It’s no secret that today’s employees are looking for a workplace that puts out the welcome mat and pulls them in. Where the office feels less formal and more inspired. Where work doesn’t feel like work, and getting things done is easy.
Steelcase teamed up with its newest partner, modern home furnishings leader West Elm, to develop West Elm Work Greenpoint, a line of residentially-inspired furniture that includes private office, benching and storage solutions. West Elm Work Greenpoint complements the curated selection of ancillary products launched last fall designed to create inviting, hardworking spaces away from the desk.
Being comfortable can make us think of sink-into-me sectionals, plush area rugs and homey accent tables. Because 77%* of global office workers have their own personal workstation, Steelcase and West Elm wanted those day-to-day desks to empower people to do their best work without sacrificing the feeling of comfort that, typically, they would have to seek out away from their desk.
The development of West Elm Work Greenpoint was the first opportunity to gather designers and engineers in a room to find out what happened when they paired West Elm’s sleek modern style with Steelcase’s product development expertise and understanding of the workplace.
“Together, Steelcase and West Elm are creating inspiring, high-performance spaces where people can be highly engaged, do their best work and express their personal style,” says Allan Smith, vice president of global marketing at Steelcase. “Finding a way to bring that vision to both the private office and open floor plan was the perfect next step to take together.”
Named after a neighborhood near West Elm’s Brooklyn headquarters, West Elm Work Greenpoint celebrates the distinctive character of natural materials. It seamlessly supports a variety of styles and, at the same time, provides cohesion between the private office and open plan.
“We’re striving to create spaces that people want to be in, where they feel comfortable and at ease,” says Paulo Kos, vice president of design for West Elm contract furniture.
Looking at the latest design trends, the team sourced a broad offering of materials that allows an organization to add its own personal touch. Warm wood veneers, cool leg paints and laminates let you make West Elm Work Greenpoint your own.
“It’s about bringing authentic materials into the office – the rough hewn beauty of the wood and the raw, natural metal,” says Kos. “Instead of hiding the knots or rejecting pieces that have imperfections, we want to celebrate those inherit characteristics.”
The team focused on thoughtful details that minimize workflow disruptions and add convenience to the average workday—think built-in storage and ample surface power so no one’s crawling under a desk to plug in a laptop.
Once West Elm Work Greenpoint’s designs were brought to life, Steelcase engineers ran safety, quality and usability tests to make sure each piece could withstand the wear and tear of a typical workday—where coffee cup spills and heavy commercial vacuums threaten all too frequently.
“West Elm’s background and close connection to customers gives them a unique set of insights about what people want at home and how that might translate to work,” says Smith. “Our experience and expertise with the workplace helps us understand what they need to have a great employee experience. Together, we’re able to create spaces that draw people in and perform to the highest standards.”
West Elm Work Greenpoint is the latest in a growing lineup of co-developed products from Steelcase and West Elm. It is available in the U.S. and Canada and backed by the Steelcase warranty.
“We’re taking the best of both worlds and putting them together to create an incredible product,” says Kos. “And, there’s so much more that we want to do. We’ve only scratched the surface.”
