Hightower Launches Boulevard Collection 

Hightower, with brand partner +Halle, has launched the Boulevard collection in the U.S. Designed by Toronto-based MSDS Studio, Boulevard allows users to effortlessly lean in or sit while resting or working.  

During the +Halle annual briefing, teams focused on the theme of dwelling: short rests, daily contemplations, and deep reflections—and the concept for Boulevard was born. Based on the form of a traditional railing, the collection is ideal for perching, a stance that falls between sitting and standing. As someone sits on the edge of a chair or leans against a wall, these relaxed postures allow for a pause. 

Boulevard by Hightower accommodates a range of postures, from leaning to sitting. Photo courtesy of Hightower

Boulevard allows for a brief respite in corporate or hospitality settings. People are constantly on the go, but they still need time to stop and think or take a call. Yet someone may not necessarily want to sit at a desk or book a meeting room, and Boulevard is a more flexible option. It essentially takes the handrail that is around us everywhere, whether standing in line, or sitting, and turns it into a solution,” said Shawn Sowers, director of design at Hightower. The designers looked at these common behaviors and saw an opportunity.”

As a multifunctional collection, Boulevard meets the needs of staff members who want to complete any number of tasks as efficiently as possible, and with a limited number of products to clutter their work area. Post-pandemic work calls for less items to get more done, so as Sowers noted, items that serve many purposes are the first to be specified. Furniture has to do more than one thing, and pieces have to be non-dedicated solutions” he said. This offers seating and space division, which are not usually associated together. So with Boulevard, you’re creating order, but also providing comfort and rest.”

The slim profile and curved options allow users to create seating within traditionally unused space around columns, corners, and walls.

The varied widths and curved options can be used to create custom configurations that fit in a range of areas. And the slim profile enables the formation of seating within traditionally unused space around columns, corners, and walls. By maximizing every square foot available, people can work where they want to, and in a more relaxed way. With Boulevard you can really activate those areas that you might otherwise overlook,” Sowers noted. I think there is a huge opportunity for this in higher education or airports, where people are normally sitting on the floor next to an outlet. It helps to make everyday transactional moments more meaningful.” 

Not only is Boulevard seamless in any interior, there is no learning curve once it is installed. Designed with human movement in mind, individuals of varying body types and abilities easily adjust to any configuration. They can also shift without any discomfort and don’t have to stay in one particular posture. It is intuitive, no one has to learn how to use it or think about it. The commitment level is very low, too, because you don’t have to decide to sit down,” Sowers said. 

With Boulevard, people can shift positions comfortably as they work or take a break.

The collection is also reminiscent of outdoor furnishings like benches or wrought iron railings, with modules composed of a steel base with a powder-coat finish. It’s a refreshing take on the inside-out pieces that are trending in the workplace, blending lounge and desking elements. Boulevard builds upon design that is more common in Europe,” Sowers explained. There are the perch rails in the subway stations or the public spaces, which you don’t see too often here. I think that’s part of what makes it so interesting for our market.” 

Employees who continue to work from home at least part-time want the same comfort they experience with pieces made for residential environments. Sowers said that there is now a desire to work or simply relax in a more fluid way, without the barriers of cubicles or other rigid demarcations. There’s a general movement toward softer design that is not so rectilinear,” he noted. With Boulevard, you are adding fabric to space division. It is interesting because it is a small amount, but it allows a designer to add color, texture, and pattern in a place that might have just had a hard material before.”

More than a series of seating, the Boulevard collection offers accessibility and equity. The expectations about the workplace have changed, and employers are responsible for providing more choices. Boulevard is very democratic. There isn’t a hierarchy of seat types like an armchair or task chair. This is a fluid, blank canvas for people to use as they see fit,” Sowers added.

Boulevard is reminiscent of the outdoor benches and railings seen in Europe.
Boulevard brings fabric and color to space division.
Boulevard can help to create welcoming, more inclusive environments.