If you're an office furniture nerd like me, you know that it is almost impossible to separate office photos from the office products inside them. I see a nice office, enjoy the look of it, but instinctually begin looking for what furniture has been used.
Why?
I think the type, brand and style of furniture can tell a lot about what the message the designers and company are trying to convey to staff and visitors. If you're trying to bootstrap a company, $1000 chairs probably won't fit very well inside. But in the correct context, say an investment bank, $1000 chairs might pass along the perfect message.
And as I've been blogging for turnstone for a couple years now, I've seen a proliferation of their products in offices around the world. When I visited their headquarters and heard the story of their products and what they were trying to achieve, it has been fun to see that story make its way into so many offices.
Campfire, Bivi and Cobi chairs are constantly popping up on Office Snapshots, so I thought it would be fun to show off some of turnstone's furniture in real world offices.
Kiva
Kiva is a non-profit that allows individuals to provide micro-finance loans throughout the world where there is limited access to traditional banking programs. When the company moved offices, they wanted a more open and collaborative environment and opted to use turnstone's Bivi desking system for the main work area. Other casual work areas use turnstone's Campfire Ottoman and Campfire Big Lounge. (See the full tour here)
W.L. Gore
W.L. Gore is a manufacturing company that was looking to change their office to a more 'activity based' workplace. The design team used a variety of turnstone products like the Scoop Stool, Campfire Big Lounge, Campfire Ottoman, and the Paper Table to create different settings staff might need throughout the day. (See the full tour here)
Ancestry.com
Geneology company Ancestry.com used several turnstone products in their new San Francisco office. The Cobi Chair is used in various conference rooms as well as at workstations, and the Campfire Personal Table gives staff the ability to work at more informal seating areas (See the full tour here)
College Track
College Track is a nonprofit organization that aims to empower students from under-resourced communities to obtain a college degree. The company used turnstone's Campfire Series to create dynamic tutoring zones throughout the office. (See the full tour here)
Macy's
The New York City offices of Macy’s were recently overhauled and Campfire was used in various areas to create more informal seating areas for quick meetings. (See the full tour here)
Mapquest
Mapquest relocated its Denver headquarters and styled the space to be more youthful and startup-like. The design called for splashes of color and used a variety of Campfire Ottomans to achieve the desired look. The cafeteria area uses the Scoop Stool and Big table to create a bar-height space that is comfortable to quickly meet at. (See the full tour here)
Navis
Shipping logistics company Navis moved to a new office in Oakland, California recently and outfitted many conference areas with the turnstone Cobi Chair around the conference table and Reply Select Chair at the reception area. (See the full tour here)
Skype
Skype's Palo Alto offices use turnstone's Scoop Stool in several applications from a quick meeting spot to counter-height eating areas in the cafeteria. (See the full tour here)
Tangram
Tangram is a Steelcase/turnstone dealer and uses a variety of products in their showroom/office space. The Bivi Desks offer and easily expandable work space and the Scoop Stools work perfectly at a collaborative media conference space. (See the full tour here)
Don't forget to stop by the turnstone Store to pick up what you've seen here.