Through the merger of two iconic design names, Knoll and Herman Miller, Workspace Studio becomes a Certified Dealer of MillerKnoll Group in Romania. Workspace Studio thus expands its portfolio with almost 20 design brands and proposes a complete offer of premium and ergonomic furniture and furnishing solutions. With the expansion of the range, Workspace Studio will address the market interested in quality pieces in all verticals, both projects in the office segment, as well as complex projects in commercial and luxury residential.
For this year, the Workspace Studio Group is targeting a turnover of more than €11 million, an increase of more than 10% compared to 2021.
Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, office fit-outs have changed considerably, moving towards functionality, repurposing space, and creating collaborative workspaces. Comfortable, less formal, stimulating creativity, innovation, mentoring, and idea sharing, they borrow components from residential and lounge design such as sofas, armchairs, coffee tables or decorations. The trend is also seen in the opposite direction, with home office areas becoming more defined and larger in size.
Smaller spaces, but with a focus on design and quality: iconic and high-end pieces, increasing average budget per workstation and floor space per employee
The process of employees returning to the office is being supported by organizations through higher quality fit-outs, a trend that has been observed in recent years. In 2022, there will be an increase both in the amount of space allocated to employees, resulting in larger and more airy spaces, and a marked inclination towards the inclusion of premium design furniture pieces, so-called statement pieces.
While total office space has decreased on average by approx. 25%, office layouts have been redesigned for a smaller number of employees in the office due to the widespread adoption of hybrid working. The average surface area allocated per employee has thus increased to 13-15 sqm, compared to approx. 10 sqm before the pandemic, and the average budget has reached over €1800/workstation, up 20% from 2021.
Individual workspaces account for about 40% of total office space, while more than half of the space is occupied by shared, multi-purpose spaces. These can fulfill both formal and informal roles, such as breakout spaces, which are not uncommon in the office of 2022, when the concept of wellbeing is increasingly integrated into employees’ lives.
The last two years have brought a major transformation, with increasingly blurred boundaries between the spaces in which we live and work. Most projects in the first part of this year had three key features: ergonomics, premium design and an interweaving of classic residential elements in the office area, and office in the residential. We have fitted out offices in residential and residential-specific spaces, like libraries, living spaces, sports halls, terraces, in organizations’ offices. As a certified MillerKnoll dealer, we can integrate luxury, iconic design pieces from Knoll and Herman Miller with affordable quality pieces from HAY, Muuto and many other brands in a very efficient way. And the result is spectacular spaces that people want to be in, that inspire and stimulate their creativity” – said Horațiu Didea, Managing Partner Workspace Studio.
Betting on premium design in all market segments: office, residential, commercial
With easy access to MillerKnoll’s suite of furniture and interior design brands, Workspace Studio is betting on increasing the adoption of premium design across all verticals of the interior design market. In this context, the company expects to increase the share of projects in the residential and commercial segments. The residential segment, which has grown in the past two years fueled by remote work, currently generates 5-7% of the group’s business. By the end of next year, premium and luxury commercial and residential developments will generate 10-15% of Workspace Studio’s total business.
“Regardless of socio-economic circumstances, the demand for quality design will continue to grow in Romania in the coming years. People want outstanding, quality pieces. They want them not just as an investment in the classic sense, because they don’t lose their value, but as an investment in themselves, in comfort and well-being, which they are increasingly concerned about. MillerKnoll is dedicated to supporting quality design, built on sustainability, inclusiveness, and individual orientation” – says Horațiu Didea.
The 17 names brought together under the MillerKnoll umbrella represent over 100 years of design research, each bringing a unique perspective and a diverse and versatile product range with a sustainable, sustainable approach to the residential, office and commercial segments.
Among the brands represented by Workspace Studio as of June are Knoll, Muuto, maharam, Geiger, Edelman, joining the likes of Herman Miller, HAY, NoughtOne or Framery and many others. The Workspace Studio portfolio is thus complete, with ergonomic desks and chairs, sofas, armchairs, patio and garden furniture, lighting fixtures, as well as partitions, acoustic solutions, acoustic enclosures, carpets, curtains, wallpaper, and storage furniture.
There is a growing demand on the Romanian market for premium furniture, both for office and residential settings. In the B2B segment, this comes as a compensation for the shrinking total office space, amid changes in the labor market, but also the desire of companies to bring their employees back to the office in atypical, attractive spaces. The global merger between two leading names in furniture design – Knoll and Herman Miller – has helped create a conglomerate of iconic brands and a product portfolio unrivalled in the international market. For us, this means that we will be able to provide our clients with a complete furnishing service, whether we are talking about office, commercial or luxury residential furnishing, added Horațiu Didea, Managing Partner Workspace Studio.
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