Teknion Unveils Upstage Workplace Furniture System at NeoCon 2015

J​UNE ​​15, 2015

Teknion Corporation today announced the unveiling of the upStage workplace furniture system at NeoCon, the commercial interiors industry’s most important annual event running, June 15-17 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

“upStage connects individual personalities and personal workstyles by allowing people to manage independently their own preferences for privacy, movement, orientation and storage – touching on many important worker well-being aspects that are top of mind in current thinking about effective workplace strategies,” said Steve Verbeek, Vice President, Design and Innovation. “When individuals have some degree of control over their physical environments, they feel empowered, energized, inspired – and therefore more productive.”

upStage is based on a simple platform or stage that frees users from the constraints of a benching frame or panel, allowing them to build along horizontal or vertical planes to create layered worksurfaces and multi-story volumes. The innovative structural staging unit integrates a full complement of desks, height-adjustable tables, cabinets, shelves, cubbies and screens. Integrated in the stage, power and data offer choice by allowing the user to locate the plug-in anywhere along the stage or move it up onto the worksurface.

Every element simply moves into place and fits together, offering innumerable combinations for dynamic, collaborative workplaces. upStage easily rearranges and relocates without tools.

upStage manages the apparent paradoxes between the need for privacy and the need to be connected to coworkers in the office. Functioning solid or perforated metal louvers, magnetically mounted fabric screens, and movable, stackable storage elements allow occupants to seamlessly tune their space according to personal preferences or needs for the next task.

The integration of height adjustability allows for sit/stand options throughout the day. upStage also rethinks some of the usual support elements typical to systems furniture. Most notably, storage is repurposed from the box file and file drawer – which have become increasingly obsolete to many users – to a series of 6-inch (15 cm) volumes at the desktop that allow the user to store files flat in an organized and visually accessible manner.

In addition to a wide range of planning scenarios, a rich materials palette gives designers the opportunity to be original and bold, using color and texture to create a more varied and visually inspiring work environment. Myriad options include textiles, wood veneers, translucent and back-painted glass, perforated metal, and a range of beautiful metal finishes.

The launch of upStage coincides with a major launch of new finishes across Teknion. The designer can impact the look and feel depending on the finishes selected and where they are applied. It can be very serious or much more playful, or anything in between.

In addition to upStage, Teknion will be showing the Livello Height-Adjustable Bench, Variable HybrED seating, and an extensive new laminates program. New lounge seating and tables from Teknion Studio include Cover, Cavu, Qui, and Infinito + Massalla. New from Teknion Textiles is Textured Edge by Suzanne Tick. Visit Teknion’s redesigned tenth-floor showroom #1048 during NeoCon 2015.