In This Issue:
What Remote Work Debate? They’ve Been Back at the Office for a While.
In this issue… commercial furniture and workplace players expand and reposition, with a major dealer rebrand and broader push into new sectors, plus a new ergonomic showroom opening in Sydney and improving distributor sentiment. Commercial real estate wrestles with AI-driven anxiety as brokerage stocks slide, even as some leaders plan to add space and developers move ahead on big New York projects; meanwhile, markets like Austin soften as tenants chase higher-end offices, and UK flexible office demand grows with longer commitments. Workplace research spotlights hybrid work’s potential to support family growth, signs of stabilization in office vacancy as companies upgrade into better buildings, and a productivity crunch driven by meetings and busy work. Design coverage examines why offices are still being designed, how acoustics should balance energy and focus, and how modular rooms can cut cost and carbon; features celebrate Verner Panton, explore “Fourth Place” hybrid learning hubs, and highlight a New York furniture show in an unexpected retail setting. Products roundups include new acoustic PET privacy solutions, expanded outdoor seating, and biobased upholstery and textiles inspired by nature and city skies.
In this issue… Avanto launches Strata, a revolutionary action system for commercial furniture operations, while the industry mourns designer Giancarlo Piretti. Major office market shifts include Anthropic's 484,000-square-foot San Francisco lease and prime office price gains signaling renewed investor confidence. Coworking embraces portfolio discipline. Workplace wellness, smart lighting design, and hypermobile learning environments emerge as key trends. Gen Z navigates social awkwardness at work while Gen X thrives remotely, as device addiction threatens focus and Americans warm to AI automation. Features spotlight Bauhaus's centennial influence, Asia-Pacific's evolving hybrid work culture, Japan's office chair racing tradition, and Steelcase's accessibility initiative. New product launches span Designtex biobased textiles, DEDON's MDEAR modular lounging, Shaw Contract porcelain, Hightower's expanded Arlo seating, HAY's Spring 2026 collection, Herman Miller's Pawson Drift additions, and CBS's Lana ergonomic laptop stand. Home office design shifts toward wall-facing desks for a luxurious aesthetic.
In this issue… ergoCentric acquires Belair Office Products to strengthen market position. Office market shows mixed signals as Deloitte's $2.6B Hudson Yards lease tops NYC's priciest deals, Miami corporates expand aggressively, and venture capital revival signals renewed tech office demand, while lab vacancy dips for the first time since 2022. However, office utilization surges to 53% despite attendance rising only 5.6% with recovery losing momentum. Workplace realities reveal 61% of workers are languishing, employees waste nearly a quarter of work year on low-value tasks, yet most 2025 top leases came from companies adding space. Corporate giants fuel coworking comeback as flexibility becomes the norm. Design perspectives emphasize adaptive workplace design for hybrid era, office lobbies as best amenities, and designing for uncertainty and collective intelligence. Brexit devastates UK design brands, turning "made in Britain" into a costly liability. Product launches include Chemetal's Carve collection, Humanscale's M/Class monitor arms, 9to5 Seating's Cira lounge, and Parador's Flecto flooring. Looking ahead, Gen Alpha sees flexible schedules and remote work as 2040's norm, while 2026 design trends focus on nature, comfort, and biophilic elements.
In this issue, we track continued softness in architecture and nonresidential construction as year-end billings remain below growth territory, projects are delayed, and hiring slows—even as some firms hold onto meaningful backlogs and pockets of regional strength emerge. We examine how coworking, hybrid models, and flight-to-quality leasing are beginning to stabilize office vacancies nationally and in select markets like Denver, while Manhattan enters its next adaptive phase. On the corporate front, we cover showroom expansion and retail-forward strategies, senior leadership appointments, brand recognition at the highest industry levels, and a high-stakes legal fight threatening the future of major design centers. Product and design coverage spans new systems for adaptable, powered, acoustic, and outdoor environments; expanded seating and accessories collections; and lighting, waste, and material innovations with strong sustainability narratives. We also explore how AI is reshaping architecture and workplace strategy, the growing gap between frontline and knowledge workers, shifting remote-work patterns by city, skepticism around the four-day workweek, and the sobering reality of 2025 job losses. Rounding out the issue are features on future-ready workplaces, standout global projects, sustainability funding, notable events and exhibitions, upcoming industry gatherings, awards, podcasts, and a hard-nosed piece of buying advice that applies present-day market logic to vintage design nostalgia.
In this issue… Creative Office Resources pushes further west with its acquisition of HB Workplaces, while DIRTT Environmental Solutions reshuffles its leadership to double down on technology and industrialized construction. An ethics controversy involving a sitting state senator and furniture contracts raises uncomfortable questions about competition and regulation in the interiors industry. Office demand shows renewed momentum, from AI-driven leasing activity in Silicon Valley to declining prime downtown vacancies nationwide, even as nonresidential construction remains uneven outside of booming data centers. Momentum expands its acoustic reach through an exclusive partnership with Autex, as Knoll rolls out a new system aimed at privacy, ergonomics, and flexibility in evolving workplaces. Broader forces—from Elon Musk’s sweeping predictions about AI replacing doctors and redefining work, to microshifting, fashion’s influence on interiors, and the growing case against inflexible corporate real estate—frame a workplace landscape in rapid transition. The issue also includes Office Revolution’s move into Kansas City and much, much more.
