Design Helsinki Reimagines Office Furniture
Published 02 September 2022
Finland recently welcomed its newest design fair, and the first business-to-business event in its capital, Design Helsinki (August 24-25). Focusing on the contract market, the show underlined how sustainability and flexibility are central to futureproofing offices for this new era of work. We select the highlights.
- Ingenious Eco Design: A key launch was Textile Tabletop, a new melamine material made of recycled wool and cotton from Danish brand Kvadrat’s offshoot Really. The fabric waste gives it an attractive flecked quality, while also making it highly scratch-, heat- and liquid-resistant.
A standard-sized board can recycle up to 88 T-shirts, while the manufacturing requires no dyes, water or chemicals. The innovation therefore offers a zero-waste and circular concept for office fit-outs to help companies reduce their carbon footprints. - Flexible Futures: Also on show were Swedish brand EFG’s latest collections, which are designed to bring greater flexibility into office environments. The curved seat on its Sela stool can be used in a conventional way, or straddled like a saddle to promote a more active posture. It also comes with a choice of legs, castors, and a rounded rocking base that encourages ergonomic movement.
The combination of an upholstered seat and lightweight frame makes the stool comfortable for longer work sessions, and easy to move around to accommodate agile interiors. - Clever Home Solutions: Contract brands are also pivoting their designs to the domestic market to cater to the rise in working from home. Finnish brand Modeo’s YKH22 desk is comprised of a simple metal frame, a timber tabletop that slots onto the legs, and two wedges that fix the elements together and double as handy storage compartments.
While two screws provide stability, the entire structure can be assembled and disassembled without tools to ease moving home or rearranging one’s space.
Kvadrat Really
Kvadrat Really
Kvadrat Really
EFG
EFG
EFG
 Kvadrat Really |  Kvadrat Really |  Kvadrat Really |  EFG |  EFG |  EFG |
Modeo
YKH22 designer Yrjö Kukkapuro
 Modeo |  YKH22 designer Yrjö Kukkapuro |
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