(MUSCATINE, IA) – Recharge, a new collection of modular lounge soft seating and tables from Allsteel Inc., a leader in workplace furnishings, provides workers with real options beyond their desks and workstations for both individual focused work and collaborative group activities. Created in partnership with Encinitas, California–based designer Chris Adamick, the Recharge portfolio comprises upholstered benches, seats, poufs, privacy screens and tables—a versatile kit-of-parts that can be configured to provide semi-enclosed areas in a variety of open environments.
“Freed up by digital technology, today’s workers tend to move about the office to the space that best supports their activity,” said Adamick, who previously collaborated with Allsteel on the award-winning Parallel™ collection of lounge furniture.
Working in the open plan requires space definition that provides users with a sense of privacy and territory but does not fully enclose them or prevent their awareness of other workers in the vicinity. Recharge achieves a balance between openness and closure using optional dividing screens. Made of 3D knit fabric that increases in opacity from top to bottom, the screens create spatial definition while allowing enough visual information through to identify people on either side.
Recharge’s concise kit of parts is based on a 29-inch-square module that offers planning flexibility along with exact dimensional predictability. This smart modularity allows the addition of bolsters or privacy screens without increasing the overall footprint. The bench is 58 inches long, which Allsteel has found the optimal dimension for two people to use without feeling confined. Multiple benches or seats can be positioned end-on-end banquette-style or linked via seat-height connector tables—rectangular connector tables for in-line configurations and triangular connector tables for angled or branched configurations—supporting multiple users. Optional privacy screens provide a claustrophobia-free sense of enclosure suitable for focused work. The poufs, available in round or square shapes, add dynamic seating solutions without taking much extra space. Recharge freestanding work-height tables are offered in two sizes to comfortably support laptops for single users and for groups of up to four people working side-by-side or facing each other. Coordinating coffee and side tables are also offered in lower, lounge-height versions.
Recharge is technology friendly, with power capabilities offered on benches and connector tables. Wiring is neatly concealed in base structures and in-between modular units. “We worked hard to make Recharge as beautiful, flexible and comfortable as possible,” said Jason Heredia, Vice President, Product Design and Marketing at Allsteel. “Carefully engineered seat webbing and foam densities provide a soft, highly comfortable sitting experience, while the collection’s modular nature and integrated technology enable multiple configurations to support emerging work styles and preferences that demand settings beyond the desk—alternative workspaces for individuals and groups or for common use—now and in the future.”
Contributing to Recharge’s understated yet elevated look and feel are such details as upholstered welt seams; 3D knit fabric on privacy screens; molded plywood for connector elements; and knife-edges on tables. Customizable options, including textile upholstery choices, contrasting welt seams and a range of laminates and paint finishes, allow a designer a broad range of aesthetics from fun and playful to sophisticated.
“Recharge grew out of the success of Allsteel’s initial collaboration with Chris Adamick,” said Heredia. “He brought a great deal of thoughtful insight and market research to the new project, which required a deep understanding of the changing ways the modern workforce uses the open office.” Added Adamick, “Recharge’s modularity and flexibility allow the end user—be it an individual, a group or an organization—to determine where and how it functions. In that sense, it reflects the influence of residential design in the contemporary workplace—office solutions that offer the same physical comfort and ready adaptability we expect from our furniture at home.”
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About Allsteel
Since 1912, Allsteel Inc. has offered a world-class, comprehensive range of workplace products and solutions. We simplify the office planning process by helping our customers align their workplace strategy with their business strategy. The result is fit-to-business solutions that deliver meaningful change in a way that works for them today, as well as tomorrow. Headquartered in Muscatine, IA, the company has Resource Centers in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.allsteeloffice.com or follow Allsteel on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Chris Adamick
Chris Adamick designs environments, furniture and products. He is principal of Chris Adamick Design LLC and a partner in Big Production, an environmental design studio. Adamick has worked with leading brands including Gap, Haworth, Bernhardt Design and Allsteel. His work has been exhibited internationally and received several prestigious design awards including the Architizer A+ Award, the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, the Best of Year Award from Interior Design magazine, and recognition from the Type Directors Club of New York (TDC) and the Society of Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD). In addition to design leadership roles with independent consultancies Pentagram and Rio Clementi Hale Studios, Adamick has worked in-house with iconic American clothing brand Gap to lead the creation of new store environments. For more information, visit chrisadamick.com.