Transforming the office: the new Lares desk by Steelcase

The biggest challenge for modern offices today is welcoming people back. Workers have found their own personal rhythms, and they just don’t want to return to a rigid, one-fits-all way of working. One solution to this is transforming offices into more flexible, creative and varied places. What if an office could be smoothly transformed into multiple scenarios – encouraging everything from convivial collaboration to solo focus – to keep everyone happy, whatever their work style?

Steelcase, an expert in modern office design, is well positioned to help modern offices with this task. Named among the world’s leading brands on Fortune’s 2022 ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ list in the Home Equipment and Furnishings category, Steelcase has been advising organisations on sectors such as business, education and health for over 100 years.

With its new desk range, Lares, Steelcase celebrates the creative promise of the office – along with the people at its heart. Improved wellbeing, connecting with colleagues and community creation are all at the forefront of its purpose. To achieve this, Lares welcomes all types and styles of working, all possible within one office. It is specially adaptable for hybrid workplaces, nomadic areas, co-working spaces, home offices, and adaptable-educational environments.

‘The Lares collection has been designed to transform today’s workplaces. With its desks, benches, mobile and meeting tables, it allows for both collaboration and individual concentration, providing the perfect balance between design and technical functionality,’ says Diego Hernandez Romero, Product manager, Steelcase.

Through prototyping and research, Steelcase has identified a diverse range of uses and tasks for Lares including sprint reviews, ad hoc meetings, brainstorming sessions, stand-up or hybrid meetings – many of which place emphasis on the social nature of work, where working together and collaborating brings the joy back to the process.

Its fluid flexibility is Lares’ USP, explains Hernandez Romero. ‘Lares is unique in that it combines a breadth of finishes and organic shapes as part of its design, offering a wide variety of customisation possibilities through its metal and mixed wood feet – transforming any space to meet people’s needs throughout the day.’

The four Lares table types (Lares, Lares SE, Lares Mobile or Lares Meeting) have been carefully designed to reflect many possibilities. The Lares SE with its quick adaptivity is ideal for co-working, nomad areas or a home office. The Lares Mobile, on castors with height-adjustability, for team areas and learning spaces. The Lares Meeting offers multiple shapes for various collaborative scenarios, while the classic Lares is a simple table customisable with four different table-top options and a screen option for privacy.

While offering a diverse range of qualities, each desk in the series features the same distinctive yet visually subtle, minimalist form. It has been specially designed to meet the requirements for uplifting and cohesive interior environments at the modern office. Like all Steelcase products, Lares combines high quality materials with eco-design to meet many of the strict quality and sustainability certificates on the market today. Additionally, it is fully designed and manufactured in Europe, providing a firsthand and personal service to its customers.

With experience analysing dynamic and high-performing offices and conducting user-centred research, Steelcase always returns to one goal: helping people to work better amidst global change and social evolution. Lares offers employees the opportunity to keep transforming at work – whether that’s by wheeling their desk closer to a collaborator, or moving to standing from sitting when the moment strikes.

© Architonic