Office Design Trends: Fall 2014

It's been an exciting year in the world of office furniture. The industries hottest brands have introduced an abundance of new products designed to improve aesthetic appeal while make those long days at the office a bit more bearable! In today's post we'll highlight the top design trends as we head into the fall season. Enjoy!

Trend 1: Gray Laminate Finishes

Whether you're making over your home or business work environment, you're bound to run into a wide variety of gray laminate finished desks this fall. Collections like the Mayline Medina line and the Global Total Office Zira line offer a wide range of gray tones that are trending in a major way. Finishes like Gray Steel, Absolute Acajou, and several others are ideal for creating office spaces that stand apart from the competition.

Trend 2: Metal Accented Desks

Desks with metal accents offer a cutting edge contemporary feel that's on a dramatic upswing in popularity. This modern yet industrial look is showcased to perfection on lines like the Napoli collection from Mayline. Additional collections featuring metal accented office desks include the e5, Zira, and Medina lines.

Trend 3: Metal Accented Conference Tables

Like with desks, using metal accents on conference tables has become incredibly popular. Lines like the Alba collection from Global Total Office and Mystic collection from Lesro Industries are sure to impress in professional meeting areas. Conference room tables with metal bases provide a more open feel and are often far less expensive than comparable models with drum and cylinder style wood bases.

Trend 4: U Shaped Reception Desks

In order to maximize worksurface and storage space in office reception areas, U shaped reception desk styles are becoming more and more common. Collections like Amber from Cherryman Industries offer modular U shaped stations that provide plenty of room to operate. Both single and 2 person reception desk styles can be easily configured. The U shaped reception desk design looks great from nearly every angle and is sure to boost your corporate waiting area appeal.

Trend 5: Ribbed Back Office Chairs

Ribbed back office chairs offer a sleek modern design with horizontal stitching patterns. This look can be seen in office chairs from brands like Ergo Contract Furniture, Flash Furniture, Offices To Go, and several others. The ribbed back look works great in meeting areas as the space saving designs allow businesses to accommodate more guests comfortably without looking over crowded. Ribbed back office chairs start around $150 for professional quality models and can be purchased in popular color options like black, white, gray, and brown.

Trend 6: Powered Boardroom Tables

Create a high powered multi media boardroom this fall and stay in line with out number 6 trend! Conference room and boardroom tables outfitted with power modules are sure to improve your meeting area effectiveness. Brands like Lesro, Global Total Office, Cherryman Industries, and Mayline are all offering popular conference tables with factory installed power ports. While basic modules with three prong cords and phone inputs are the most commonly used, custom ports can be installed with HDMI, Audio, and USB inputs.

Trend 7: Modular Training Room Tables

Using modular tables is just plain smart. While fixed leg training tables will always have their place, the trending modular styles of today are far superior. The ability to quickly connect tables together, flip tops to save space, and roll tables around to avoid lifting makes this trend one to worth following. If you'd like to see this trend in all it's glory, check out lines like the Sync collection from Mayline and Bungee collection from Global Total Office. You'll be glad you did!

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The Top 10 Office Makeover Trends of 2013

Office makeover projects were incredibly popular in 2013. From business welcoming areas like lounges, waiting rooms, and reception spaces, to high end executive work environments for upper management, creating a stylish workplace was a top priority that brought several exciting new trends to life. That being said, today's article highlights the top 10 office makeover trends this year had to offer. Enjoy, and best of luck creating the office of your dreams in 2014!

From start to finish, the use of white leather chairs for office applications was hugely popular. White seating provided interior design teams and consumers alike the ability to create modern spaces with ease. The neutral tone makes for a high class look that's simple to match wood, metal, or laminate furniture to. Brands like Boss, Flash Furniture, and Global have all bolstered their offering of white leather chairs and look for this popular trend to continue in to 2014.

In addition to white leather, another hot chair trend of 2013 was the use of chrome accents. Popular products like the OFM 510-L executive chair are an excellent example of this trend at work. While top selling chair models of the past were commonly highlighted with black polyurethane frames and bases, the use of polished metals has taken over in a major way. This designer look adds class and luxury to office areas like conference rooms and executive work spaces.

In addition to seating, the use of ergonomic products for office applications also saw a major boost in popularity and innovation. No doubt, one of the big winners of 2013 was ESI who introduced super cool products like the Orion series tablet mount with a limitless array of adjustment capabilities. This versatile product allows for both grommet and clamp mount options. The Orion was use regularly in reception areas, cubicles, and lounges. The high tech features of this trend setting item made for ample wow factor and much improved workplace efficiency. Any office professional will tell you that businesses are relying more and more on tablets to assist with everyday functions. Rest assured you'll be sure to see more of these mounting solutions in 2014!

Break rooms, office cafeterias, and bistro areas were amongst the most popular areas to enhance this year. Manufacturers like Mayline and OFM took note of this and introduced a wide range of stylish office tables for break room applications that are sure to make your project a breeze. In addition, the trend of metal based break room tables was quickly brought to life. The industrial look of stainless steel offered design teams the ability to create contemporary gathering areas that really pop! Taking the decorating process a step further saw a huge influx of bar height tables when compared to the more popular dining height models of the past. Needless to say, these office common areas are sure to see another major boost in product offering in the coming months.

The conference room saw a ton of interesting trends emerge in 2013, and while the use of power modules in tables had been growing, this year saw multi media tables become the industry standard. While traditional wood conference tables are still popular for traditional makeover projects, high tech tables are an excellent way to improve meeting quality and productivity. Brands like Global Total Office showcased several new solutions for the boardroom with lines like the Zira collection. With a limitless selection of custom power options available for their Zira Series Boardroom Table models users are able to add HDMI, phone, power, and data outlets to meet their specific business needs. As this trend is still gaining momentum, specking custom power options for your conference room can be a bit confusing. If you're looking to join this movement, we highly recommend speaking with your dealer of choice first to discuss your options.

The conference area trends didn't stop there! Dealers and manufacturers alike saw a large volume of sales directed related to conference tables with metal bases as the modern look was more popular than ever. The appeal of a modern metal base isn't purely aesthetic. This style of table offers excellent durability and can often keep the cost down when compared to wood veneer bases that are far more expensive to manufacture. Products like Alba series elliptical conference table showcase this trend to perfection. The top and base together make for sophisticated look that's sure to wow valued clientele without breaking your budget.

Mocha finished office furniture was also incredibly popular this year. In years past, traditional color options like cherry, maple, and mahogany ruled the office world. However, in 2013 the use of darker tones dominated. Lines like the Brighton Casegoods Collection by Mayline include an excellent variety of products including conference tables, reception stations, desk typicals, and storage products with a mocha laminate option. Other brands like Cherryman industries added this popular option to lines like Verde and Amber. Similar tones such as espresso share the same look and should definitely be considered by those looking to stay on the cutting edge with their office in the future. As a plethora of products are now available with these tones, designing cohesive office areas is becoming a real breeze!

The affordability of laminate furniture has improved it's popularity in a major way. Shoppers on a budget are now more capable of creating designer office areas as top brands have taken note of this trend and offer a variety of new lines designed to provide stylish solutions for those with limited makeover funds. While wood veneer is still the preferred choice for luxury office applications, laminate lines like the Global Total Office Princeton furniture series offer excellent configurations with more custom color options, handle choices, and sizes as the products are far less expensive to make and thus buy. The quality has also seen a major boost in durability and longevity. Once thought of as far less superior to veneer, laminate lines are rebuilding their names as excellent options that won't let users down.

The modular furniture trend is here to stay! The use of open desking, modern cubicles, and executive furniture has all been simplified through the use of modular components that leave businesses room for future growth. Need to expand to accommodate more workers? No problem! Modular offerings like the Mayline e5 Furniture Line can be easily specked and built on to when needed. As opposed to replacing and redesigning entire areas, this cost effective choice is an absolute no brainer. If your business is considering an office revamp, modular lines are the only way to go in 2014. While the initial cost of cutting edge products may be higher, the long term savings are simply undeniable.

Last but certainly not least, the trend of green office products saw a major boost in 2013. More often than not, businesses have been concerned with factors such as indoor air quality and are striving to take a more eco friendly approach to their offices. Manufacturers like Global, OFM, Mayline, and many others are going through the world friendly processes of getting products Greenguard Certified to reduce our overall carbon footprint. These appreciated steps are a great way to take environmentally friendly initiatives in the workplace while setting a trend we can all benefit from. Top selling fabric and leather lounge furniture collections as well as wood desking is being manufactured to the highest eco standards to ensure quality. If you're looking to re design any space of your business, green furniture is the only way to go!

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