Let’s add one more item to the list of things that’s not like your grandfather’s — your office.   Contemporary office furniture is two generations away from obligatory black chairs and heavy, dark brown furniture   The office of today combines functionality, comfort and a lively sense of style.  After all, we spend most of our waking hours in our offices.  We are most productive when our surroundings are esthetically pleasing, visually stimulating and physically comfortable.

Even in our technology-intensive work environments, one factor has not changed.  The office is designed to convey an image of ourselves as successful business people worthy of the trust placed in us by our clients and staff.

“People tell me they want their office to look inviting. Others say their office is too boring,” said Seth Rivera Jr., design consultant at Designer’s Showroom.  He has designed judges’ chambers and doctors’ offices with the goal of making the sitting areas seem less institutional and more personal. “It makes a difference. It makes you look more human.”

The furniture business has changed just as its inventory has evolved. Designer’s Showroom, with locations in Brownsville and McAllen, is the high-end spin-off of Edelstein’s, the family furniture store chain founded in 1912 and sold to Grupo Famsa of Monterrey in 2008.  Designer’s is still owned and operated by Morris Edelstein’s descendants.

The word open identifies many aspects of the modern office: open shelving, open sight lines, open spaces, open communication and open to light. Multiple work areas in executive offices and at workstations reflect new work styles: collaborative work and multi-tasking, and meeting subordinates and clients.

Careful attention to the style, fabric and texture of sofas and chairs in offices results in a welcoming, appealing environment, Rivera said. Free-standing bookcases have been designed to be more functional with deep file drawers, cut-outs for power cords and cables access through the back, and a drop-down drawer for a keyboard.  Wooden chairs and basic seating for clients or patients are being replaced by club chairs in professional offices.

Transitional-style dining room tables (as opposed to traditional ones) have made their way into offices as conference tables with greater appeal. “These tables have clean lines, maybe colored legs, and comfortable chairs that don’t make you think dining room,” Rivera said. He knows of an office where the wife and children come to eat dinner at the part-time conference table with the father who’s working extended hours. Female executives working long hours have requested office furniture that doubles as a homework area for their children.

“The migration of Mexican professionals to the Valley has meant we have more requests for

colorful furniture,” Rivera said.  “Their offices don’t have as much black and brown furniture as American offices.”  One example is the traditional writing desk with deep-red leather insets paired with red club chairs, an attractive combination of color and comfort. It’s also available in green and white leather.

Rivera said a hot office trend is floor mirrors. “It’s a great way to decorate, to bring more light into a room, to open up a space.  People have told me how helpful the mirror has been when they have to run out to an important meeting.”

Goldilocks’ choice

“Warm, bright colors make an office come alive. The whole idea is to have the office reflect your personality and make the business look professional and contemporary,” said Tom Ream, NIU Urban Living sales manager. The two-story upscale furniture store on North 10th  offers eye-catching options such as mirror-sided filing cabinets, orange sofas, and dark gray or gleaming glass writing table-style desks. It all depends on the image you want to present.

You can have innovative style with comfort, Ream said, courtesy of the Stressless brand of office and home chairs which come in small, medium and large sizes. “We fit it to each individual’s height and lumbar issues, so it is ergonomically correct.  Stressless is one of the most comfortable seating brands in the world with contemporary and styles.”

NIU’s design consultants look beyond functionality to the use of space with adaptable workstation components. They can design a complete office from the reception area and conference rooms to individual offices and workstations, Ream said.  Overall, office sofas, chairs, desks, occasional tables and lighting should be a reflection of the successful and adventurous spirits who work there.

Because furniture-buying customers in medical office buildings, hotels and established businesses can be hesitant about making decisions involving changes in style, Designer’s Showroom and NIU Urban Living provide experienced consultants to guide them through the process.  They advise on furniture elements, fabrics and accessories to create a harmonized image.

Designing

On the other hand, some businesses hire a registered interior designer like Lew Vassberg, the owner of Valley Designs and an office furniture dealer, to furnish or remodel their premises.  Vassberg said office furniture choices are very dependent on personality, either of the CEO or individual managers.

“Most of the time, it is about comfort. Fortunately, we’re able to make them comfortable with good looking furniture,” said Vassberg. “Ergonomic issues really need to be taken into consideration:  the height of the chair, the level of the computer and keyboard. People don’t understand why their neck or back hurts, but it’s often due to their chair.”

“Shared work surfaces enable groups to work together regularly,” she said. “The biggest change in offices is the use of workstations or systems furniture. It lets you put a lot of furniture in a small space and it can be reconfigured easily. Some offices install standing-height tables as alternative work surfaces and meeting areas. Others have small tables for impromptu collaborations of three or four people.”

Vassberg has noticed that young CEOs are adopting tables for desks and showing a preference for lots of clean space, away from their workstation. But what has not changed is that managers and owners want a space away from their desk to carry on conversations.

Razzle-dazzle

Given all the understated sophistication of the contemporary office, it is hard to resist inserting a dazzling touch of technology.  Mitch Killion, COO of Core Business Solutions in Pharr, demonstrated writing on the 70-inch flat screen of the Aquos Board from Sharp.  The device has a dedicated computer and a touch screen overlay and can be controlled through an iPad.  The data written on the screen can be saved with the underlying chart, map or presentation or printed out for participants.

Whatever your personality and industry, stylish, comfortable furniture can help turn your office — your home away from home — into an enjoyable, productive workspace.

For more information, see designers-showroom.com; niuurbanliving.com; valleydesigns.com and cbs-tx.com.

January 2014 cover story by Eileen Mattei