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IIn this issue… MillerKnoll reports stronger sales and a back-to-basics operating strategy, while Poltrona Frau advances transparency with Digital Product Passports and Vitra highlights durable airport seating. Office demand remains uneven but active, from record Midtown rents to high-end flexible suites and changing labor trends shaped by remote work, AI, privacy, employee connection, and data security. Design stories focus on quiet, control, inclusive workplaces, adaptable coworking, and material-led thinking, while product launches emphasize sustainable acoustics, modular seating, refined home-office systems, recyclable materials, and hospitality-ready lounge collections.
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Featuring the Monday Morning Quarterback
Monday, June 29, 2026
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The Latest Buzz about Contract Furniture and the Workspace
from your Monday Morning Quarterback |
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Ghosts of Future Past: How the Industry Killed Its Own Future (part 2)
By the end of Part 1 last week, the conclusion was becoming difficult to ignore. The office furniture industry didn’t fail because it couldn’t imagine the future. If anything, it imagined it too well. It built products for hybrid work before anyone used the word “hybrid.” It created neighborhoods before workplace strategists discovered neighborhoods. It designed systems that balanced privacy and collaboration years before executives began wondering why employees suddenly preferred working from home.
The future wasn’t missing. It was already sitting in the showroom.
The real mystery is what happened next.
Because somewhere between the design studio and the customer’s floor plan, an extraordinary number of remarkably intelligent ideas simply disappeared. They weren’t bad products. Many were commercially successful for a while. Some even won awards. Yet one by one they faded into discontinued catalogs, forgotten brochures and the occasional used furniture warehouse where someone wanders in, scratches their head and says, “This actually looks like something we’d design today.”
Exactly.
The ghosts from Part 1 are not relics because they failed. They’re relics because the industry around them did.
That sounds harsh, but history has a way of stripping away polite explanations. Looking backward, the pattern is surprisingly consistent. Every time the industry developed something genuinely ahead of its time, it collided with an ecosystem that wasn’t particularly interested in being ahead of its time.
The first obstacle wasn’t bad design. It was accounting.
Over the past three decades, workplace decisions quietly migrated away from the people designing offices and toward the people financing them. Buildings became assets. Workstations became depreciable equipment. The workplace itself slowly transformed into a collection of numbers that could be optimized, compressed and benchmarked against last quarter’s real estate costs.
Spreadsheets, unfortunately, have no appreciation for elegant ideas.
They know what something costs today. They’re considerably less interested in what it might save five years from now. Flexibility doesn’t fit neatly into a cell. Neither does employee satisfaction. Privacy is difficult to assign a depreciation schedule. Human concentration has never appeared as a line item on a capital budget.
Products like Resolve, ie, My Studio, A3 and countless modular planning systems asked organizations to think differently about how people actually worked. They weren’t simply collections of panels and worksurfaces. They were planning philosophies disguised as furniture.
That was precisely the problem.
They required different layouts. Different planning logic. Different conversations with clients. Sometimes they even required executives to admit that perhaps the office they’d been building for twenty years wasn’t the office they needed anymore.
Meanwhile, conventional panel systems—and later endless fields of benching—looked wonderfully predictable. Finance departments love predictable. Predictable budgets well. Predictable installs quickly. Predictable specifications can be copied from one project to the next with minimal debate.
Before long, many organizations settled into the same comfortable rhythm. Pick a standard workstation. Freeze it into the corporate specification. Deploy it everywhere regardless of whether it was appropriate. Call it operational efficiency and congratulate everyone involved.
The irony is difficult to miss. Products specifically designed to create long-term flexibility often lost to products that required complete replacement every decade. Apparently the expensive option was the one that cost slightly more upfront rather than the one that guaranteed another renovation ten years later.
Of course, finance wasn’t acting alone.
If you’ve spent any time around architects and designers, you’ve probably noticed something curious. They’re among the most creative people in the project until the client walks into the room.
That’s not criticism. It’s survival.
Architecture and design firms exist in an environment where creativity is constantly negotiating with schedules, fees, liability and clients who frequently begin meetings with the phrase, “Can we just do what we did on the last floor?”
Learning an entirely new furniture platform takes time. Understanding unconventional planning geometries takes time. Discovering why a system like Resolve or A3 actually works takes time.
Time, unfortunately, is almost never included in the fee proposal.
So imagine you’re leading a project. On one side sits a conventional panel system with decades of successful installations, standard details and a dealer who can produce drawings almost from memory. On the other sits an innovative platform that requires more planning, more explanation and almost certainly one uncomfortable meeting where someone in senior management asks why everything suddenly looks different.
The progressive solution might well be the better one.
It is rarely the safer one.
Designers aren’t rewarded for introducing productive uncertainty. They’re rewarded for delivering projects on schedule, on budget and without alarming the client’s vice president of finance. Under those conditions, many revolutionary products don’t fail because they’re misunderstood. They fail because they create friction.
Then comes perhaps the least appreciated character in this story: the dealer.
Some manufacturers love unveiling innovative products under carefully choreographed lighting with inspirational music and dramatic presentations about the future of work. Dealers, meanwhile, are quietly calculating how many salespeople they’ll have to retrain, how many installers will need certification and how many service calls this exciting new future is likely to generate.
Innovation looks different when you’re responsible for making payroll.
Every new furniture platform asks the distribution channel to relearn something. Libraries need updating. Designers need training. Warehouses need different inventory. Installers need different procedures. Quotes take longer. Mistakes become more expensive.
Presented with the choice between selling a mature system that everyone understands and introducing a beautifully engineered platform that creates six months of organizational disruption, most dealers make the same rational business decision.
They’ll build an attractive showroom vignette.
They’ll enthusiastically attend the product launch.
They’ll compliment the manufacturer on its vision.
Then they’ll quietly return to selling what keeps the lights on.
That is how innovation usually dies.
Not with dramatic announcements or public failures, but through quiet omission. The product isn’t mentioned during client presentations. It isn’t proposed as an alternate. It never quite finds its way into the specification. After a few disappointing years, headquarters studies the sales figures and concludes that the market simply wasn’t interested.
History suggests otherwise.
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Herman Miller Resolve: NeoCon 2004
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Steelcase Room Wizard: Orgatec 2004
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By the Numbers
U.S. factory employment fell to a sixâyear low in June despite a rebound in manufacturing activity, as higher operating costs linked to the Middle East conflict and rising rawâmaterial prices forced many factories to cut jobs. While the flash manufacturing PMI rose to 55.7, the highest since May 2022, and the composite PMI edged up, concerns over inflation and supplyâchain strains kept privateâsector hiring subdued, with S&P Global noting the sharpest decline in manufacturing employment since May 2020. |
| Read more > |
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U.S. longâterm unemployment has risen to a fourâyear high, while initial jobless claims fell unexpectedly to 215,000, indicating continued labor market resilience despite seasonal factors and holiday effects. Continuing claims increased to 1.821âŻmillion, and the jobless rate held steady at 4.3%, but hiring remains weak, with the median duration of unemployment extending to 11.6 weeks, reflecting challenges for recent graduates and a cautious hiring outlook amid rising costs and AI adoption.
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"We delivered a strong fourth quarter relative to the expectations we set coming into the period."
- Jeff Stutz, Chief Operating Officer and incoming interim CEO at MillerKnoll |
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World Container Index - June 25, 2026
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$4,166 per container. Spot rates continue to rise, pushing up WCI to a 22-month high.
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The Aeron Used Chair Index
The price of a used Aeron Chair in the SF Bay Area as computed by Craigslist on June 26, 2026 - US $589 (+2.2%) Last week: US $576
The price of a used Aeron Chair in the Chicago Area as computed by Craigslist on June 26, 2026 - US $679 (+3.0%) Last week: US $659
The price of a used Aeron Chair in the Manhattan as computed by Craigslist on June 26, 2026 - US $457 (+3.3%) Last week: US $442 |
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MillerKnoll's New CEO Sends A Different Message: Less Vision, More Execution
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MillerKnoll’s first earnings call following the departure of former CEO Andi Owen felt less like a celebration of a solid quarter and more like a reset. Yes, the company delivered fourth-quarter revenue of just over $1 billion, up 4.4 percent, while adjusted earnings of $0.55 per share topped Wall Street expectations. North American Contract continued to provide stability, retail sales improved modestly, operating cash flow reached $200 million for the year and management reaffirmed plans to continue opening Herman Miller stores. Yet what investors heard was something they had not heard from MillerKnoll in some time: an acknowledgment that simply beating expectations is no longer enough.
Interim CEO Jeff Stutz, a 25-year company veteran who succeeds Andi Owen, repeatedly returned to one phrase throughout the investor call: execution. “Our financial performance is not where we want it to be,” he told investors before outlining three priorities for fiscal 2027—greater operating discipline, tighter cost control and stronger cash generation to reduce debt.
It was a notable departure from the strategic language that characterized much of the Owen era. Rather than discussing transformation, disruption or reinvention, Stutz described a company that already possesses the right businesses but needs sharper focus and better financial discipline.
That change in tone may be more important than the quarterly results themselves. During Owen’s tenure, MillerKnoll invested heavily in integrating the Knoll acquisition, expanding its retail footprint and positioning itself as a broader lifestyle company. Those investments helped diversify revenue, but they also left investors waiting for stronger margins and more consistent earnings growth. Stutz appears to be signaling that the era of ambitious expansion has given way to one of extracting returns from what the company already owns. If you were hoping MilleKnoll would buy your company, look elsewhere.
There are encouraging signs. North America Contract remains healthy despite a reported 10 percent decline in orders that management attributed largely to difficult tariff-related comparisons from a year ago. Company executives said underlying project activity, backlog and customer wins all improved during the quarter, suggesting demand has held together better than the headline order numbers indicate. Retail also continues to perform respectably, with comparable sales rising and Herman Miller stores proving to be productive lead generators for contract customers.
The company’s retail strategy also appears to be evolving into something more financially disciplined. Instead of emphasizing larger flagship locations, MillerKnoll plans to accelerate openings of approximately 1,800-square-foot Herman Miller stores that require significantly less capital and reportedly generate payback in under three years. That reflects a broader philosophy emerging under Stutz: grow, but only where the economics are clearly favorable.
Not everything is moving in the right direction. International Contract remains challenged by weak European markets and macroeconomic uncertainty, while Holly Hunt continues to struggle with leadership, product development and demand. Management acknowledged that recent introductions have failed to resonate and that restructuring efforts remain underway. Those businesses will likely determine whether MillerKnoll can reach the upper end of its fiscal 2027 guidance.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the call was what Stutz did not promise. There were no sweeping strategic announcements, no major acquisitions, no dramatic restructuring plans and no claims that the company would reinvent itself. Instead, investors heard a CEO arguing that MillerKnoll’s future depends less on finding the next big idea than on executing the existing one better.
For the commercial interiors industry, that may be the most significant takeaway. MillerKnoll is entering its next chapter not with another vision statement, but with an operational playbook. After several years of transformation, integration and leadership change, the company appears ready to measure success by margins, cash flow and execution rather than ambition alone. Whether that quieter strategy ultimately produces better shareholder returns will become one of the industry’s most closely watched stories over the next year. |
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ABI Slips to 44.5 As Pipeline For Future Office Projects Weakens Again
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The pipeline that help feeds the contract furniture industry took another step backward in May.
The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index (ABI), one of the most closely watched leading indicators for nonresidential construction, fell to 44.5 in May from April’s stronger reading, marking its lowest level since January. Because architectural billings typically lead commercial construction activity by nine to twelve months, the latest reading suggests that manufacturers, dealers and workplace suppliers should expect fewer office projects moving into production during 2027.
While the office furniture industry often focuses on quarterly order trends, the ABI provides an earlier glimpse of what may eventually arrive in dealer pipelines. A score below 50 indicates that more firms are reporting declining billings than increasing billings. At 44.5, May’s reading points to a meaningful slowdown in design activity rather than simply a market that has stalled.
The AIA attributed much of the weakness to economic uncertainty stemming from the conflict in Iran, which has contributed to higher fuel costs, persistent inflation and growing hesitation among clients considering new construction projects. That caution extended beyond current billings. The inquiries index fell below the 50-point threshold for the first time in four months, while newly signed design contracts dropped to their weakest level since January, suggesting that firms are not replacing completed work with new commissions.
Just as concerning is the deterioration in architectural sentiment. One-quarter of firm leaders now expect billings to decline by at least 5% during the third quarter, up from 21% only one quarter earlier. Nearly half expect little change, leaving only 30% anticipating meaningful growth.
Regionally, firms in the South continued to perform better than the rest of the country, although still below expansion levels. Conditions weakened noticeably in the West, while firms across every major practice area—including commercial, institutional and multifamily residential—reported declining billings.
For the contract furnishings industry, the significance extends well beyond architects’ revenue. Every office building, headquarters renovation, tenant improvement and workplace repositioning begins with architectural design work. When those projects slow at the drawing board, furniture specifications, dealership orders and manufacturer production typically soften several quarters later. The ABI has historically served as one of the industry’s most reliable early warning systems, making May’s decline an indicator worth watching even as many manufacturers continue reporting stable backlogs built from projects initiated months or even years ago.
There were a few encouraging signs beneath the surface. Employment remained resilient across the broader economy, architectural staffing levels were generally stable, and several firms reported finally moving long-delayed projects into active design. Even so, the overall picture remains one of caution. Inflation accelerated again in May, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, and architecture firms increasingly described a market where clients are delaying commitments rather than accelerating investment.
For office furniture manufacturers, dealers and investors, the takeaway is straightforward: today’s ABI reading is less about current shipments than tomorrow’s opportunities. If architectural billings fail to recover over the next several months, the industry’s project pipeline entering 2027 could prove thinner than many companies are currently expecting. |
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For decades, the contract furnishings industry has measured workplace change by the things it could manufacture—systems furniture, ergonomic seating, open plans, collaboration spaces, height-adjustable desks and acoustic solutions. A new report from International Workplace Group (IWG) suggests the next competitive advantage may not be something manufacturers build at all. Instead, it may be the intelligence embedded within the workplace.
In a global survey of CEOs, 36% identified artificial intelligence as the single most influential office innovation in the 300-year history of the modern workplace, edging out laptops and tablets (35%), with video conferencing, wireless connectivity and hybrid work following behind. The report also found that 83% of executives believe recent workplace innovations have improved productivity and collaboration, while 35% said AI has delivered the greatest gains in organizational efficiency. Perhaps most telling, respondents ranked the 2020s—not the era of the personal computer or the internet—as the most transformative decade in office history, reflecting the combined impact of AI, automation and hybrid work.
For the office furniture industry, that finding represents more than another technology trend. It suggests the value proposition of the workplace is shifting away from the physical environment alone and toward what happens inside it. AI may determine how offices are scheduled, occupied, designed, maintained and even reconfigured in real time. Furniture manufacturers, dealers and workplace strategists that continue to think primarily in terms of products rather than intelligent workplaces risk becoming suppliers to a technology-driven ecosystem instead of helping define it. The industry’s challenge over the next decade will not simply be designing better offices—it will be designing offices that make people, and increasingly artificial intelligence, work better together. |
|  allwork.space
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Charles Cohen has resolved a key chapter in his long-running legal battle with Fortress Investment Group, paying off a $187 million personal guarantee that removes the immediate threat of receivership over several of his landmark real estate holdings, including New York’s Decoration & Design Building and the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. While Fortress continues to pursue other claims, the payment preserves Cohen’s control over two properties that have played outsized roles in the contract furnishings industry for decades.
For the commercial interiors business, Cohen’s portfolio extends well beyond real estate. The Decoration & Design Building has long served as one of New York’s premier destinations for luxury contract and residential furnishings, while the Pacific Design Center helped establish Los Angeles as a major West Coast design hub, housing many of the industry’s leading furniture manufacturers, showrooms and design firms. Although questions remain over the D&D Building’s maturing loan and declining occupancy, the settlement removes the immediate uncertainty surrounding two of the industry’s most recognizable design centers. |
|  businessofhome.com
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Poltrona Frau Introduces Digital Product Passports for Iconic Seating Collection
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Luxury furnishings manufacturer Poltrona Frau has launched a Digital Product Passport (DPP) program for its iconic Vanity Fair and Archibald seating collections, becoming one of the first furniture manufacturers—and the first within Haworth Lifestyle—to implement the technology ahead of anticipated European regulations. Beginning with orders placed now, customers will receive an NFC-enabled digital certificate providing verified information about each product’s materials, origin, manufacturing process, authenticity and care.
The initiative reflects a broader shift in the furnishings industry toward greater product transparency and lifecycle management. Beyond serving as a certificate of ownership, the Digital Product Passport creates an ongoing connection between the customer and the manufacturer through maintenance information, after-sales services and authenticated product records. Developed with the Aura Blockchain Consortium and technology partner Temera, the platform is expected to expand across Poltrona Frau’s entire product portfolio by 2030, positioning the company ahead of upcoming European Digital Product Passport requirements expected to reach the home furnishings sector later this decade. |
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Chris Force Reflects on Lessons From Paved States At NeoCon
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Following the debut of the Paved States exhibition during NeoCon last month, design publisher Chris Force has shared a candid look at what he learned from nine months of collaboration with Haworth and Studio Urquiola. The exhibition, which explored the future of design through installations, discussions and experimental programming rather than product sales, became the backdrop for Force’s observations about the American contract furniture industry.
Force argues that while companies such as Haworth, HNI and MillerKnoll dominate the global workplace market, European manufacturers continue to own the design narrative. He suggests the industry’s greatest opportunity lies not in building better furniture, but in communicating its design story more effectively. His essay also examines strategic focus, the value of creative collaboration and why some of the industry’s most important ideas should exist outside purely commercial objectives. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, the article provides an insightful behind-the-scenes perspective on one of NeoCon’s more talked-about installations. |
| Read Chris Force's Article on Substack > |
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Vitra highlights the long-standing use of its Meda Gate seating system in major international airports, emphasizing its durability, comfort, and lowâmaintenance design that has performed reliably for over a decade in highâtraffic hubs such as Hong Kong, Seattle–Tacoma, Munich, and Brussels. Designed by Alberto Meda, the system’s widespread deployment across diverse terminal types showcases Vitra’s commitment to functional, userâfocused publicâspace solutions that support efficient passenger environments worldwide.
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|  www.interiordaily.com
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The exhibition “What the Surface Remembers” at Milan Design Week 2026 showcased Wilkhahn’s WiChair as a materialâfocused design, juxtaposing an industrial steel version that reveals manufacturing traces with an oxidised version that embodies the passage of time. By collaborating with artists AyaâŻSasakura and FrankâŻSchinski, the show highlighted steel’s sculptural potential and its capacity to record environmental influences, reinforcing Wilkhahn’s “less is more” philosophy and demonstrating how thoughtful material choices can create durable, adaptable, and aesthetically compelling seating solutions.
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|  www.stylepark.com
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In 2025, about 34.9% of fullâtime U.S. workers (roughly 32.5âŻmillion) worked from home at least part of the day, a slight increase from 33.4% in 2024 and well above preâpandemic levels. The rise is modest but continues the postâpandemic trend toward hybrid and remote work, especially among highly educated employees—56.7% of those with advanced degrees worked remotely versus only 19% of highâschoolâeducated workers. Despite employer pushes for office attendance, remote work remains common, though the average time spent working from home has declined since its 2021 peak.
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|  allwork.space
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Office workers increasingly feel disconnected, with 56% wanting closer colleague connections and 39% reporting loneliness, while 60% maintain personal distance to preserve workâlife boundaries. Meetings have become the primary interaction point, yet many miss spontaneous contact that builds trust. GenâŻZ shows the highest conflict, desiring deeper bonds but often hiding their true selves. Leaders are urged to improve communication, feedback, empathy, and fairness to foster genuine workplace relationships and boost retention and performance.
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|  allwork.space
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Excelsior by Stark Office Suites offers premium, fully serviced office suites in Manhattan’s prime trophy buildings, targeting established professionals—such as boutique finance firms, lawyers, and solo consultants—who need highâend private space without a traditional lease. The market for such premium flexible offices is growing rapidly, driven by a shift toward assetâlight strategies, increased demand for quality environments, and the desire for prestigious addresses, leading operators like Stark to provide secure, highâquality workspaces that bridge the gap between massâmarket coworking and costly longâterm leases.
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|  propmodo.com
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Male labor force participation in the U.S. has been steadily declining, falling from 76% in 2006 to 69.5% recently, with historical peaks at 86.4% in 1950. Researchers attribute this drop to factors such as reduced construction jobs after the Great Recession, increased videoâgame use, and broader economic shifts, but a new study highlights childhood exposure to weak wages and high unemployment as a key driver: men who grow up seeing limited job prospects develop pessimistic expectations, leading to longâterm lower participation. The research suggests that shaping positive work expectations during formative years could be more effective than laterâlife policy interventions in reversing the trend.
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|  allwork.space
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Meta paused its internal employee activity tracking program, which captured mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes for AI training, after data security concerns surfaced about unencrypted storage and broad employee access to sensitive information. The pause follows a highâpriority security incident report highlighting exposure of personal tax, medical, and performance data, and the company is investigating the issue while the tool remains active for some users.
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|  allwork.space
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AI has not yet significantly affected overall U.S. employment or wages, according to a European Central Bank study, which finds that while highârisk AI substitution jobs fell by about 4% between 2019 and 2025, lowârisk jobs grew by 13%, shifting the employment share from 35% to 33% for highârisk roles and from 23% to 25% for lowârisk roles, with no major impact on wage growth observed so far.
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|  allwork.space
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Congressional Democrats are urging the Trump administration to explain when and how the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) will be reinstated after its 2025 cancellation, emphasizing the survey’s importance for gauging employee engagement, workplace conditions, and morale across the federal workforce. They seek details on the 2026 survey’s timeline, questions, and data collection methods, noting that the absence of the survey leaves a critical feedback gap during a period of significant federal workforce changes.
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|  allwork.space
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The future coworking space will shift from deskâcentered design to a motionâfirst environment where AI helps people move seamlessly between focus, collaboration, and meetings without being anchored to a single desk or screen. Workspaces will be organized around the intent and context of tasks—quiet, teamwork, or hosting—offering the right mix of space, access, and services on demand, while desks remain available but no longer dictate the layout. This approach enables operators to design for fluid movement and outcomes, creating a workplace that matches how people actually work in motion.
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|  allwork.space
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Today’s most interesting products at NeoCon were not desks, task chairs or conference tables. They were the growing collection of pods, privacy booths, acoustic furniture and architectural sound-management systems that acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: the open office never really solved the problem of concentration. After years of chasing collaboration at almost any cost, manufacturers have begun treating privacy as a core workplace amenity rather than a luxury. The latest introductions reflect an office that must simultaneously support video calls, focused work, spontaneous collaboration and the diverse sensory needs of a workforce that increasingly expects the same level of comfort and control they discovered while working from home.
The category has evolved well beyond the telephone booths that first appeared a decade ago. At NeoCon and Design Days, manufacturers showcased everything from fully equipped work pods with integrated lighting, ventilation, power, reservation systems and camera-ready backgrounds to modular meeting rooms that can be assembled, relocated and reconfigured as easily as furniture. Others took a softer approach, introducing high-back lounges, winged sofas and movable seating that functions as “soft architecture,” creating visual and acoustic separation without permanent walls. Companies also demonstrated sophisticated acoustic panels, sculptural ceiling treatments and felt architectural elements that double as design features while reducing noise. The common thread was flexibility. Nearly every solution acknowledged that today’s office must adapt continuously as organizations rethink how space is used, making portable furniture-based solutions increasingly attractive compared to traditional drywall construction.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Chicago was that workplace privacy is no longer simply about reducing noise. It has become a broader conversation about wellbeing, neurodiversity and giving employees greater control over their environment. Manufacturers increasingly spoke less about acoustics and more about creating spaces that help people think, recover from overstimulation and choose the setting that best matches the task at hand. In an industry that spent years celebrating openness, that represents a significant philosophical shift. The office of 2026 is not abandoning collaboration. It is finally recognizing that collaboration works best when people also have somewhere quiet to escape it. |
|  allwork.space
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Investors Are Learning Design Alone Is Not Enough
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Companies have spent the past several years pouring money into premium office finishes, hospitality amenities and collaborative layouts in an effort to attract employees back to the workplace. But new research suggests that those investments may fall short if workers do not feel they have meaningful control over the space. Writing recently in The Wall Street Journal, University of Virginia professor and design researcher Leidy Klotz argues that employee “agency”—the ability to adapt and personalize the workplace—is a stronger driver of engagement, productivity and retention than design alone. For landlords and investors, the implication is that the next generation of high-performing office assets may be defined less by how polished they look and more by how easily tenants can reconfigure them.
Klotz contends that offices should function as adaptable tools rather than finished products. Features such as movable furniture, flexible layouts, adjustable lighting and temperature controls, and clear policies that encourage employees to use and reshape spaces all reinforce a sense of ownership. He also argues that involving employees in workplace planning produces stronger outcomes than imposing top-down designs. For commercial real estate owners, the research highlights a growing competitive advantage for buildings that accommodate change through flexible infrastructure and lease terms, allowing tenants to create workplaces that evolve with their workforce rather than remaining locked into a static design. |
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Inclusive design goes beyond compliance, focusing on how physical workplaces affect employee wellbeing, performance, and retention. By addressing daily frictions—such as poor acoustics, lighting, layout, and inflexible furniture—organizations can create environments that support diverse needs, reduce stress, and foster psychological safety, leading to higher engagement and lower turnover. Implementing inclusive design requires collaboration across disciplines, genuine coâdesign with users, and moving past tokenistic measures to embed accessibility and flexibility throughout the building fabric.
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|  www.designinsiderlive.com
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Actiu’s NeoCon Debut Draws Strong Interest From U.S. Designers And Dealers
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Spanish contract furniture manufacturer Actiu appears to have accomplished exactly what it set out to do at its first NeoCon, introducing itself to the North American contract furnishings market. The company’s showroom at THE MART remained consistently busy throughout the four-day event, attracting a steady stream of architects, designers, dealers, and end users curious about a manufacturer that, while well established in Europe, is largely new to the U.S. market.
Among the products generating the strongest interest were the Arkitek seating collection, Meetia collaborative furniture, and the Qyos task chair.
Visitors also spent considerable time discussing Actiu’s sustainability credentials, including its B Corp certification and LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum-certified manufacturing facilities, as owners and designers continue to place greater emphasis on verified environmental performance.
MMQB observed that Actiu’s showroom was one of the better-attended first-time exhibitors during NeoCon, with traffic remaining strong from opening through closing. That level of interest suggests the company arrived at an opportune time, as dealers and designers continue searching for differentiated manufacturers that combine contemporary European design with competitive commercial products.
The North American contract furnishings industry has always benefited from new international competitors, and Actiu looks poised to become a welcome addition to the marketplace. With more than five decades of manufacturing experience and distribution in over 90 countries, the company now turns its attention to building dealer relationships and growing its U.S. presence following what appears to have been a successful NeoCon debut. |
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The 2026 NeoCon Talks highlighted five key insights: invisible disabilities affect many people, prompting designers to adopt compassionate, researchâdriven approaches; sound and color can work together to enhance wellness through vibrant acoustic installations; inclusive design must address the whole self, integrating sensory, cognitive, and psychological needs; neurodiverse individuals require more than openâplan spaces, needing environments that feel safe and lowâstimulus; and circular design succeeds only when projects shift from linear to collaborative, earlyâstage reuse planning, inventorying existing spaces, and engaging manufacturers in takeâback programs.
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|  design-milk.com
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Herman Miller introduces Aeron Refurbished
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Herman Miller has officially entered the refurbished seating business with the launch of Aeron Refurbished, a program that restores pre-owned Aeron chairs to factory standards before reselling them in the U.S. and Canada. The company says each chair is inspected, cleaned, repaired with original parts where necessary, and backed by a five-year warranty.
The move is being positioned as both a sustainability initiative and a way to make the iconic Aeron more affordable. Herman Miller says the program will source chairs through corporate, government, education, and dealer partners, giving surplus seating a second life instead of sending it to landfills.
While the announcement is significant because it comes directly from the original manufacturer, the concept itself is hardly new. Independent refurbishers have been rebuilding Aeron chairs for decades, and manufacturers including Humanscale have operated factory-backed refurbished seating programs for years. In that sense, Herman Miller is less creating a new market than finally joining one that has already proven there is strong demand for professionally restored premium office seating.
For MillerKnoll, the program also represents another step toward participating in the lucrative secondary furniture market rather than leaving that business entirely to third-party refurbishers and used furniture dealers. |
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LINAK’s DF4 Frame Targets the Next Generation of Flexible Workspaces
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As workplace design continues to blur the lines between corporate offices, collaborative spaces and home environments, furniture manufacturers are looking for products that can adapt just as quickly as the spaces they support. LINAK’s new Desk Frame 4 (DF4) has been developed with that challenge in mind, offering a height-adjustable platform that combines a slim, contemporary profile with commercial-grade performance.
Designed for both workplace and residential applications, the DF4 supports loads of up to 400 pounds while integrating user controls directly into the frame to create a cleaner aesthetic. The system can be specified for everything from individual workstations and conference tables to home office desks and height-adjustable dining tables. LINAK says the frame’s kit-based packaging also reduces shipping volume, helping manufacturers improve logistics while supporting sustainability initiatives.
Rather than simply adding another height-adjustable base to the market, the DF4 reflects a broader shift in furniture design toward adaptable products that can serve multiple functions over their lifetime. For manufacturers and designers, the result is a platform that simplifies production while providing greater design flexibility for workplaces where adaptability has become as important as ergonomics. |
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Arper’s new Cari seating combines a generous, recyclable polypropylene shell with soft, glueâfree upholstery, offering a balanced, comfortable design that suits both work and hospitality environments. Its modular options—varying bases, casters, and glides—allow flexible configurations for meeting rooms, offices, lobbies, and lounges, while its disassemblable construction supports sustainability through easy refurbishment and material recovery.
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|  www.officing.com
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Cosme is a new lounge collection by Mark Grattan for HBF that blends residential comfort with commercial durability, featuring sculptural forms, flangeâwelt detailing, and mixedâmaterial legs. Available in oneâ, twoâ, threeâseat lounges and an ottoman, it offers replaceable back pillows, contractâgrade textiles, and options in wood veneer, marble, solid surface, or upholstered leather, while meeting BIFMA standards and indoorâairâquality certifications for sustainability and longevity.
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|  www.officing.com
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Hightower has introduced Stanza Tables, expanding its modular Stanza Collection with three height options (20", 16", 14") that can include optional integrated planters, flatâpack, toolâfree assembly, and full recyclability. The tables are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, certified Indoor Advantage Gold, Red Listâfree, BIFMA compliant, and come with a 10âyear indoor and 2âyear outdoor warranty. They offer over 20 powderâcoat colors, adjustable planter trays for pots up to 9.5" diameter, and are designed to enhance biophilic, flexible interior solutions.
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|  www.officing.com
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Ludovica Mascheroni's new home office system, Doge, blends Italian luxury craftsmanship with functional design, featuring natural oak structures, cognac leather accents, and integrated LED lighting to create a balanced, organized workspace. The collection includes a central desk, modular bookshelf, executive chair, and complementary pieces like wall lamps and swivel armchairs, all emphasizing refined aesthetics, ergonomic comfort, and high-quality materials for sophisticated home working environments.
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|  www.officing.com
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Spinneybeck launches Søuld Fragments, a modular acoustic wall tile made from recycled Danish eelgrass offcuts, offering a 0.70 noise reduction coefficient, sustainable circular production, and versatile design for hospitality, work, and residential spaces.
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|  www.officing.com
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Shaw Contract has launched the Cult Classics collection, featuring 18âŻ×âŻ36âŻin. carpet tiles and coordinating broadloom available in three styles and twelve colorways, made with solutionâdyed EcoSolution Q® nylon and EcoWorx® BIO backing for carbonâneutral, Green Label Plusâcertified performance. The line includes modular tiles, seamless broadloom, custom rugs, and upcoming LVT and porcelain options, all backed by a commercial limited lifetime warranty and designed for durable, timeless commercial interiors.
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|  www.officing.com
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The OUGI collection by Keiji Ashizawa Design introduces a series of dining, lounge, bar, and club seating that emphasizes rhythm, repetition, and spatial awareness, drawing inspiration from the architectural principles and the traditional Japanese folding fan. Designed to work cohesively, the pieces feature tapered wooden legs, soft upholstery, and subtle concave details, offering a blend of warmth and structural elegance suitable for both domestic and hospitality environments.
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|  www.officing.com
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The Phone Booth by ROOM offers a wellâdesigned, privacyâfocused workspace that excels in acoustic isolation, airflow, videoâcall readiness, and durability while maintaining a compact footprint and sustainable materials; its magnetic door, builtâin power and connectivity, and motionâsensorâcontrolled lighting and fans provide a comfortable, energyâefficient experience. Reviewers highlight its strong adoption likelihood across users, operators, and designers, backed by multiple safety certifications and a fiveâyear warranty, though it does not achieve total sound silence, and a heightâadjustable desk is suggested as a future improvement.
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|  allwork.space
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The Herman Miller Aeron is the most popular chair in the world...and this company just made the weirdest accessory for it! Is it any good?
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|  youtu.be
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B&B Italia has reissued Richard Sapper’s iconic 1984 Nena armchair, preserving its lightweight, flexible design that can be easily opened, closed, and hung on a wall for spaceâsaving use, while highlighting the continued relevance of Sapper’s experimental approach to modern interiors.
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|  www.interiordaily.com
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The Spielbein chair concept by Peter OttoâŻVosding draws inspiration from soccer terminology, featuring an asymmetric design that extends the seating surface toward one side, allowing chairs to connect like a bench while retaining individual backrests. This approach addresses the bulkiness of traditional benches by offering flexible seating arrangements, and the author suggests exploring a stackable version of the design.
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|  www.core77.com
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Node &âŻLoft is a modular charging ecosystem created by LAYER for Daily Objects, featuring the Node system with interchangeable wireless charging modules and a portable lamp, plus the Loft desktop charging station with fast USBâC and mains ports, all designed with sculptural, arched forms and a cohesive visual language.
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|  www.core77.com
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Deadgood’s new “Lollipop” chair, inspired by a lolly stick, blends playful timber design with robust construction and ENâŻ16139 testing, making it suitable for diverse highâtraffic spaces. The brand expands its range with a flexible Folk sofa, the HB Table collaboration, and Wall’s End partitions, all showcased in its refreshed Clerkenwell showroom. Introducing a Design Conformity Furniture Passport, Deadgood provides transparent carbonâfootprint data via QR codes, emphasizing circularity, sustainable sourcing, and durability across its product line.
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|  www.onofficemagazine.com
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NeoCon 2027 / DesignDays 2027
June 13-16, 2027 | Chicago, IL
NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry since 1969. A launch pad for innovation—NeoCon offers ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future. For 2027 NeoCon is officially a 4-day event beginning on Sunday, June 13, 2027.
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Trends in Commercial Projects
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CAA’s new Nashville office, designed with CannonDesign, creates a versatile 75,000âsquareâfoot campus for 160 employees and a wide range of clients, offering workspaces, private conference rooms, a music listening lounge, sports bar, wellness rooms, speakeasies, and a central social hub that reflect Nashville’s music and sports culture. The project was divided into about ten microâprojects, each treated uniquely to form an integrated ecosystem that supports agents, assistants, talent, and visitors while showcasing the city’s heritage.
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|  www.fastcompany.com
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IA’s new Seattle office applies nine Harmonic Principles—especially “Sensory Richness”—to create a humanâcentered, biophilic workplace featuring 3Dâprinted, bioâbased furniture, reusable elements, and adaptable zones that boost wellâbeing, flexibility, and sustainability.
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|  metropolismag.com
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Studio Ha/Wa transformed a 530âsqâŻft underused break area in a Toronto law firm into a 685âsqâŻft multifunctional lounge that blends residential comfort with commercial durability, featuring distinct zones for coffee, work, meals, and events, a warm oak ceiling, durable materials, and thoughtful styling to create an inviting, adaptable returnâtoâoffice space.
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|  design-milk.com
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Cubitts has transformed a 140âyearâold Victorian stable in King’s Cross into its new headquarters, The Yard, integrating design studios, a factory, a training academy, and the only centralâLondon spectacleâmaking workshop. Led by 51 Architecture, the renovation preserves historic brick, cobbled floors, and timber while adding modern features such as a doubleâheight atrium, mezzanine canteen, optical laboratory, colourâblocked interiors, and a stainlessâsteel kitchen, creating a unified space where frame design, lens glazing, repair, training, and archiving coexist under one roof.
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|  www.dezeen.com
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Maxime Heckel, frontend software engineer from France now based in NYC, works at Linear while exploring WebGL, shaders, and graphics programming.
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|  www.workspaces.xyz
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1990s Vintage Herman Miller Resolve Workstation
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The Pitch: 1990’s vintage herman miller resolve workstation with privacy panels. There are have several workstations (used) some minor scuffs on the surface. Note electric wiring and outlets do not come with the station. Located in Valley Springs, CA. $699 per station.
Buying Advice: Cubicle Farms Are Back. And This Time They’re A Bargain.
Every few years the design world discovers something it spent the previous twenty years trying to forget. Bell bottoms. Wood paneling. Vinyl records. The office furniture industry isn’t immune either, which brings us to a rather surprising bargain: a 1990s Herman Miller Resolve workstation currently offered for $699.
Yes, a cubicle - of sorts.
Before you close the page in horror, hear me out.
When Herman Miller introduced Resolve at the end of the 1990s, it represented a genuine attempt to rethink the traditional cubicle. Instead of endless gray walls that looked like they had been borrowed from a government tax office, Resolve used lighter structures, suspended components, privacy screens, and a more open planning philosophy. It was designed during that optimistic period when everyone believed technology was about to make work more collaborative, more creative and, somehow, more enjoyable. We all know how that turned out.
Resolve became historically significant because it marked Herman Miller’s transition away from the rigid Action Office paradigm that had dominated workplace planning for decades. It anticipated many of the ideas that would later define flexible workplaces: adaptable layouts, shared spaces, lower visual barriers and furniture that could evolve instead of being demolished every five years during another “workplace transformation.”
Ironically, after companies spent fortunes ripping out systems like these in favor of long communal tables where everyone could enjoy each other’s phone calls, many businesses are quietly discovering that a little privacy wasn’t such a terrible idea after all.
The example being offered today appears to be in good original condition with only minor surface wear. Measuring 68 inches wide by 28 inches deep and standing 29 inches high, it includes the original privacy panels but none of the electrical wiring or power modules. Frankly, that may not be a bad thing. Anyone who has ever tried tracing twenty-five-year-old office wiring hidden inside modular furniture knows it ranks somewhere between root canal surgery and assembling Scandinavian furniture using instructions written entirely in hieroglyphics.
Would I buy one for my dining room? Probably not, unless Thanksgiving dinner has become unusually competitive. Would I buy several of them if I were starting a small business, outfitting a law office, insurance agency, accounting firm or customer service operation? Absolutely.
At $699 per station, you’re purchasing furniture that originally cost several thousand dollars and was engineered to survive decades of commercial abuse. Herman Miller didn’t build these to last until the next lease renewal. They built them to survive coffee spills, office politics, copier jams and the occasional manager who believed reorganizing the office every six months counted as strategic leadership.
Today’s obsession with residential-style office furniture has also had an unintended consequence: genuinely durable commercial systems have become remarkably inexpensive on the secondary market. That’s wonderful news for entrepreneurs who care more about function than Instagram aesthetics.
The truth is that good office furniture doesn’t suddenly become bad because design trends changed. Resolve remains intelligently engineered, highly configurable and built to a standard that most inexpensive imported office furniture can only dream about.
My advice is simple. If you’re furnishing a business rather than trying to impress an interior designer, this is one of the better values you’ll find. Sometimes the smartest purchase isn’t the newest thing on the showroom floor. It’s the one everyone else has forgotten.
At $699, I’d call these an easy buy.
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Apple has spent $545.2âŻmillion over the past year to acquire multiple office properties in Silicon Valley, boosting its footprint in a highâdemand market. The locations benefit from strong leasing resilience, increased investor confidence, and the appeal of wellâlocated, highâperforming assets, which continue to outperform broader market trends despite cautious capital deployment.
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|  www.globest.com
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HLW Appoints Co-Studio Directors to Lead New Jersey Office
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HLW announced the appointment of Christopher Townsend and ErinâŻVasold as CoâStudio Directors of its NewâŻJersey office, highlighting their extensive experience and leadership in architecture and design. Their combined expertise will drive business development, mentorship, and growth for the regional practice, reinforcing HLW’s commitment to innovative, clientâfocused solutions.
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Nevers Industries Expands National Sales Network with Three New Representative Partnerships
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Nevers Industries announced three new independent sales representative partnerships—Integrity Contract Office in New England, Beall & Co covering Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas, and Wallin Marketing Services in South Texas—to expand its national sales network and enhance local support for its commercial furniture solutions across the United States.
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MillerKnoll Recognized as One of 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the United States by Points of Light
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MillerKnoll was named a 2026 CivicâŻ50 honoree by Points of Light, recognizing it as one of the nation’s most communityâminded companies for the second year, and also as a Sector Leader in Consumer Discretionary. The award highlights the company’s integrated communityâengagement efforts, including the MillerKnoll Foundation’s support of nonprofits, global volunteer events like Global Day of Purpose, and programs such as WeCare that provide holiday gifts to underserved youth. The recognition underscores MillerKnoll’s commitment to using design and corporate resources to create lasting social impact.
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Unika Vaev Expands Exclusive Wilsonart® Collaboration with Over 300 Digitally Printed Patterns
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Unika Vaev has expanded its exclusive collaboration with Wilsonart®, adding over 300 new digitally printed patterns to its acoustic product line, greatly increasing design options for architects, interior designers, and specifiers seeking highâperformance, visually striking solutions. The expanded collection, building on the successful 2023 launch, is now available on select acoustic wall panels and ceiling tiles, reinforcing Unika Vaev’s commitment to innovative, sustainable acoustic design.
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Sid Meadows Launches CORE Foundations, a New Industry Onboarding Program Designed to Accelerate Success in Contract Interiors
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Sid Meadows launches CORE Foundations, a structured onboarding program for new professionals in contract interiors, offering fourteen concise, podcastâstyle modules, practical tools, worksheets, pricing resources, and an optional live officeâhours component. The program aims to accelerate industry fluency, boost confidence, and reduce rampâup time, helping newcomers become strategic, engaged contributors faster while improving retention. See more at: www.corefoundations.co
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The advice stresses that social media criticism of a company’s brand should not dictate personal career decisions; instead, focus on internal factors such as learning opportunities, manager respect, growing responsibilities, fair compensation, and genuine excitement for the work. If these internal indicators remain positive, the noise from external opinions can be ignored, whereas legitimate concerns like poor leadership or misaligned values warrant consideration of new opportunities.
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Senior Sales Executive (Director / VP Level)
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Lacasse is seeking an accomplished senior sales executive to lead growth initiatives across the United States. This strategic leadership role will be responsible for accelerating revenue growth, expanding market presence, and strengthening relationships with our sales partners and key accounts.
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| See Job Opening > |
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Open Plan Systems is seeking an accomplished National Sales Director to lead strategic growth across the United States by expanding the company’s dealer network, strengthening key contract relationships, and identifying new market opportunities. This high-impact role is ideal for a proven sales executive with deep contract furniture industry experience, strong partnership-building skills, and the ability to combine strategic vision with hands-on execution to deliver measurable revenue growth.
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| See Job Opening > |
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Industry Leading Partners + MMQB
Times are changing and navigating the uncertainty of business isn’t for the meek. AIS is here to help you every single day.
A family-owned company that has developed into a market-leading manufacturer of high-quality components for the office chair, lounge furniture and automotive industry since 1969. Bock supports their customers as a holistic specialist partner and manufacture both standardized and individual solutions made of polyurethane, various plastics and aluminum according to your requirements.
COE Distributing is a national office furniture distributor with a passion for creating inspiring work environments. A family-owned business since 1947, COE sources high-quality office furniture with forward-thinking, well-planned design from around the globe. Based in southwestern Pennsylvania with distribution centers in North Carolina and Texas, COE boasts an enthusiastic team dedicated to delivering the right solutions for our customers.
Donati is dedicated to manufacturing for the world’s best furniture brands.
We enable our industry clients to develop and distribute outstanding product in terms of innovation, quality and sustainability.
At KiSP we create, develop and provide client-facing solutions to manufacturers, dealers, interior designers and customers in the office furniture industry. During our 30 years in the industry, our solutions have created revenues where they never existed, added value to the services you provide and established greater loyalty between you and your customers.
Founded in 1956, Lacasse is a North American leader in the design, manufacture, and service of a wide range of high-quality furniture for all types of business and institutional environments. With a strong commitment to innovation and operational excellence, Lacasse is determined to help organizations reveal human potential.
Landscape Forms is the industry leader in integrated solutions of high-design site furniture, advanced LED lighting, structure, and custom environments.
Mamava is a women-founded company that designs and manufactures freestanding lactation pods and related solutions that give breastfeeding parents private, comfortable spaces to pump or nurse at work and in public places. Their mission is to transform the culture of breastfeeding by providing dignified lactation spaces, digital wayfinding tools, and resources that support both parents and the organizations that serve them.
NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial interior design industry since 1969.
N9NE Furniture Group is a leading office furniture distributor with a nationwide presence covering the entire US. Our commitment lies in providing comprehensive office furniture solutions that prioritize customer service, affordability, sustainability and ergonomic design without compromising on style. At N9NE, we believe in creating workspaces that inspire productivity and comfort while reflecting the latest trends and industry standards.
Sunon is a global office furniture and workspace-solutions manufacturer founded in Hangzhou, China in 1991, known for ergonomic seating, workstations, desks, storage, and integrated commercial interiors. With manufacturing bases in China and Mexico, plus a dealer and showroom network spanning more than 130 countries, the company focuses on healthy, flexible, and sustainable workplace design for modern offices. Its products are used by major global clients and reflect a mix of large-scale manufacturing, R&D-led design, and accessible contemporary styling.
Life is an adventure……and adventures are best experienced with family. At Wyatt, this motto is how we live, how we work, and who we are. Wyatt is a family-owned business that manufactures high quality office seating and ships it to customers all over the country. We believe that everyone deserves a great chair, and our seating line is aggressively positioned to help make that happen. |
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