By Brian Vetter
At On Point Installations, we install nearly 700 modular office furniture projects for furniture dealers, distributors, and independent corporate property managers each year. Lately, we’ve noticed that modular office furniture designs fit into these 10 trending design categories.
1. Mid-Century Modern Modular Furniture Designs Remain Popular.
With the rise and continued popularity of mid-century modern (MCM) furniture for homes, modular office furniture designs have also embraced this post-World War II style.
With its sleek, clean lines and lack of ornate embellishments, mid-century modern is still the go-to furniture style for offices that choose this retro vibe with its simple yet appealing style and monochromatic colors.
Perhaps that’s why The Washington Post referred to MCM as the “style that won’t die.”
2. Move Over MCM. Boho Is Here.
What’s Boho?
Although MCM has been popular since the late 1990s, a furniture revolution from the 1600s is also trending: Bohemian-style, aka Boho-style designs. Boho’s eclectic style mixes cultures, artistic expression, and organic materials.
How to Go Boho
Similar to MCM, Boho features streamlined furniture lines and organic, eco-friendly elements. For example, Boho modular desk systems and office workstations often mix metal with wood.
Unlike MCM, Boho office designs may be accented with woven materials and dried plants or florals.
Additionally, artwork installations may represent places around the globe. Moreover, offices in Boho style feature pops of color that dot the monochromatic office landscape.
3. Collaborative Modular Office Furniture Spaces Are on the Rise.
Collaborative Spaces
Noteworthy, companies that invest in workplace design see a 21% increase in employee productivity, according to wifitalents.com.
Today’s office furniture space planning includes modular furniture with collaborative workspaces and communal hubs where team members can connect to generate ideas and move projects forward.
Why Additional Collaborative Workspaces?
Millennials (Gen Y) and Gen Z are the current and future company leaders. Unlike their Baby Boomer and Gen X parents and grandparents, who typically worked as independent contributors at both school and work, the educational years of Gen Y and Gen Z were defined by group projects and collaboration. Today, they value collaborative workspaces.
That collaboration requires more than a single conference room. It demands breakout and huddle areas like those featured in our modular installation case study. Moreover, wifitalents.com reports that activity-based work environments increase collaboration by 18%.
4. Stackable and Hidden Storage Continue to Feature Prominently in Modular Office Furniture.
Stackable Modular Storage
Stackable storage styles offer flexibility with growing (or shrinking) demands in dynamic work environments. Need more space? Want to add personal items or a plant? Stack a second shelf or unit atop the first. Do you need less storage now that all your files are in the cloud? Modular office storage units can be moved to other areas or stored for future growth.Covert Storage
Hidden storage is also trending. For example, ottomans and office side tables with removable tops double as storage solutions.
These space-saving devices can also fit into smaller spaces, saving on commercial real estate costs, which average more than $34 per square foot in the Chicago market.
5. More Modular Furniture Manufacturers Are Leaning into Eco-friendly Solutions.
Sustainable Sourcing
Sustainability is one of the driving forces behind modular furniture designs. Both MCM and Boho styles focus on modular furniture made of sustainable, organic elements such as oak and bamboo.
These materials are often toxin-free and can be ethically sourced to meet corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives for sustainability.
For example, office furniture manufacturers are considering recycled materials and energy-efficient manufacturing processes. They incorporate reclaimed wood and recycled metals into their modular office furniture.
Enduring Quality
Particle board is easily damaged, especially by water, and this damage is irreparable.
Modular office furniture is designed to be easily repaired when damaged or worn—rather than discarded or replaced in its entirety. At On Point Installations, we offer both upholstery cleaning and office furniture repair.
6. Comfy, Cozy, and Inviting Office Styles Are Trending.
Work-from-home (WFH) opportunities are here to stay. Companies with hybrid or in-office work requirements must compete with those who allow WFH.
Therefore, office environments must be inviting, attracting, welcoming, and retaining workers in hybrid and in-office environments.
Modular workspaces with cozy, soft seating solutions are appealing while also fostering collaboration and personal connections.
7. Configurable and Adjustable Modular Furniture Remains on the Uprise.
Adjustable Heights
Height-adjustable, so-called “stand-up desks” and work surfaces are on the upswing.
Research studies have shown that sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day is harmful—a risk factor as dangerous as smoking or obesity.
Adjustable-height work surfaces may keep employees healthier and offer the flexibility of standing or sitting.
Affordable, Flexible Workstation Configurations
By definition, modular furniture consists of two or more furniture pieces that can be combined or rearranged.
Workers can reposition modular furniture to fit personal work styles or daily tasks within their private work areas.
Alternatively, team members can configure modular units to easily interact with each other, as shown in the photos of this complete office system installation that includes collaborative modular workspaces.
Accommodating Seating Configurations
Similarly, employees can connect modular furniture in huddle areas to fit the unique purpose of any work gathering.
Because of this flexibility, modular furniture itself continues to grow in popularity.
8. Multifunctional Modular Office Furniture Is Surging.
Another styling trend is multipurpose furniture. Earlier, we mentioned ottomans and side tables with storage. However, other types of modular furniture serve dual purposes.
Double-Duty Filing Pedestals
Two- or three-drawer rolling filing cabinets topped with cushions can offer short-term seating and storage.
Other times, filing pedestals may support horizontal work surfaces.
It’s a Table. It’s a Desk.
With modular dual-function office furniture designs, workers can easily convert conference tables, side tables, or coffee tables to desktop work surfaces.
Two-in-One Seating
Similarly, employees can reconfigure modular side chairs into sofas for impromptu group seating.
9. Modular Styles Are Increasingly Lowering Barriers.
While traditional cubicles feature high walls with the inability to peer over the top, newer partitions aren’t as high. This creates a less private but more open and aesthetically pleasing office space.
Often, it allows natural light to shine throughout the office—not just for a lucky few with window offices. It also helps airflow and circulation.
10. Modular Office Furniture Styles Are Thinking Outside the Box.
Office furniture, including modular furniture, often highlights rigid right angles, leaving workers with a boxy, hemmed-in feeling.
However, contemporary modular furniture designs are evolving, becoming more fluid and organic. Round ottomans and tables grace collaborative spaces. Curved sofas provide softer lines. Even some cubicle walls are curvilinear.
