Is the Walkstation a waste of time and effort?

The sedentary nature of office work is certainly a down side, I would not deny that. However, walking while using a computer does not seem that productive either - and that is what the Walkstation allows. It must be hard to concentrate and get the same quality of work if you are constantly moving at the same time. I appreciate the need to be more active, but I just don't think that this is the answer.

Also, just think of the cost! Setting up even a few of these workstations is likely to upset the balance sheet. My suggestion is to install a mini gym, or subsidise gym memberships for staff. Perhaps set up a walking club for lunchtimes and after work, or arrange team sports. There are better ways to be more active than gimmicky gadgets that take up room and resources.

Crane influenced office blocks

Rheinauhafen harbour is the location of some interesting new office blocks. Three distinctive high rise buildings have been constructed and have been named Kranhäuser, meaning crane houses, due to the distinctive design. The shape is in keeping with the docklands location which enables them to fit with the heritage of their surroundings. It is definitely an interesting way to fit the commercial buildings, with the industrial backdrop. At night, the lighting transforms the buildings into a striking feature on the landscape.


For more images, please visit Design Spotter

How low can your office chair go?

The priority placed upon making working positions comfortable has increased in recent years. Complications such as RSI and Carpal Tunnel syndrome have been factors in this, and every year staff suffer back problems with the root cause being a bad office chair. When you consider the amount of time that can be spent in this chair every day, it soon becomes clear that those who do not invest in good furniture, are putting the health of their employees at risk.

A Japanese company thinks it has finally found the answer to this problem, although I am sure it doesn't come cheap. The company, named Okamura, suggest that office chairs should be low to the ground. The seat they have developed, the Luxos, reclines making it more like driving a race car than typing a report, but who am I to question; I have not had the pleasure of trying it out yet. Legs can also be raised with a matching foot stool which can be moved around on casters.

They look just as smart as any other top end office chair, yet the shape is distinctly different. And if you are looking for a specific colour, there are a fair few swatches to choose from. The stool makes the difference in getting the position just right, but I would worry that I was getting a little too comfortable - hell, I may as well be at home in my armchair. But if the body is relaxed, then the muscles are not likely to get tense, and that has to mean less health problems. It certainly makes sense in principal. There is lumbar support and pretty much everything on this product is adjustable making it work for you as an individual.

Let me know what you think. Have you tried one of these low reclining chairs?

10 desks that make working more stylish

A good desk is arguably the most important part of any office. I opt for a combination of space and style but functionality is also important. My own desk is covered in leather which makes a perfect surface as it is both comfortable and easy to clean. Drawers that open and shut quietly are an added bonus. Most people don't have the option of choosing their desk at work, but you can take your pick when it comes to your home office, depending on the price of course.

See some desks that caught my eye below. There should be one to suit everyone's taste.

Perhaps a little flamboyant for some tastes, this silver leaf Mahogany desk with curved legs is nice but pricy at £4300.

The space around this Wolfgang C. R. Mezger designed desk makes it appear to float at the corners. Grey and dark wood make it a masculine piece, but sleek and stylish all the same.


This modern desk by Milk is height adjustable, meaning the ultimate comfortable working station. There are also some quirky options like the rectangular, goldfish tank.


If you are after a space saving option, then this is it. Neat, sleek and unobtrusive but with a price tag of £3152.


This retro desk could be mistaken for a vintage dressing table. The chunky, shiny finish makes me want it for my own home office.


The MisoSoup Design's K Workstation is all about lines. The flexible lines create an interesting shape and there is space up top to throw all those books you own.

If traditional is more your thing, then the Santa Barbara Desk by Dansk might be ideal. This is solid, sturdy and classic with plenty of room to work.


Minimalistic styling is the selling point of this home desk. An aluminium frame and glass top make for a clean design and reflective finish. You will hardly know it is there at all.


The Scriba desk is delicately styled with curved edges. Claudio Bellini designed the drawers so applied pressure is all that is used to open them.


The Kinzo Air furniture shown above has futuristic angles and sleek white surfaces. Modern and fresh; I love it.

Feel free to comment below with your favourite from the selection of furniture above. If you don't like any of my choices, let me know what your dream desk would look like.

Moss in the office and a lawn on your desk.

Are the usual, dead office plants starting to get to you? There are some alternatives which are a little bit quirkier and more modern. How about some lawn for your desk or even using moss to create an indoor garden. This is sure to improve the Feng Shui factor. But it isn't just about keeping the staff happy, it also makes a good impression on clients or customers visiting your workspace.


This patch of lawn was conceived at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel as a way to combine nature and architecture. Although They don't appear to be on sale anywhere, it is a great idea. With some water and sunshine this little patch of grass would not take too much looking after.

Talking this idea one step further, is this office interior using a biodegradable moss planter. The look is lush and fresh and vastly different from most corporate spaces. This 'bringing the outdoors inside' is an aim that many designers try to achieve, but not necessarily as literally as in the image above.


Your office showers could even have their own moss bath mats. So what do we think? Is it inventive, or eco gone too far?

[via Inhabitat]

Barneys bigger flagship store hits the windy city

What does a department store do when sales have slumped and times are tough? Double the floor space of their Chicago outlet of course. Barney's have recently opened a 7 floor, 90,000 sq.ft. space with a green roof garden and penthouse restaurant overlooking the lake. Sounds like heaven to me. They haven't moved far though; the old store was just across the street, but at just 52,000 sq.ft. they now have masses more selling space which I hear is organised by lifestyle rather than department.

Barney's have moved the usual fragrance and beauty section away from the front door and replaced it with handbags, jewellery and women's accessories. The motivation for this is not clear, but it would certainly make for a more relaxing environment on entering the building. The building is also LEED certified which ticks the green credentials box, something which is becoming increasingly more important.

[via Men.Style.com]

Workplace slide a waste of money?

Creative Space Management were the company behind a helter-skelter installed in a workplace in Sheffield, UK. Now though, a backlash against this workplace gimmick is happening; mostly due to the sheer cost of the slide.


The 85ft slide can not be used by members of the public on the grounds of 'health and safety'. If they did, I am sure the company's insurance would not cover them. Sheffield council have defended using £91,500 of public money to put in the slide because of the amount of international publicity it has generated. But questions are being asked as to whether this has had any positive effect on business in the area.

In this difficult financial time, some people just can't stomach the fact that almost £100,000 has been spent on what has been shown to be a publicity stunt, rather than going on projects to benefit the city. Lets hope that the rest of the office space in the building is let soon. I am sure that, with the open day that is planned this summer, it won't take too much to generate some more interest.

[via The Star]

More like this...
The office that thinks it's a hotel
Tea break inspired desk accessories
Are workplaces to blame for bad posture?

National Office Week

National Office Week™ 2009 (N.O.W), the annual fixture for the UK’s 1.8 million offices, will be taking place on May 11th - 15th. Maintaining its status as the number one marketing programme for office professionals N.O.W. will be championing brand leading office products, supplies and services and is this year supported by BIC, Oxford, Pritt, Sellotape, Tombow and Your M&S for Business N.O.W is, once again, teaming up again with GorgeousOffice.co.uk to give-away prizes, including:

• Privilege pass to the 100-a-day gorgeous give-away with prizes from BIC, Oxford, Pritt, Sellotape, Tombow and Your M&S for Business
• Free nursery care for office workers
• Free travelcards & Free ‘rounds in the pub’
• Free ‘team building’ surfing weekend in Newquay
• Free office makeovers
• + Over 30,000 free product samples

To qualify for the free 100-a-day gorgeous give-away which begins at 9am 11th May office staff can sign up for free membership at www.nationalofficeweek.com. With its strapline ‘making office life gorgeous’ N.O.W. 2009 is bringing the products, services and messages directly to an office near you via regional road-shows across the UK. As well as helping to make office life more gorgeous, (not to mention greener, healthier and more informed) there will be an abundance of branded goodies, promotional & support material, plus lots of topical and general information available. Gorgeous Office membership is free and affords:

• Access to a new £50,000 prize fund including Free Nursery Care, Free Travelcards, Free Taxi’s, Free ‘Rounds in the Pub’ – and plenty more!
• A privilege pass to the 100-a-day gorgeous giveaway, your passport to the regional road-show and goody bags from the partners
• Guaranteed samples and exclusive promotions from the 2009 partners
• Monthly advice and support to save company money, instigate green policies and improve internal communications.

Both National Office Week and Gorgeous Office can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.


More like this...
The office that thinks it's a hotel
Are workplaces to blame for bad posture?
3 things that make a great home office

Nancy Gonzalez opens sophisticated, accessible new store

An expression of sophistication and accessibility, exoticism in a welcoming and artful environment. That is the description of the newly designed store for Nancy Gonzalez in South Korea.

Nancy Gonzalez , synonymous for creating beautiful bags that both work and enchant, opens its first shop in The Galleria, Seoul, South Korea (shown below). This venture is a partnership with Commonwealth International who also operates the Manolo Blahnik Business in Korea. The Galleria Department Store welcomed designer Nancy Gonzalez as the store officially opened on April 20th.


Nancy Gonzalez tapped interior Designer John Rawlins, who is widely known for his role of Director of Store Design at Bergdorf Goodman and Architect Christopher Rawlins to undertake the project. “A primary design-mandate was to include a sense of lighthearted wit in a subdued manner allowing for the product to be the hero yet remain completely accessible”, says Nancy Gonzalez. Every detail has been thought out, the glass cubes casually stacked and skewed house the colorful and luxurious product.

The shop is open on three sides, customers are always face to face with product whether they are inside or outside of the shop, which furthers the notion of accessibility. The most iconic feature of the shop is the “Jungle-Wall” made out of gold cardboard by Demetrious Argyropoulos and Johanna Burke. This sight-specific art installation alludes to the exotic pedigree of the Nancy Gonzalez brand to create a memorable and enchanting experience beyond that of which can be gained from shopping.

Work Space Style thinks the light, bright and open environment puts a potential customer at ease and encourages movement around the space. The high value put on designing this space, is likely to reap strong rewards in terms of the sales of the stock on display.

More like this...
A New HQ for fashion retailer New Look
Swiss architect scoops $100,000 Pritzker Prize
The office that thinks it's a hotel

The office that thinks it's a hotel

5 star hotels are designed to ooze luxury, so seeing that same style reproduced in other places is not unexpected. One such example is the office space occupied by Deloitte Consulting in London. Project Managers, Symonds Group, have created a workspace that fits a very specific brief along with architects Mackay & Partners. Most staff at the company are not permanently based in the London office, so the space has to work as a giant hot-desk, with employees able to book work areas in advance over the internet.

The result is 5 floors and 14,000 sq metres of flexible working space for a mobile workforce. The sleek, modern and inviting interior makes for a place that staff will want to come home to. Sharp design and innovative lighting make this space feel miles away from the daily grind. Take a look at some of the fab images below.


[via Arch Daily]

More like this...
Are workplaces to blame for bad posture?
Swiss architect scoops $100,000 Pritzker Prize
A New HQ for fashion retailer New Look