In This Issue:
The prophet of remote work says go ahead and do your household chores while nobody’s looking.
In this issue… A24 translates the eerie “Backrooms” internet myth into a practical, physical horror set and story. Developers face a renewed construction-cost surge as materials, fuel, and trade pressures threaten project feasibility. Downtown Atlanta’s billion-dollar reset pushes mixed-use revival, but high office vacancy and safety/housing gaps keep tenants cautious. Office vacancy ticks down as teardowns and conversions outpace new builds, yet demand remains soft amid economic uncertainty and AI job fears. Architecture firms accelerate mergers to solve succession, build scale, and adapt to tech and market volatility. NYC’s top-tier offices move toward $300+ per square foot rents as tenants pay for premium light, views, and amenities amid scarce supply. JLL flags that flex workspace can help—until it exceeds ~17% of rentable area and raises financing risk. Southern metros strengthen as small-business hubs thanks to growth, taxes, and coworking. CRE sales fall sharply as borrowing costs rise and refinancing cliffs loom. Actiu debuts a warm, Mediterranean, human-centered Barcelona showroom concept. The U.S. office furniture market is projected to grow steadily through 2031, driven by hybrid work, replacements, ergonomics, and sustainability. Product highlights include mobile wellness/focus pods from Nook USA, Three H’s wall-free workplace zoning system, and J+J Flooring’s watercolor-inspired Color Wash carpet tiles. Top headlines include leadership and expansion moves at McCoy Rockford, scrutiny over ICE office-expansion furniture contracting, and Actiu’s wellness-focused furniture push into the U.S. market at NeoCon 2026. Workspace notes cover compute constraints slowing AI-driven layoffs and research showing frontline workers feel pressured to cut corners without better tools, training, and support.
In this issue… the office market’s reset deepens as construction hits a 14‑year low and landlords lean harder on concessions, while architecture demand stays soft with the ABI slipping to 48.3 (below 50) even as new project inquiries rise. City-by-city signals diverge: Chicago’s downtown pipeline drops to zero, Miami tightens with surging rents, and Boston wrestles with too much obsolete inventory—fueling a record 2027 wave of office‑to‑residential conversions. Capital markets stay choppy as CRE sales fall with higher yields, and workplace uncertainty grows around AI’s impact on jobs and space needs and companies’ push for better utilization data. Industry moves include Workrite’s leadership refresh and partnership expansion to sharpen its future-of-work strategy. HNI draws scrutiny for maintaining its dividend despite a Q1 loss, with analysts probing weak workplace-furnishings demand, cost controls, and growth assumptions. Trends span art-filled offices and integrated interior systems, plus a wide slate of new workplace and education products.
In this issue… major dealer and manufacturer moves lead the week, including APG Office Furnishings merging with OfficeWorks and rebranding, plus leadership change at Bisley alongside a snapshot of its softer FY results and early 2026 improvement; McCoy Rockford plans Texas’s largest commercial furniture showroom in Houston, while Charles Cohen’s D&D Building defaults on a $150M loan amid broader portfolio stress. Workplace and real-estate coverage tracks rising fit-out costs (about $295/sf) and a widening AI-driven split in where tech tenants are leasing, as Atlanta is urged to pause new office construction and CMBS office distress climbs. Design features explore how voice-first AI dictation is making offices louder and how healing design is improving children’s hospitals. Products highlight new launches from Chemetal (metal ceiling systems), DARRAN (Cheval conference/credenza “quiet luxury”), and Matter Surfaces (PVC-free Verlune Arbor flooring), alongside Green Hides naming a new VP to drive design-market growth.
In this issue… HNI reports Q1 results shaped by the Steelcase acquisition and reiterates a path to margin improvement and ongoing synergy savings. Global marks its 60th anniversary, emphasizing its growth into a major contract-furniture player while maintaining a people-first culture and quality-at-scale focus. Lacasse unifies its brands under a single name with a new identity, marketing program, and planned product/collaboration momentum. Actiu accelerates its U.S. push ahead of NeoCon 2026, leaning on sustainability credentials and an expanded rep network. COE Distributing opens a major new Charlotte distribution center/showroom to boost inventory and delivery speed. Product news spotlights Carnegie’s biobased Xorel Luxe patterns, Móz Designs’ illuminated Statement Columns, Encore’s Lapella lounge seating, and HON’s expanded SoCo upholstery with HBF Textiles. Interface posts strong Q1 growth and raises full-year guidance. Office coverage points to uneven stabilization led by premium Class A; LA closes the gap with Austin, and Vornado signals renewed confidence in elite Manhattan. Foam-cost pressure follows a Texas plant disruption, and AI-at-work coverage shifts from experimentation to execution as agents move into daily workflows.
In this issue… the eSolutions (formerly Bush Industries) Jamestown furniture plant closure leads a run of industry disruption, with analysts bracing for an HNI earnings dip. Office real estate coverage says demand has hit a post-pandemic high while vacancy is expected to hold steady as supply wanes; the “move-in-ready” rush is speeding leasing cycles, and LA shows early signs of stabilization. Workplace pieces examine the hidden culture and performance costs of hot-desking, psychological safety gaps between frontline staff and leaders, and what makes a top 1% office worth commuting to. On design and planning, AI is shrinking office space-planning timelines. Product news includes SynSisal tile, kid-scaled modular lounge seating, new multi-use and polyshell chairs, acoustic-lighting pendants/clouds, a sculptural space divider, and multiple NeoCon debuts from DARRAN.
Showrooms Are Opening Up In Fulton Market As Manufacturers, Designers See It As An Alternative To The Mart / 6 Unusual Amenities in a Post-Pandemic Office / What Bosses Really Think About the Future of the Office / Sublease Inventory Declining For First Time Since Start Of Pandemic / and dozens more stories.
Majority Of U.S. Employees Skeptical About Return-To-Work Plans
Pilots + Prototypes: When the Workplace Becomes a Laboratory
The metaverse won’t be able to fix this major work issue. Here’s what will
Kimball International, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2022 Results
Beyond Reservations: How Tech Can Make People Want to Come Back to the Office
More people are staying single—and workplaces need to adjust
Coworking Operators Are Adding Locations, Raising Rents As Market Stabilizes
MassMutual Weighs A Hybrid Work Future As Its Seaport Tower Opens
Why fashion brands are collaborating with dead midcentury architects
Ep. 159: Clever Extra - Innovating for the Future of Furniture Design
Two Companies Offer Next-Generation Solutions for Circular Workplaces
This London startup wants you to rent a pop-up office just like a Citi Bike
Where's my order? Tracing one container through a broken global supply chain
The Future Of Work Looks More Flexible And Independent According To A New Report
Report Predicts Remote Work Trends Will Cause Steep CRE Losses, Problems For Cities
PODCAST: NYC Office Owner Chris Schlank On Tenant 'Hubris' And The Future Of Office
Air quality concerns hindering return to five-day office week
Inside one company’s struggle to fix the “monstrosities” of the furniture industry
Eames Demetrios picks five highlights from Eames Office exhibition 80 Years of Design
Springboard’s DOURO Collection Debuts First Horizontal Working Surfaces
LDI Interiors Launches Three New Patterns To Their EnviroLeather™ Prints "Soiree" Collection
The New Raw 3D prints "zero-waste" Ermis chair from studio's own offcuts
heijltjesakkaya's transforming furniture promotes physical activity in the workplace
Allseating’s Prata Wins 2021 GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Platinum Award
Made in America, The smartBOX Company is Helping Offices Open On-Time and On-Budget
Studio Plow Brings Faire’s Digital Identity to Life at its New Headquarters in San Francisco
The Malin is a New York Co-Working Space for Design-Minded Members
Humanscale Launches Residential Designer Trade Program
DIRTT Third-quarter revenue fell short of expectations as loss grows
Office Furniture Supplier Aims for Record Year Despite Shipping Delays
Flexible workspace provider Uncommon launches first office furniture collection
The office of the future will be a leader-free, social-space
Students are the next target for co-working spaces. Campuses are taking note
Shopify makes a major design industry acquisition
"Woman Made: Great Women Designers" by Jane Hall
The next phase of remote work will be even more disruptive
Here’s what the future of work looks like after COVID-19
Manhattan Office Leasing Hit New Highs In October, But So Did Availability
Workers Aren't Running Back To Boston's Recovering Office Market
Recruitment drive sees majority of firms embed flexible working policies
Remote Work Policies Embroiled in Historic Worker Movement
Herman Miller Dealer Stealer
The ultimate office amenity in 2021? Fresh air
Desperate Office Landlords Are Offering Double Commissions to Brokers
All those people quitting jobs, where are they going?
Announcing the Shaw Contract Design Awards 2021 Winners!
Teknion Introduces WithIn™
Flos introduces Oblique Qi - a compact table lamp with wireless charging base
Zaha Hadid + Karimoku Furniture Collaborate on a Furniture Collection
Recycled plastic REX chair by Ineke Hans is sold with refundable deposit
Spacesmith Creates A New HQ for Nonprofit Legal Provider, NYLAG
Foster + Partners flanks Istanbul Apple store with travertine stone walls
Steelcase Acquires Spanish Design Company Viccarbe
Vinnie Johnson shutters office furniture dealership Airea
HNI Shares Slide As Inflation Bites Into Q3, Margin Shrinks
West Michigan's largest furniture manufacturers to require COVID-19 vaccine
ABI September 2021: Architecture firm billings end the summer on a strong note
Significant Year-Over-Year Growth Across North America - Pipeline Index Remains Robust, above 50%
What Designers Need to Know about Supply Chain Disruption
New Demand for Office Space Drops in September
Designing a Workplace That Optimizes for Movement and Mobility
Soaring U.S. business starts in pandemic show new normal evolving
This is What Hybrid Work Looks Like in Action
Where Flex Fits in the Return to the Office
Covid Acted As A Pivot And Is Bringing New Tech Into The Office World
A burst of technological innovation is reshaping the future of work
How Hybrid Work Will Transform Our Workplaces
Enticing Reluctant Workers Back To The Office Will Test Companies' Leadership
'Stunning' Percentage Of Companies Haven't Set Hybrid Work Plans: EY Survey
Impact of flexible work demonstrates a fragile post-pandemic business world
Employees are designing the workplace of the future
Most remote workers judge how co-workers' home offices look in video calls
Working in an office on Thursdays 4 times more popular than Mondays
The benefits of having dogs at work
WeWork Finally Gets Its Debut as a Public Company Trading on NYSE
Flex Office's Supply-Demand Drivers Point to Further Growth
Returning to the Physical Workplace - What's At Stake?
Future Of Work: Landlords Need To Start Leveraging The Power Of AI, Here's Why.
Chicago's Downtown Office Market's Downward Trend Will Continue For Months As Covid Blocks Typical Recovery
Productivity concerns remain as more people tentatively return to office
Is home working too homely?
Helping the planet one chair at a time
Work-From-Home Successes Prove You Can Live, Thrive in Palm Springs
The Reimagined Workspace: Amobi by AMQ
Tinnef from Scandinavian Spaces Awarded 3 Best of NeoCon Awards - Gold, Innovation, and Sustainability The occasional table is a beacon of what future generations demand from the built environment
Back at the office with noisy coworkers? This privacy hood keeps sounds and nosy people away
Emeco introduces “Truss” collection by Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec
Federica Biasi designs Kokoro Working Box for Manerba
Herman Miller Wants To Put Their Art in Your House As Much As You Do
Normann Copenhagen’s new headquarters-cum-flagship functions as a spatial marketing campaign
Hendy Gives Nogin A Colorful California Office Space
How Younger Workers’ Preferences and Workstyles Will Define the Future Workplace
One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Employees’ Needs Are Changing Work Spaces
Here’s Why Employees at Top-Performing Companies Need the Office
How Working From Home Could Change Where Innovation Happens
5 ways companies are helping employees return to the office
Reimagined office lobbies can serve as shared cultural hubs
Should Your Office Be More Like a Clubhouse? This HQ Makes the Case
Why Technology is Key to Delivering Occupier Flexibility
So what's happening to all the plexiglass we thought was a solution last year?
Texas-based Air Force agency converting to mostly telework in ‘Office of the Future’
How Eco-Friendly Is Remote Working?
Hybrid work attitudes – leadership still face challenges aligning their strategy
VTS To Acquire Workplace Experience Platform Used By Brookfield, Oxford, Hines
Net Office Absorption is Now Trending Positive in Majority of US Metros
The Economic Impact of a Hybrid Office
Goodmans interior Structures becomes Arizona's exclusive distributor for Herman Miller and Knoll
Corporate Interior Systems Establishes Preeminent Partnership with Haworth
New furniture at NeoCon captures today's workplace trends
Configura Wins Best of NeoCon Gold for Stage
10 Questions With… Barber Osgerby
2021 Healthcare Design Awards
Office furniture firm Bisley appoints first creative director
Adela Rex Collection Demonstrates the Beauty + Sustainability of Plywood
This chair style is all over social media—here's how to get one
Koroseal Partners with Stacy Garcia | New York to Launch an Exclusive, Urban-Inspired Wallcovering Collection
MdeAS Breathes New Life into Historic McGraw-Hill Building at 330 West 42nd Street
Take a Tour of Microsoft Australia's Fully Immersive Space By GroupGSA
Office Occupancy Stabilized In Q3, Ushering In The Next Phase Of Uncertainty
The Next Workplace to Bring People Together
NYC Construction Employment To Hit Lowest Level Since 2014
London office market falls thanks to uptake of remote work
NYC Construction Employment To Hit Lowest Level Since 2014
4 ways to navigate your return to the office
A safe and secure workplace as we emerge from the pandemic? Here's how
Organizations prioritize technologies for the year ahead
Knight Dragon’s Kerri Sibson on flexing to the workspace demands of London’s creative class
Will WeWork Work?
The Great Resignation Is Accelerating
Herman Miller’s Design Yard transformation
Try These Cool Alternatives to Traditional Coworking Spaces
Managers can be blind to some of the stresses of home workers
Extremis Openings Permanent Chicago Showroom in The Merchandise Mart
Herman Miller Partners with USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to Explore the Future of Work
The New Hybrid Office Playbook, as tested by SF Bay Area Businesses.
Bank of America 'very focused on getting our people back to the office'
Z-Bar Lighting by Koncept Gets an Upgrade With the Gen 4 Line
Meet the next-generation of bookable work pods
Kimball Introduces EverySpace – A Creative Framework for the Future
Unika Vaev Introduces Four New Acoustic Products from Instyle
Nate: a wooden furniture collection from Brunner and ASK
Mannington Commercial Introduces Amtico Active Lines Collection
Fresh Introductions for Fall. So.Many.Choices.
NeoCon 2021 Trend: Coziness Factor
Snøhetta designs co-working space in Tokyo
Workers Back At The Office At Highest Rate Since Pandemic Began
Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working
Janet Pogue McLaurin On Where Work and The Workplace is Headed
The pandemic changed co-working needs—WeWork and Feather have partnered to meet them
Tangram Announces Strategic Partnership with Symbiote
4 ways to navigate your return to the office
Canadian Design Firm Ivy Studio Is Revolutionizing Contract Interiors
Developers Are Betting On Live-work-play Communities To Attract New Tenants
Remote workers to enjoy increased tax relief, Irish government announces
Emerging Growth Firms Are Driving Manhattan’s Office Resurgence
Considerations for a Truly Multi-Generational Business
Wellbeing, mental health and loneliness become major business concerns
Shift to hybrid working highlights the value of weak ties
Blueprint for Inclusive Workplaces of the Future
How to Make Your Office More Than Just an Office
Maharam Launches Outside In at ICA, University of Pennsylvania
Brands don't prioritise sustainability "unless they see dollar signs" says Benjamin Hubert
Promoting Well-being in the Workplace Using Restorative Design
Return of Office Workers Reaches Pandemic High as Employees Trickle In
What the Return to the Office Will Look Like
Interview with Daniel Stromborg from Gensler about "Mixu"
Wagner Living: "D2" for "Workspace in progress" at the MAKK
Icons of Denmark exhibits new 4T System designed in collaboration with Hee Welling
QUORUM MULTICONFERENCE by Lacasse
Kimball Announces New Product Introductions That Diversify Their Portfolio
AIS Wraps a Successful Show at NeoCon 2021
Announcing the 2021 Best of NeoCon 2021 Award Winners
National Office Furniture Releases New Product Enhancements Tailored to Add Comfort to the Workplace
WallGoldfinger Furniture’s Doko line earns Special Mention in Architizer A+Product Awards
Hightower wins multiple NeoCon awards including ‘Best Showroom’
Design Pool, LLC. Receives HiP Award & Metropolis Likes at NeoCon 2021
Steelcase Hybrid Solutions Receive NeoCon 2021 Awards
Vocon Creates An Industrial-Inspired NYC HQ For Avison Young
Richard Schultz, Designer Who Made the Outdoors Modern, Dies at 95
Ted Moudis Associates Presents New Manhattan Office for Ducera PartnersNew Steelcase CEO sees opportunity in rapidly shifting office furniture industry
Tarkett to Relocate Showroom to Chicago’s Fulton Market
Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working
What to consider when designing the intergenerational workspace
Cisco releases new hybrid work index based on millions of data points!
Amazon (AMZN) Softens Return-to-Office Policy, Says Remote Work Is Fine
What can the workplace learn from lockdown?
Designing for neurodiversity builds healthier workplaces for all
A New Generation of Designers Brings 'Sloppy Craft' to Commercial Interiors
What Corporate Offices Can Learn From The Co-Working Space Boom
WeWork Done Cutting Locations, Projects $1.5B Loss In 2021
Office furniture makers are getting creative about the environment
The Great Office Furniture Reshuffling
Brits shun traditional working hours, favoring flexibility and family life
Boston Mayor Signs Law Requiring All Buildings Over 20K SF To Be Net Zero Within 30 Years
Covid Spells The End For Office Buildings Already On Their Last Legs
Launching the new WELL Enterprise Provider designation in collaboration with IWBI
Herman Miller Group Chicago Showroom at Fulton Market Achieves WELL v2 Gold Level Certification
North America Custom Acoustics Manufacturer Launches Biophilic Moss Design & Engineering Company
3D Printing: Case Study "Lounge Chair Slope" by Oechsler
Philippe Starck Teams Up With Andreu World on Sustainable Seating Line
Keilhauer's New Collaboration With Form Us With Love and More
NARBUTAS Marks Successful Opening of the New Chicago Showroom During Neocon 2021
Ted Moudis Associates Presents New Manhattan Office for Ducera Partners
The clever trick one firm is using to design furniture for the hybrid work era
Open offices failed. These are 6 essentials to make sure the next office doesn’t
Hybrid Offices Come With More Data Privacy Challenges
Hotels Seizing Hybrid Opportunities Dropped by Offices
The next-gen smart office will be built on employee data. Is that what we want?
Future housing will be built to facilitate remote working, say panellists of Aritco talk
No Place Like Home: To Draw Workers Back, Designers Making Offices Look More Like Living Rooms
WeWork's launch with furniture rental company Feather includes local coworking spaces
Shaping the Future of Work: Three stages of transformation
Design history has conveniently excluded women. That’s finally changing
What To Expect When We Return to The Office - Part 2
Disconnect between executives and employees on returning to the office
SPACE, Inc. Awarded $50M Blanket Purchase Agreement from FDA
During NeoCon an Installation Lights Up the Mart
DARRAN's Honey Collection wins Best of NeoCon Competition and NeoCon Gold
Ultrafabrics, global leader in performance fabrics launches Uf Select its first offering made in North America
Our Favorites From NeoCon 2021
Allsteel Receives Four Awards at NeoCon 2021
Hightower Returns to NeoCon With a New, Award-Winning Showroom
See the 8 most amazing sights at Nike’s new LeBron James Innovation Center
LX Hausys America Introduces New Pietra Collection by HIMACS Solid Surface
Haworth forms new partnership with Pennsylvania-based manufacturer Emeco
Bringing home into the workplace: Why offices are embracing domestic design
Trendway focuses on reconnecting people and reactivating flexible workspaces at NeoCon
Gabriel Opens its Largest Showroom Globally in Chicago During NeoCon
See the DreamCube, the immersive spectacle that’s like walking into a video game
A divine spark of inspiration for office occupiers and designers
News, Insights, Research, Trends and Products for Working Spaces.