Trends: Government Workplace Design
Posted: 10.08.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Government workplaces are traditionally thought of as…well, traditional. To find out if that’s really the case, I talked to Reggie Staples, Government Sales Manager for the Midwest and National IPA Program Manager at Kimball Office.

Reggie Staples, Government Sales Manager for the Midwest and National IPA Program Manager at Kimball Office

KO: How are federal government offices different from commercial offices?

RS: Federal government officials have a tough job. Budgets are tight, every decision is scrutinized and zero profit is required. And still, they have to make tremendous returns on their investments. Government procurement officers are responsible for purchasing everything for an office using taxpayer money, so they have to put every sizable project out to bid through an RFP process to prove they’ve made the best decision.

KO: Does the RFP process slow down projects?

RS: Sure. The sales process takes a long time in the government sector. There are a lot of things to consider. First and foremost, you need to prove you can meet all of the requested product specifications. Product value needs to be outstanding – a significant quantity of the product needs to come from the United States, end-users need to give input and approve designs, products have to have to meet stringent testing from outside agencies to confirm lifetime value – how long will it last? There are very specific requirements in most government RFPs. A lot of details need to be considered to ensure taxpayer dollars are wisely spent.

KO: How does that process affect design?

RS: Well, most government procurement officers are usually receptive to a lot of new designs, but it takes more time to go through the Read more…

Kimball Office Wins Innovation Silver Award at IIDEX
Posted: 09.24.09
By Andrea Rohleder

We headed north this week, excited to participate in IIDEX Canada. Little did we know we’d be a hit – winning a coveted Innovation Silver award for Fluent! IIDEX Innovation awards honor excellence in product designs that demonstrate problem solving, budget strategy, environmental responsiveness and marketing objectives.

Fluent, our newest product line, was designed to bring flexibility, luxury and sophisticated design to any workplace. Designer David Allan Pesso worked with our team to develop a desking solution that goes from private office to open plan with ease. At our Chicago Showroom Event in June, Fluent was hailed as being “better than European design.” We won’t argue whether it’s better, but we can agree that Fluent is one gorgeous product.

It’s also a sustainable product. You didn’t think we’d design something beautiful without considering its environmental impact, did you? As a Kimball Office product, Fluent is BIFMA level certified, and features our proprietary Pura UV finish. It’s also certified to meet the USGBC LEED indoor air quality requirements and has an available option of FSC certified wood.

We’re thrilled to win this award – thank you IIDEX for sharing the honor!

The Making of Minds At Work.
Posted: 09.03.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

You might have heard our good news about Kimball Office, Formway Design and Alt Group winning a Red Dot “Best of the Best” design award for our book, Minds At Work. We’re thrilled with the accolade, but we thought you might like to know a little more about the book itself…and why we wrote it.

To that end, we talked to Alt Group, our communications partner, about how Minds At Work. came to life.

KO: First things first, how did the idea come about? Why a book?

AG: The intent was to provide evidence of the investigation, exploration and design process that led to the development of the product Hum. Minds at Work. Alt worked alongside the Formway design team, and later the Kimball Office team, from the initial briefing through to the final design and product launch. As it is with any development process, once the final product is complete, the record and evidence of the process can be filed, stored or even lost. The importance of the book was to give people outside the project an understanding of how and why the product was developed and where our insights came from.

The book was designed to function as a tool for facility managers, human resource managers, architects and designers charged with the task of creating and maintaining high performance workplaces. Its role as a communication piece is to provide evidence of the investigation, exploration and design process that led to the development of the product. This is an entirely pioneering case of evidence-led design.

KO: Why tackle this project now – what makes this research necessary today?

AG: Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Design is at its best when it is user-centered. Observational, ethnographic and ‘voice of the customer’ research lead us to a fundamental question firmly rooted in the contemporary workplace: Furniture has always been designed to fit 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

Katherine Conti, See Me Screen Design Winner
Posted: 06.16.09
By Kimball Office Social Media Team

Katherine Conti, a recent interior design graduate from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO made it up to the Kimball Office Chicago Showroom for our Event to show off her winning design, “Neural Nets.”

Katherine was completely shocked to win the design competition – she submitted her application in February, and was expecting, at best, an email response from Kimball in a few months. Instead, we contacted Katherine’s professor to get her class schedule, and then arrived in March with the prototype and an oversized check and balloons, game show style.

For our Chicago Showroom Event, we developed a full installation showcasing her winning design, and Katherine joined us to share her story and check it out for the first time in person.