West Elm & Inscape Re-Imagine Office Furniture Experience

Furniture World News Desk on 11/25/2014

Home furnishings retailer West Elm, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands (WSM), and Inscape Corporation (INQ.TO) announced an exclusive partnership that capitalizes on the strengths of each company to reimagine the user experience in the commercial furniture market.

In Spring 2015, the two brands will launch West Elm Workspace, a collection of more than 50 office products designed by West Elm's in-house design team in collaboration with Inscape and available exclusively with Inscape. The collection will combine West Elm's exclusive designs, approachable price points and commitment to conscious business practices with Inscape's long and celebrated history of creating functionally innovative products for the contract furniture industry.

"There is an increasing desire for meaningful change in the way that offices are designed - and this doesn't just apply to businesses in the creative sector," said Jim Brett, President of West Elm. "The ability to truly personalize a workspace of any size based on needs like style, function, productivity and collaboration, is missing from the office furnishings market. Our partnership with Inscape and the forthcoming launch of West Elm Workspace will change this, giving businesses of all sizes the ability to design an ideal and differentiated workspace."

"We're very excited about this partnership with West Elm which will allow us to bring a residential aesthetic to the office while maintaining the standards demanded for contract interiors," said Jim Stelter, CEO of Inscape. "We've gone beyond just creating new product collections and reimagined the entire process, from selection and visualization to specification and use of our designs."

Highlights of the collaboration:

• Over 50 new products, designed by West Elm in collaboration with Inscape, in Modern, Mid-century and Industrial collections, launching in late Spring 2015. The new collections will span benching, systems, private office, tables, task, guest, occasional and lounge seating, storage and accessories. 
  
  
• A fresh approach to distribution that includes a distinct reseller program in the top 35 markets in North America and a new user experience utilizing West Elm's residential style. 
  
  
• Immersive visual and selection experience for customers and the design community that simplifies and improves the design and purchasing process. 
  
  
• A sustainability program that originates with merchandizing and continues through delivery, production, and use of the products. 
  
  
• Sit/stand options and ergonomic solutions to help facilitate wellness in work environments.

Partnerships with resellers will be key to delivering this new experience to the commercial furnishings industry. "We have already begun discussions with potential resellers and expect a commitment to supporting the brand standard. Our industry must evolve and we're excited about where it's going," said Stelter.


About West Elm: Mixing clean lines, natural materials and handcrafted collections from the US and around the world, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living. The brand offers choice in products and services, builds community through connections with customers, collaborators and associates, and focuses on consciousness in everything we do, from handcrafted and local products to supply chain transparency and sustainability. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, West Elm introduced its first catalog in 2002, followed by its first store in 2003. The brand's complete assortment can be found in 68 retail stores in the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK and around-the-clock at www.westelm.com. We also offer international shipping to customers around the world and have an unaffiliated franchisee that operates stores in the Middle East. West Elm is part of an active community on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram and a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands.

About Inscape: Inscape, an award-winning designer and manufacturer of office furniture, has been initiating change in workspace design for the past 125 years. With an emphasis on quality, innovation, technical design and unparalleled delivery and service, Inscape has been consistently awarded for its design, including 4 Gold and 1 Silver Best of NeoCon Awards at NeoCon 2014, North America's largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors. Inscape collaborates with leading European partners and manufactures their designs in North American facilities. Their systems, storage, seating and wall solutions delight users, foster agility and empower technology in the workplace. Flexible and designed for sustainability, Inscape products enable easy customization and readily adapt to keep pace with changing needs in the workplace.