But designers also have the opportunity to more fully shape a space through these smaller details.
Magnuson Group, a family owned and operated company headquartered in Woodridge, IL, is carving a nice niche for itself in what it calls “support furnishings.”
The company was originally co-founded by George Peterson in 1925 as Vogel-Peterson, specializing in coat racks and garment storage. A few transitions along the way eventually led to the family starting the Magnuson Group name in 1982.
Now, through its many partnerships with small-scale family European design companies and a top-drawer customer service operation, the business is growing. Last year at NeoCon, it debuted 75 new products, and in 2015, it will add 35 new product offerings. Its customer service wing will double in size this year as well.
Now in its fourth generation of family ownership with Chairman Peter Magnuson, Magnuson Group continues to expand its offerings in 25 product categories, including: waste receptacles, shelving, outdoor waste receptacles, planters, stools, poster display, information and graphic display, IPAD display, brochure and leaflet holder, magazine racks, hooks and hangers, coat trees, coat racks, desk accessories, umbrella stands, pictor showcases, occasional tables, foot rests, moveable screens, mail sorting equipment, crowd control, ashtrays, message board, CPU carts, and division 10.
“This product is never going to be the biggest part of a project, but it’s all we do,” said Magnuson Group President Kelly Quackenbush. “It’s what we focus on and research and hone.”
Waste receptacles, of which Magnuson Group has 20 families, now represent the largest volumes in the company, followed by coat racks and visual communications products. And while the receptacles product category might fail to make designers swoon, Magnuson Group is working diligently to transform it into something attractive that designers want to care very much about.
“It’s garbage, but it’s also sustainability,” said Mr. Quackenbush. “Recycling standards and goals are constantly shifting, and end users often have very specific ideas about how they want to handle recycling.”
He noted that over the past three-to-four years, designers who want to have their fingerprints throughout the entire space are increasingly specifying waste and recycling receptacles.
“A lot of this product is off the radar,” said Mr. Quackenbush. We’ve grown a lot, but only where we can find early adopters. Most design projects still don’t have receptacles in them, but we feel that is changing.”
Interior designers are Magnuson Group’s primary target audience, and the company listens to and works closely with interior design firms to better understand what they need, what the market is missing, and what could be done better. In some instances, the partnership goes even further.
In a unique relationship with interior design firm Whitney Architects, Magnuson Group collaborates with Q Design, a product development group within Whitney made up of six people, half of whom are interior designers. Magnuson Group’s UMEA waste receptacle line is one result of the collaboration.
Endless customization options for its waste receptacles allow Magnuson Group to provide interior designers with a unique solution for clients looking to update their recycling and trash practices, whether it be a college campus, mall or workplace.
“Once our type of product is spec’d on a project, it often then becomes the standard for the entire company, campus, or space,” said. Mr. Quackenbush. “When it comes time to update the items over time, in a refresh project for example, or if the company is saying it wants to figure out its approach to waste management, our product is an excellent solution for standardizing their efforts.”
Magnuson Group also works with dealers to make a space move-in ready. In addition to proposals for specification, it provides a list of additional items not in the spec, but necessary for move-in. And with no order minimums, the range of projects the company accommodates is endless.
At NeoCon 2015, Magnuson Group will show 35 new products, including outdoor seating and tables, a family of planters, coat racks, and new finishes for many products, most notably 3M’s DI-NOC for application on its steel products. Outdoor seating and tables will be a new venture for the company.
“Outdoor seating is still a niche product, but it’s getting dangerously close to mainstream,” said Mr. Quackenbush. “In our outdoor furnishings, we want to focus on great, punchy design, pops of color, and a great price point.”
The CELES Table is a minimalist European-design. It is an unusually durable auxiliary contract table suitable for exterior use, in a choice of three heights and four finish colors. And OM BASIC is an exterior armchair also suitable for interior applications. Available in a choice of six colors, OM BASIC was designed to be weatherproof and is 100% recyclable.
Also on tap this year is CREPE, a new family of freestanding plant pots for use either indoors or outdoors, in a choice of two heights and two widths.
By industrial designer Victor Carrasco of SpainMagnuson Group’s showroom at the Merchandise Mart is on the 11th floor. Best of luck to the team at NeoCon!