Kimball Office Introduces Bauhaus-Inspired KORE by Swiss Designer Daniel Korb

The challenge in designing a new piece of furniture is always to stay fresh and to offer something, well, new to customers who increasingly need their furniture to do more for them.

KORE, launched this week by Kimball Office, is a comprehensive furniture collection designed by award winning product designer Daniel Korb. Designed for simple human needs and to add value to both work and living environments, KORE was inspired by and embodies the best of the Bauhaus Movement design principles, experienced through the lens of the 21st Century.

KORE is composed of conference, occasional, mobile and standing height tables; mobile cart solutions; and benching systems complete with storage, privacy screens and technology options. The product portfolio also encompasses all necessary elements for privacy, media integration, and sharing and learning solutions.

The collection was imagined for offices, conference rooms, work lounges and learning environments; and while that may seem like a tall order to fill with just one collection, the simplicity of KORE indeed makes this possible.

Bauhaus Design found its beginnings after World War One, a time when people were looking for something that would move them forward into a light, new world. In this way, the Bauhaus Movement embodied a changing world that incidentally triggered a changing environment. In designing KORE, Mr. Korb employed Bauhaus Design’s modernity and simplicity of structure to 21st century needs.

“We wanted to apply Bauhaus thinking to move forward. Today, that changing world is driven by technology, and human beings have to adapt to that with new environments,” said Mr. Korb. “Create the right environment, and you create the right state of mind.”

As an architect, Mr. Korb says he designs from a holistic point of view:

“We don’t use furniture in isolation, on its own. Furniture is architecture on a different scale. It is structure, surface, form, volume, hue.”

Mr. Korb designed KORE to be rooted in simplicity of form:

“It’s not another bench – the bench was not a starting point. Simplicity was the starting point. My thinking is very basic. If something is not simple, it doesn’t happen. If it’s too complex, people won’t use it. We often forget or overlook the basics.”

But, simplicity is a huge challenge, and it competes with many other factors.

“You want choices and diversity as well as simplicity, and those are contradicting targets.”

 

Aesthetically, KORE is clean and malleable – a collection that can shift and drop into new and existing environments with ease. In shaping KORE’s aesthetic, Mr. Korb focused less on the Kimball portfolio (although it does fit quite seamlessly), and instead zeroed into designing for the customer – and every type of customer.

“The collection has a certain timeless, modest quality so that it integrates and adapts well,” said Mr. Korb. “A table from KORE will fit well in a monastery in Germany, an old brewery, or a modern office.”

KORE’s comprehensive makeup enables users to adapt and change their environments to suit their needs. The collection’s tables are about as versatile as you can get – designed for conferencing, benching, learning and lounge functions, and available in six tabletop shapes, six frames, a variety of heights (occasional, working and standing-height), and mobile options.

Mr. Korb distinguishes KORE as the strongest structured benching system he’s designed thus far.

“It’s important to separate structure from surface – the surface must come second. Part of the challenge is stripping down the structure so that it’s most efficient. People see new benching all the time, but what’s behind the design, and underneath the bench, can be surprising.”

Mr. Korb also noted the importance of injecting added value into a new design.

“That’s an abstract concept, but you must be able to layer values on top of each other. It must look great, work great, and be sustainably made.”

How do you prioritize dozens of competing needs – privacy, flexibility, collaboration, focus – in designing new solutions?

“Forget furniture for a moment, and focus on the environment. There are hundreds of needs, and they all make sense. The needs will change, and so you must think about a full range of scenarios. Enable the user to create their own environment.

To that end, KORE’s mobile options are super fresh. The collection includes 10 types of mobile cart options with a range of built-in functions, including seating, storage, markerboard, media screen capability, wardrobe, and basic privacy screen options.

 

Mr. Korb is a person equally full of conceptual thinking and real-world practicality. He believes furniture is much more than a tool, but his understanding of that notion pulls from an innately pragmatic place:

“Our first layer of contact is clothing, and the second layer we come into contact with is furniture.”

If you have a chance to chat with Mr. Korb at the Kimball Office showroom during NeoCon, do take advantage. Talk to him about KORE, about design, and about the human condition.

“I think I am not an architect of Switzerland, but an architect of happiness.”