Breaking the mold
Published 4:19 pm Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Remember the last time you went shopping for home office furniture?
If it was more than a few years ago, chances are the selection was pretty, well, “officey,” more reminiscent of a cold, minimalist cubicle or, at the other extreme, your grandfather’s formal, mahogany-trimmed study.
Today’s office furniture, with the rise of telecommuting and frequent computer use in the home, is starting to look more like the way we live, more feminine, homey and stylish.
Take the Christopher Lowell line at Office Depot.
The TV star and interior designer has changed the way home offices look and work with his four design concepts, including Shore, a showcase for whitewashed wood with cherry accents; Town, with dark alder and tempered glass; Country, featuring a rustic, brushed maple; and City, combining mahogany finishes with black surfaces and flared Asian legs for a contemporary look.
Lowell and Office Depot were working to attract more female customers when they introduced the line in 2003.
In the Puget Sound region, the whitewashed Shore look has sold particularly well, said Office Depot district manager Greg Robl, who works directly with Snohomish County stores.
“Sixty percent of the customer base is women,” he said. “It has a real appeal in our area.”
Offices these days double as gift-wrapping centers, quilting areas and much more, making traditional office decor inappropriate, especially in smaller homes.
“It has to be luxurious enough for her, because she responds to texture and feel,” Lowell said. “But it has to be tailored enough for him because he responds to simple, tailored lines.”
Designer hardware, thick crown molding and stylized glass have taken home offices to the next level.
“Over the years, we showed women how to make creativity spaces,” Lowell said. “If the guys have the garage and all these other areas, why is it that women consider the end of the kitchen counter their creative area?”
Though Office Depot initially geared the new furniture lines to women, men and women are shopping together more, often for smaller spaces or more communal floor plans.
That’s why, in early 2008, Office Depot will debut another line of Lowell-branded furniture called The CL Anywhere Solutions Collection designed to transform small or unused spaces into productive and functional areas.
Convertible armoires, sofa tables, credenzas and computer desks, complete with built-in cord management systems, can be easily incorporated into living areas.
“They look like little accent pieces, but when they’re open, they morph into laptop stations,” Lowell said. “They can be used anywhere.”
Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.
