What the office of the future will look like at Workplace 3.0

Dieffebi at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Modularity, homely comfort and play. Hybridization reaches a peak in the office 3.0 seen at the Salone del Mobile 2023.

First there was the office, then came the pandemic which brought home working. Today the workspace is a perfect hybrid between these two situations, as UNStudio recounts in its project for Fantoni. The office can no longer lack the comfort of home, just as home can no longer lack professional furnishings for supporting work. The classic meeting tables and desk chairs are now being joined by comfortable armchairs, chaise longues, islands for sitting and even ping-pong tables for both indoors and out. Here's what we saw at Worplace 3.0.

Many companies have decided to offer the same degree of comfort people are accustomed to at home by introducing upholstered furniture into office or contract spaces. The idea is to reduce the distance between domestic space and workspace by cherishing the workers’ psychophysical well-being, ensuring they feel in a state of physical and mental comfort and so can give their best. Numerous modular solutions exist for converting individual armchairs into large rest areas to stimulate meetings or transform the seating from workstations into chaise longues where staff can relax. 

Viganò at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Always with a view to mental even more than physical well-being, games are also timidly advancing in the stands of the Salone. Many companies are offering indoor and outdoor ping-pong tables, pool tables, table football and multi-game sets, with forms, materials and colors closely integrated with the new office spaces.

Slalom at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Craftsmanship done to perfection, varieties of wood and natural fabrics. The quality of work also passes through the quality of the air and the materials that staff come into contact with. A more welcoming office has space for furnishings that are pleasant to the touch and encourage people to linger. Coffee and side tables, chairs and stools that until recently were only associated with domestic interiors, today have become essential furnishings in the work spaces. 

Lapalma at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Being able effortlessly to raise or lower a dining table to the desired level and sit in a comfortable, adjustable work chair without being reminded of the office: if you want to work from home the furniture has to adapt and favor this scenario. It is essential to be comfortable and flexible without compromising aesthetics. In all this tables with invisible up-and-down technologies and office chairs with refined finishes are a help.

Mara at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Attention to acoustic comfort is essential, especially in open-plan offices where dialogue is encouraged, but at the risk of an excess of noise. Classic sound-absorbing partitions are today joined by integrated solutions in furnishings, tables and lamps. Acoustic fabrics can be used to upholster furnishings or functional objects. 

Arper at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Hypermobility and hyperflexibility in some cases require a counterpart to convey a sense of permanence, solidity and presence. Many companies produce designs for outsize meeting (or dining) tables, which become the focal point of a room with their sculptural character. Marble, travertine, and colored mirror glass are new features of spaces for meeting and exchanging ideas. 

Martex at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut

Self-supporting walls can create functional scenes to divide spaces and create small islands for working, relaxing, playing, or getting together for an online meeting. Some companies devise solutions to divide spaces without generating claustrophobia, actually enriching them with unexpected corners, surprise seating and great comfort. 

Segis at Salone del 2023, ph. Mattia Romanut