Each year, the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design awards hundreds of product designers with their prestigious Good Design awards. Acknowledging a wide range of categories such as sports, technology, medical devices, graphics, children, transportation, household and personal goods, tabletop products, finishes such as wallcovering and flooring, kitchen appliances, and bath fixtures, among others - the awards recognize not only the year's best new industrial design but also graphics and environmental design. The Good Design awards are intended to illustrate the best examples of design innovation for products and graphics. The jury, comprised of well-respected authorities on design and product development from several disciplines, bestowed six awards on Steelcase and sister companies Turnstone, Coalesse, and Werndl this year, which is no small achievement.
The six products receiving top honors are as follows:
Elective Elements 6 by Steelcase
Elective Elements, a line of freestanding wood casegoods, has been in the Steelcase line for a long time. A few years ago version 6 was launched to incorporate a more flexible and modular system, which could bring EE (as it's known) out of the private office and into the open plan work environment, as well as keeping up with current trends. This year, Steelcase was honored for it's new enhancements to EE6. Product refinements are essential to keeping a furniture line relevant and never becoming obsolete, and this award clearly recognizes that.
Big Lamp by Turnstone, part of the Campfire Collection
Turnstone, Steelcase's more budget-oriented sister company geared for home office/small office and start-ups, introduced the Campfire Collection this past Neocon. The Campfire collection was inspired by the interaction and sharing of stories that happens, well, around a campfire. A range of seating, tables, and desking products are part of the line - but the one most talked about is the Big Lamp. And yes, it's pretty big, to serve as a canopy, defining destination zones in open office plans.
Denizen desking and storage system by Coalesse
Coalesse's launch of furniture for Work/Life is apropos, since nowadays work and life is one giant blur and there is no hard separation. With the design of Denizen, residential-looking modular casegood pieces combine in different ways to create endless configurations for desking and storage. This is furniture that is easily at home in an office setting or a residential one, with a specific mid-century aesthetic.
Ivy Collection by EMU for Coalesse
Last year, Coalesse hooked up with Italian outdoor furniture manufacturer EMU to launch a large collection of instant icons as part of the Advanced Collection. Working with five designers, the Ivy Collection was designed by Paola Navone and inspired by the mass and forms of topiary. Made of steel that is powder-coated and treated to withstand outdoor weather conditions, this large scale collection fills a void in the market of sculptural outdoor furniture that is thoroughly modern.
Another EMU outdoor collection, this one called Heaven designed by Jean-Massuad, is comprised of tubular steel and woven wire mesh. The collection consists of generous-sized chairs, tables (both occasional and dining height), ottomans, and vases - which in our opinion are quite dramatic and stunning.
QiVi Chair line by Werndl for Coalesse
This is the only winning product that is not available in the US, and is only available in Europe. The QiVi line of seating is part of Werndl, which is under the Coalesse umbrella. The line consists of Task, Conference, and Guest chairs with a perforated back that flexes and thin upholstered pad seat, designed by Brodbeck Design out of Munich. Maybe now that is an award winning chair line recognized by the Chicago Athenaeum, Steelcase and Coalesse can bring this to the US?




Nice chairs . These are looking too good and having some extra feelings after sitting on this chair. I like this type of chair.
Computer Office Chairs
Posted by: Michael Lumb | July 21, 2011 at 04:58 AM
Steelcase does put out some nice lines of used office furniture. It's no wonder they have been in business for so many years.
Posted by: Used Office Furniture Scottsdale | July 27, 2010 at 05:20 PM
These furniture are absolutely perfect for the office. Love the designs, so classy!
Posted by: NY Office Furniture | July 26, 2010 at 03:59 AM
I was just browsing about articles on our new product and happened upon this great article promoting campfire. I was surprised that I didn't find this before, but nonetheless, thanks for the great shout-out for campfire!
- Turnstone Intern
Posted by: Alex George | May 04, 2010 at 09:00 AM
Modern furniture comes with different kinds, types, styles, designs, colors and sizes. So, you have to be able to pick the ones that will suit your home best.
================
Home Theater Furniture | Theater Seating
Posted by: Home Theater Furniture | April 06, 2010 at 02:29 AM
Nice to see Steelcase get the credit they deserve. They have always been a leader in office furniture design.
Posted by: Furniture Stores | February 28, 2010 at 12:49 AM