southern California IIDA San Diego NeoCan’t Event was a huge success, with 40 different manufacturers and rep groups exhibiting products, and more than 200 designers and students in attendance.

The event was created to allow those who couldn’t make it to Chicago in June to see the newest products from top commercial furnishings manufacturers. They’ve essentially brought Chicago to Southern California, where the year-round sunny skies allowed an event where products could be featured outdoors.

Kimball Office and our Select Dealer, Interior Solutions of Southern California, showcased Fluent, designed by David Allan Pesso, along with Hero and Fit, two new seating Read more…

Kimball Office and Interior Design Educators Council partner at Southern California IIDA Trade Show Tonight
Posted: 08.27.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

If you’re in Southern California tonight, be sure to head over to the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center for the IIDA NeoCan’t Trade Fair, also known as the San Diego Mini Trade Fair. We’re partnering with IDEC to support design education. Stop by our booth to learn about ways experienced interior designers can help mentor, inspire and educate their entry-level peers. You’ll also have a chance to meet our special guest Denise Homme, director of interior design at the Design Institute of San Diego.

Fluent and Hero at our Chicago Showroom Event in June

If you didn’t make it to our Chicago Showroom Event this June, this is your chance to see our new product introductions, including Fluent, Fit and Hero. More than 40 different manufacturers and rep groups will showcase their new products as well – it’s sure to be an experience to remember!

Don’t forget to check back in next week to see photos from the event!

The Fit Chair

Research & Development: Building New Products
Posted: 08.17.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Last week, we talked about product design – generating new ideas, sketching designs. Now let’s see what happens next, after designs are drawn.

Douglas Prickett, Jay Henriott and Keith Metcalf, Industrial Designers, talked to me about building new products – how they create prototypes, earn buy-in, and finalize designs to make the next great office furniture product.

KO: So you’ve sketched your new product design. What now?

JH: Well, after sketches, we do renderings to further refine the concept.

DP: We sometimes hire people that make photorealistic renderings, so that everyone can see what we’ve seen in our heads. Renderings help make our ideas look ‘real.’ We give them our original models, and they create entire rooms around the newly designed product, so that we can see how it will look in actual settings.

This year, we did something different – we used photorealistic renderings to layout the floorplan introducing our new line, Fluent, for our Chicago Showroom Event in June. It was great – no one was surprised at what it looked like when we got there.

JH: The renderings give us a sense of place and aesthetics, but 3-D prints help us refine individual components and structure.

KO: 3-D prints? I’ve never heard of those. How does it work?

KM: They work just like a Read more…

Research & Development: Designing New Products
Posted: 08.13.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

I don’t know about you, but I’m amazed by product and industrial designers. I can hardly design in 2-D, much less in 3-D…with function and innovation. Lucky for me, there are talented people out there whose creative minds are up to the challenge.

Last week, I met three of those creative minds: Jay Henriott, Douglas Prickett and Keith Metcalf, Industrial Designers. They spent a few hours walking me through how Kimball Office products are created.

KO: First things first: How do you decide where to start?

DP: The idea comes out of research, or market intelligence. We try to find an ‘unmet need,’ a specific challenge. We put together questions for whatever we’re looking to create next – desks, seating, casegoods, panel systems – you get the idea. Then we meet with customers to get their feedback, hear their voice.

JH: When we listen to customer feedback, we try to identify specific ‘pain points.’ We have to listen carefully – customers try to Read more…

Upcoming Event: NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition
Posted: 08.13.09
By Andrea Rohleder

Calling all public procurement professionals: if you’re attending this year’s NIGP Annual Forum at America’s Convention Center in St. Louis, be sure to check out Kimball Office’s booth, #724!

We’re introducing two product lines: Fluent, a gorgeous new casegoods line, and Talent, a seating line with elegance to spare.

Come on by, lounge around with Talent and experience the luxury and flexibility of Fluent. Kimball Office has years of experience supplying government organizations with world-class furniture, and we’re excited to help meet your workplace design challenges. See you at the show on August 24 and 25!

One of our government partners, the City of Beverly Hills, tells about their Kimball Office experience.