Following the rapid growth of the Airbnb brand, which forced
them to move offices as many as 5 times over a timespan of just 9 years as they
sought additional space to further expand their team, the founders began to
express frustration at once again having to undergo the arduous task of
shifting bulky furniture from one premises to another. Adding further fuel to
this infuriating fire, the team were forced to splash out on new furniture for
the space, or stick with old pieces that simply don’t fit within the new office,
whether that be for practical or aesthetic reasons.
This provided co-founder Joe Gebbia with an opportunity to
once again make use of his degree in industrial design from the Rhode Island
School of Design, filling a sketchbook with concepts for a brand new line of
office furniture designed to tackle the exact issues experienced by Airbnb.
After meeting with furniture manufacturers Bernhardt, who
subsequently agreed to produce Gebbia’s innovative line of furniture, Gebbia
saw his ideas realised and was able to unveil his collection at the
International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York last week.
So, what exactly earns the collection the descriptor of ‘innovative’?
The primary virtue of the collection, named ‘Neighborhood’, is
the way in which the various pieces connect to form a customisable, versatile,
and lightweight alternative to the typically bulky office furniture offered by
most. The collection uses a variety of upholstered ‘building blocks’ which snap
together in a Lego-like fashion in just about any configuration you desire.
The 38-piece collection is no one-trick-pony however; it has
also been designed to help combat common workplace complains such as a high
level of noise and a lack of privacy. This
is achieved via the use of soft materials in all pieces which helps to absorb
noise, lessening both distractions and eavesdropping. The use of high backs on
much of the collection further helps to deflect noise and keep away prying
eyes, which is stated to be a major concern for those in industries such as
coding and web design.
Sam Bonson
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He is currently
working as a content writer, journalist & editor in an attempt to expand
his horizons.
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