The seasons are starting to change, there’s a wild election around the corner, and who knows how long we’ll all be social distancing. Change has become our constant, and we can barely keep up. Despite delays in development and production and other various aspects of the design process, new products are continuing to make their way through the pipeline. And as we head into fall, we’ve collected a few of our favorite new things in the textile and furnishing worlds. From Unika Vaev, new wool felt rugs…from Okamura, an automotive-inspired task chair…from Maharam, a bundle of new upholstery and contract textiles…and ootBox, a brand-new company jumping into the portable workspace game. Enjoy!
>Fraster Rugs Felt Rug Collection x Unika Vaev
Unika Vaev in collaboration with the Danish company Fraster have extended their wool felt rug collection, offering nine new patterns designed by Trine Neve. The Unika Vaev brand strikes a perfect balance between beauty and acoustic function, and the new wool felt rug designs follow suit.
“The wool felt rugs minimize noise distraction to create a better work environment while adding beauty to your space. Felt rugs are both firm and dimensionally stable; even if you place the rug in front of a sofa or in a high traffic area, it will not shed or tear. The rugs are sound-absorbent and will improve the room acoustics. The wool felt is water-resistant and very easy to clean.”
The collection, now available in nearly 70 rug patterns, also includes custom designs that allow you to cut the felt in almost any shape you’d like. Company logos can be added using contrasting colors or by cutting into the rug itself. Visit unikavaev.com for full details.
>Okamura’s Finora Task Chair, designed by ITALDESIGN
Engineered by Okamura, Finora was created by Italdesign, a company rooted in the complexities of automotive design. Inspired by classic automobile styling, Finora’s “precision meets soul in graceful symmetries and clean contours, creating a chair that brings the beauty of lightness with full features for any workplace. Every component of Finora is designed to combine style and functionality in one sleek form. The backrest sweeps in a simple curve, gracefully integrating the armrests. Adjustment mechanisms are tucked neatly under the seat. Thinness and light unite to make an understated impact. The streamlined design is confident in character and elegantly upscale.”
The flexible backrest and 4-D arms adjust to your body, creating a comfortable seating experience. The decorative panels are available in chrome, black, or white – all with a gloss finish to contrast with the matte mesh finish.
Finora’s backrest and seat are constructed from a proprietary matte mesh that is translucent – visually barely there, but engineered for strength and durability. Choose from mesh or standard seat fabric, available in 14 colors. The seat can also be upholstered with an upgraded curated selection of fabrics for a sophisticated look. To learn more, visit Okamura.com.
>September textile introductions from Maharam
The September introduction from the Maharam Design Studio focuses on texture and includes a little bit of everything. Upholsteries feature renewable materials like cotton, linen and wool, and three new contract styles – Flint, Hearth and Linden – are characterized by intricate, woven structures that “play with the tension between pattern and texture.”
The Upholsteries: Woven in Italy by a hundred-year-old, family-owned resource, Wide Corduroy is a velvet featuring cotton wales of amplified scale that can be perceived as both texture and pattern. Taut Linen is a fine, unadorned texture woven in Belgium by a resource that creates linens for artist’s canvases. A tight plain weave emphasizes the fiber’s refinement and slight irregularity. In Linen Basket, weighty yarns form a sturdy yet organically varied basket weave. A mineral palette highlights the long staple fiber inherent to linen, playing up its luster and dimensionality.
The Contract Textiles: Flint’s jacquard woven structure plays with the tension between pattern and texture. This graphic contrast is further highlighted by the combination of a downy chenille with a glossy filament yarn. Woven on a cotton warp, Hearth’s irregular structure causes the wool blended fibers to bloom at random intervals, generating an organic and supple surface. Linden blends a multicolor boucle with a fine chenille to form a mossy texture that is both refined and lush. Areas of alternating density and openness create a distressed look.
Maharam has a great video introducing each new textile, and it’s the perfect way to get acquainted – check it out here.
>ootBox
ootBox is the creation of Robbie Friedman and Allison Zofan, who were looking to reinvent expectations for a temporary, productivity space. ootBox, standing for “Out Of The Box”, is a temporary, portable, and shareable workspace concept that officially launched in June 2020. “Providing a ‘third place’ or ‘escape’ for anyone, ootBoxes give users a comfortable, leasable space that is delivered straight to any property on-demand.”
From ootBox: “Beautifully designed and fully equipped with HVAC, furnishings, and flooring, ootBox was conceptualized to inspire users to get creative and be productive. All you have to do is plug it into a traditional outlet and get to work! Designed with a large window, provides easy access to the surrounding nature.”
“Made from traditional 10-foot traditional shipping containers, ootBoxes can be deployed anywhere for just about any application from parking lots and coffee shops to university campuses, shopping centers, medical facilities and other public spaces. ootBoxes are the perfect option for commercial outdoor spaces looking to offer employees flexible outdoor work solutions or additional space to socialize with coworkers.”
ootBoxes have a minimum lease term of two months, with pricing ranges from $500/month to $1,500/month. The company also offers a day rate for special events. Beyond a set of standard features, customers can choose to customize exterior branding and palettes, interior wall materials and colors, flooring, and furniture configurations. Currently, ootBoxes are solely a rental solution and are not for sale. Learn more at www.getootbox.com
