Keep it casual: Karim Rashid for BoConcept
Brand story by Alyn Griffiths
Herning, Denmark
09.07.19
Responding to the increasing demands for freedom and flexibility in the workplace, the Ottawa sofa system – designed by Karim Rashid – offers various modules that can be installed in countless combinations.
The Ottawa sofa modules are available in ten variations, with different colours and fabrics ensuring endless possibilities
The Ottawa sofa modules are available in ten variations, with different colours and fabrics ensuring endless possibilities
×In recent years, the way we think of offices has shifted drastically to align more with contemporary trends for wellness and nomadic lifestyles. Workspaces have become increasingly casual and open to reflect the fact that we no longer need to be tethered to a desk. Instead, we are free to move and seek out inspiration or opportunities for collaboration.
Karim Rashid designed the Ottawa system to fit the way we work, socialise, collaborate and relax in today’s workplaces, hotels, lounges and homes
Karim Rashid designed the Ottawa system to fit the way we work, socialise, collaborate and relax in today’s workplaces, hotels, lounges and homes
×New York-based designer Karim Rashid describes this phenomenon as an 'Age of Casualism', and suggests that the non-stop connectivity of the digital era is causing social and human behaviours to blur. He claims that 'the freedom to work and play anywhere and everywhere simultaneously', in particular, allows us to focus on key aspects that contribute to well-being, such as comfort, ease and intelligently joined-up experiences.
To support the quest for more suitable seating for use in offices and public spaces, Rashid developed a modular sofa system that is soft, comfortable and completely flexible. The Ottawa system comprises ten modules that can be configured to create spaces for conversation, alongside quiet places for relaxation and contemplation.
The sofa modules also integrate practical functions such as USB ports, sockets, trays and table surfaces
The sofa modules also integrate practical functions such as USB ports, sockets, trays and table surfaces
×A moveable table, an ottoman with a laptop tray, and USB outlets for charging mobile devices ensure flexibility and suitability for a range of scenarios. The resulting system reflects its designer’s assertion that: 'We live in a perpetual, temporal, evanescent experience and our spaces should reflect this moment in which we live.' Ottawa aims to ensure that future workplaces are not just beautiful and comfortable, but flexible enough to keep up with a newly mobile generation.
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