The priority in arranging modern offices is to encourage the creativity of employees. In such spaces what’s the most important are the people and their interactions. What helps them are flexible solutions in creating workplace that are based on current needs. Ready for an agile office? Those who like this philosophy will love the new OE1 collection by Herman Miller. This furniture follows our ideas.

Modern offices are flexible spaces. They are meant to provide space for meetings in smaller and larger groups, individual work, and many inspiring casual interactions. It is the possibility of efficient and trouble-free rearrangement of office interiors, as well as the freedom which goes with it, that is an extremely stimulating factor for the employees. What’s important here is the separation of individual work zones, which then could be changed according to needs. For example, modular furniture, mobile walls and easily movable seats would be a perfect choice. Herman Miller new OE1 collection was designed thinking about dynamic changes and the necessity of adaptation in line with the agile philosophy.

Optimisation and integration

The OE1 was designed to allow office workers to experiment with the space. To discover what works at the moment and to change it quickly in the future. The designers, Sam Hecht and Kim Colin of Industrial Facility, scrubbed the traditional systems thinking of office furniture. They created a collection with an agile spirit, which works perfectly in a changing workspace.

“The OE1 is a collection of furniture that will work well in a variety of places and workspaces,” says Sam Hecht. “It really covers various areas, including tables, partitions, storage and technology, where each one affects the look and the functionality of the other”.

The OE1 creates flexible and fluid work environments that adapt to changing goals and personal preferences. It also provides the flexibility so desirable in today’s office space, no matter if we work in a multiperson organization, in a small team, or individually.

“Before, the performance was not associated with employee satisfaction. Goals were for the entire organization, not for individual people. Fortunately, this has changed. The OE1 furniture is designed to create a workspace that positively influences both individuals and the team,” explains Kim Colin.

One minute, one hour, one day

Until quite recently, office interiors were arranged rigidly and for many years. The OE1 allows us to adapt much faster to the current situation. This furniture allows teams to create specific environments just when they need them. A quiet place for individual work can be quickly transformed into a collaborative zone for many people, or into a casual space to meet and exchange ideas. Every element of this collection is designed to be movable and adjustable, creating a place that provides maximum comfort at work.

“When creating the individual elements of the OE1, we applied a step-by-step philosophy: one minute, one hour and one day. This means that if I want to move a partition wall, with the way it’s build, I can do it in a minute. If I want to reconfigure the desks, that will take me about an hour. And if I decide to completely rearrange the office with the use of mobile walls, I can do that, but it will take me a whole day,” explains Sam Hecht.

Not only in the office

The furniture from the OE1 collection does not only use the language of design proper to offices. Many of these pieces can be used in spaces other than offices. For example, a mobile pedestal can be useful in the kitchen or in the bedroom.

“Our furniture will work well in various working environments and in various situations. But it will also prove useful while we’re performing various tasks,” says Sam Hecht.

As the designers highlight, nowadays work is not a place, it is an activity, regardless of the space it is performed in. And the new Herman Miller project serves this idea.

“We have invested a lot of care and love into the OE1 project. It’s all about creating a healthy and friendly workplace. I hope this furniture demonstrates just that,” adds Kim Colin.