Don’t Blink!
September 21, 2012
The lineup of fall activity will be keeping us busy and now that summer has gone in the blink of an eye, we recommend no blinking or you might just miss something.
The Intereum calendar of where to be, who to see, and what’s happening this fall is underway! The kick-start to the season began with the launch of our Pinterest page – showing and sharing all things contagiously inspiring, funny, uplifting, relatable and beautiful. Let’s pin together! 
Showroom Complete
Now that our showroom is wrapping up its final stage of the remodel, feel free to come in and see what the future office is all about and explore our new working landscapes, collaborative areas, colors, textures, applications and more.
Fall Boutique
Grab some friends and head out to Intereum on Thursday, October 4th because the fall boutique is back for a second time. From handmade scarves, jewelry, decorations to candles, makeup, food, and organic cleaning supplies. (Holiday gift shopping – check!)
What Inspires You?
This question is the foundation to the Good Design Challenge presented in conjunction with Herman Miller. This is a design competition for local Architectural and Design firms in which they are given the ever-popular Eames plastic chair and decking it out in hopes to secure the honor of “Best Designed” chair. Chairs will be on display at the AIA Convention and voting can be accessed online. The top firms to win will be rewarded with beautiful Herman Miller classics. Contact Jen Zeller to get signed up or for more information.
IIDA Fusion+Fashion
Every year Intereum takes part in the IIDA Fusion+Fashion show and this year the event is being held at the gorgeous historical building in the Northloop – Aria at the Jeune Lune. This event is always a highlight of the year! The design industry fashions up models using materials readily available to the trade. Come check it out October 19. IIDA Northland has recently announced the celebrity appearances we will be graced with at the event, too. Tickets are on sale now.
WE*Care
And finally, one of our favorite events of the season is WE*Care, a holiday festival for children with the Boys and Girls Club. Fun is had by all at the event, full of smiles and good cheer! We’re looking for volunteers to help us on December 5th. Contact Robin Mooney if this is something you’d like to be a part of.
DIRTT Provides a Clean, Polished Clinical Setting
August 23, 2012
Everyone can relate to the thought of believing something is too good to be true. And sometimes, the best possible way to cast those doubts aside is to simply give it a try.
This is exactly what a clinic opening in 2011 sought out to test. Interested in the highly reputable DIRTT Environmental Solutions, the clinic selected this product for their new location. Given the obstacle of working within a former retail space, the DIRTT Wall Fronts, Divisional Walls, and Barn Doors allowed to elegantly display and acoustically protect the space, and of course, provide the option to reconfigure the environment any time down the road.
Community Room with DIRTT Sliding Barn Doors
Exam Rooms with DIRTT Sliding Barn Doors, Divisional Walls, Clear Glass and Colored Fronts
DIRTT Walls and Herman Miller products
Since this project has been installed, more clinics are being designed with DIRTT. The end result is not just a beautifully designed aesthetic, but it is one that is practical and easily reconfigured to meet the next need and purpose while maximizing space. Not to mention the speed and cleanliness that DIRTT prefab construction can provide allows for quicker move-in, easier access to interior wall sections for technology or fixture hookups, and client customization.
Design has an impact on patients just as much as it does the staff that provide the care. In the end, this clinic found that what they thought was too good to be true could become their reality.
MNCAR’s “9th Ever” Golf Tournament
July 2, 2012
Intereum took part in sponsoring the 16th hole at the MNCAR’s ’9th Ever’ Golf Tournament held at Legend’s Golf Course. Being alongside 144 golfers was not a typical day of work but more of an excuse to break out of the office. (Remember, we’re in the middle of a remodel…)
The hole we sponsored is best described as a challenging, uphill Par 5. If that doesn’t pressure the golfer enough, well then you can give us some credit because we added more with our tee off challenge. Parked out on the green were two Herman Miller SAYL chairs, one for men and the other for women. The objective was to send your ball “SAYL-ing” to get your ball closest to the chair out of all participating golfers. The person who ended up the closest would be ordering their own Herman Miller SAYL chair.
Intereum stationed at Hole 16 with cold water, chilled candy, and a nice breeze on a hot day.
The very first group to arrive pulled up to the tee, slamming on the brakes hard to make a skidding sound with one golfer shouting “comin’ in hot!”. What a pumped up start to the tournament! Not quite sure we knew what was in store for us as the first golfer goes up to the tee. After careful study of the course, he winds up and does a big ol’ whiff. After another try, the club and ball connect but not ideally. The golfer puts his flip flops back on and exchanges words that he’s not a golfer. The next up to the tee is quite impressive. He sinks the ball 5 feet away from the chair. Celebrating 10 minutes into the start of the tournament with a great shot – who would have guessed! The next golfer makes nearly the same shot, except he landed 1o feet away from the chair. You can imagine our amazement!
On and on the teams come and while there are many promising shots, no one is named the new winner. Things started to get interesting around the halfway point though. A charismatic gentleman approaches the tee first out of his group. In the process of preparing for his shot, he can’t stop expressing how badly he needs a new chair for his office.
And let’s just say his strategy certainly worked. He ended up putting his ball 3 inches away from the chair and victory was his!
The winning ball – 3″ away!
Rewind of NeoCon 2012
June 18, 2012
While it may take a few days to recover from the excitement and action-packed NeoCon, it’s all worth it. Tromping around the Merchandise Mart and one will come across an incredible scene of fresh, innovative, and eye-catching furniture, textiles, and more. Here’s a brief run through of the highlights from our experience.
Herman Miller
Weren’t the Alexander Girard textiles beautiful? The pop of color, texture, and the story behind the designer really made for a great reintroduction at NeoCon. Viewing the Herman Miller Collection was a must in the showroom as there was lots to see, touch, feel and relax on. With plenty to explore, Herman Miller also had stations setup for people to join the conversation with the Community Pulse, which was used to survey individuals and provide instant infographic results. Check it out here. Congratulations to Herman Miller, Herman Miller Healthcare and Geiger for their wonderful showrooms and for taking home seven Best of NeoCon Awards!
Davis
All around, it was a beautiful showroom and they had beautiful products (ok, and superb flower arrangements). The Tre Stool caught a lot of attention with it’s functionality and form, and the uniqueness of Perch made for an eye-catching and “I gotta try that!” reaction.
Global
We were able to explore their wide array of product that is suitable to meet any needs. From chairs to workstations, we sat in a variety and while taking it all in we were able to rest our feet ever so comfortably.
Jofco
The color palette of the showroom was popping with the combination of orange, blue and white. If you stopped into Jofco, then you noticed many pieces from the Collective and Ziva collections. Collective is here in our showroom and it provides a nice collaborative seating area. Ziva addresses the needs of an open environment with multiple configurations and mobile and electrical capabilities.
Nucraft
Nucraft impressed us with their award-winning products: Passport Solo, Passport Duo, Reveal, and Emme. Sleek and sophisticated, this collection integrates technology and purposeful applications to each functional piece it creates.
DIRTT
Once again, DIRTT awes us with their reconfigurable solutions for any environment. Their Chicago Chic theme came to life when you toured their penthouse showroom complete with a stunning view of Chicago. On display was a high-class residential setting, a “chapel” with geometric influences, the Peek-a-Boo wall and table, and new technological touches to the healthcare side. The creme brulee oatmeal was a nice touch for the early morning tour, too.
NeoCon is just the start of summer activities. Be sure to visit our Facebook page to see what else Intereum is staying busy with!
Luxo Alliance: The Right Light for Eye Sight
July 1, 2011
At Intereum, we believe every healthy personal work space has personal lighting. Not having it affects comfort, concentration and overall performance. Herman Miller and the Thrive Portfolio have formed a new alliance with Luxo, a world recognized designer and manufacturer of lighting products for over 75 years. We are excited to announce that with this alliance comes three new LED lights.
Luxo - The Right Light
The three new LED lights are named the Ovelo, Ninety and Terea. These adjustable personal task lights solve many problems. Now, adjusting your task light to create a perfectly lit environment is easier than ever. No more sacrificing light for body positioning and comfort. Screen glare? Where? These lights feature evenly distributed light which can significantly decrease screen glare and lower eye fatigue.
Ovelo - Ninety - Terea
From young eyes to old, Luxo lights work better for everyone. To find out more on Luxo, click here.
Contact your Intereum representative or click here to find out how, together with Thrive, Luxo lights can transform your work areas to have better ergonomics and better efficiency.
Neocon 2011: Intereum’s Cheat Sheet
June 7, 2011
Oh, how one of the biggest design events of the year has crept up on us! We are very excited to see what manufacturers have up their sleeves for Neocon 2011. Some have given us sneak peeks at what is in store for the tradeshow, which will be summarized below, in a list of “must-sees” this year.
Herman Miller
This past year has been full of reveals for Herman Miller, and they will be showing these off in Suite 231 with the theme of “Working Together”. The following products will be highlighted, “Working Together” to provide a harmonious, collaborative environment:
Clockwise from top left: Canvas Office Landscape, SAYL Chairs, Everywhere Tables, Swoop, Compass System, Advo Chairs
- Everywhere™ Tables: the chameleon of tables – they have a simple, sleek design with multiple size, shape and function options that can go, well, everywhere. You can be sure to see several configurations and applications in the Chicago showroom next week.
- SAYL™ Chairs: now it is time to experience life unframed yourself! Visit Herman Miller at Neocon and see Yves Behar’s innovative design, inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Advo™ Chairs: This new addition to the Herman Miller portfolio provides a scalable chair at an excellent price point. See the different options for both task and side chairs.
- Swoop™ Lounge Furniture: It’s all about the curves for this family of seating. They support connection, recreation and relaxation while allowing movement and reconfiguration.
- Herman Miller Healthcare: Herman Miller Healthcare’s Compass™ System will feature new enhancements such as new storage components, the addition of lighting, and an ADA-compliant sink option. The award-winning modular healthcare system provides a flexible, adaptable interior solution for patients, families and staff.
- Canvas Office Landscape™: Herman Miller has put a lot of time and effort into making the Canvas Office Landscape™ a holistic approach to the entire office environment. The line supports all workspace types, giving the complete office aesthetic continuity.
Bretford
Bretford’s showroom will be a very exciting place to visit this year with the reveal of their EDU 2.0 system. EDU 2.0 is the first complete line of powered, modular technology furniture. With this product line, an entire social learning space can be designed with common aesthetics and technology. The line ranges from carts to presentation equipment to soft seating. You can read more on their website press release.
Geiger
Geiger International has two debuts this year at Neocon, and an excellent showroom layout concept. The experience, called “Collaborative Executive”, takes a visitor through the different environments one office needs to support their workflow through a typical day. Today’s executive requires furniture and technology to support presentation, collaboration and dedication to individual work. Geiger International plans to show an environment that does all three. The furniture manufacturer also plans on revealing the new Sotto executive chair and the Loophole table line, pictured above.
DIRTT
The main event in DIRTT’s showroom at Neocon 2011 is the new Breathe™ Living Modular Wall. The new feature can attach to both DIRTT and conventional walls, and comes in a variety of sizes. True to DIRTT’s agile fashion, plants are easily moved, replaced and removed without disrupting others. The watering system is simple and efficient.
DIRTT will also showcase their product in healthcare environments. Visit them in Chicago to see how DIRTT walls can improve healing, learning, meeting and working with its simplicity, flexibility and agile nature.
For more information on Neocon 2011 or these products, or to schedule an appointment for a showroom tour by our Herman Miller representative at Neocon, please e-mail us at betterwaystowork@intereum.com!
Herman Miller has just released a video that excellently portrays the endless possibilities that the Meridian Filing and Storage products offer. Please view by clicking the video image below, and let us know what you think in the comments box below. Imagine how your office could use this system to create gathering, sharing and meeting spaces!
Click here to view!
Herman Miller’s Meridian Filing and Storage product line offers much more than incredibly efficient storage solutions. It provides boundaries and places to gather and share information. Instead of being built-in standard two, three, four and five-high units, the Meridian system is composed of individual modules, stacked and organized to a configuration that can fit any space’s needs. Stack them one to six modules high. Place them side-by-side. Make each module face reverse directions. Put a cushion top and legs on one module, or a planter on top of three modules. With Meridian, the historic leader of filing and storage, the possibilities are endless!
The flexibility and creativity with Meridian Filing and Storage does not end after the initial installation. If there is one concept Herman Miller understands and implements well, it is the constantly changing office environment. Since the system is module-based, the configurations are easily changed within the space as the office needs change throughout the years.
Interested in thinking outside of the unitized box? Contact us at betterwaystowork@intereum.com or call our office. Or request a quote here, on our website!
Herman Miller CEO Visit: Twists to Trending Topics
May 19, 2011
Intereum Owner, Matt Sveen, introduces Brian Walker, Herman Miller CEO
The CEO of Herman Miller, Brian Walker visited with the Intereum team last Tuesday to talk about the future of real estate and business practices. He shared with us the “Responding to the Givens” presentation he gave at a large real estate and facilities conference a couple weeks ago. Brian’s presentation touched on several topics, but there were a few hot issues that really stood out that morning. He stressed that while our use and view of the workplace may change, the need for a physical office still exists, and explained how increasingly important it will be to focus on every generation at work.
Brian Walker hypothesizes a unique answer to the increasingly popular question, “Do we need a physical office anymore?” This is a valid question, considering the increased mobility of technology and information. People no longer require as much separation between work and personal life (Walker calls this “compartmentalization”). They now have a choice of where to work, and often it is the most comfortable, convenient spot.
Brian Walker talks about making real estate work harder
So in order to keep the brain power in the office and keep information exchange among employees, the workplace must be more appealing than the other options, such as a Starbucks or home sofa. Walker suggests that instead of reducing real estate, we can “make it work harder”! Providing a variety of workspace types and sizes with varying privacy and collaboration levels allows employees to work in whichever style they prefer without leaving the campus. A space that promotes a happy, healthy workflow can help keep people within the office walls and available to foster the “transfer of knowledge”.
Brian Walker also surprised me with his fresh take on another trending topic: “Generations at Work”. He focuses not on the expected issue: difficulties presented with old versus new worker styles, wants and needs, but instead on the potential loss of valuable information and expertise when the number of retirees skyrockets in the next few years. So how do we make sure this knowledge gets to the next generation before that happens? By providing a social workplace! Making an office an inviting, unique community attracts the two generations to co-mingle and learn from each other.
Feel free to use the Comments box to further expand on these interesting questions and topics! If you would like more information on this blog or Herman Miller’s fresh take on the workplace, please contact us at betterwaystowork@intereum.com.
Becoming an Agent of Change through Sustainability: How do our choices and behaviors affect sustainability?
May 17, 2011
Sustainability is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as “the ability to meet our needs without compromising the needs of future generations.” This includes not only the environmental considerations, but also the social and economic impacts. The culmination of the social, economic and environmental impacts is referred to as the “Triple Bottom Line”. It requires doing more with less, adapting to constantly changing technology, and updating our outdated buildings; all difficult to achieve – much less maintain – in this economic climate.
The topic of sustainability can be a challenging one, because it forces us to analyze our behavior and choices. It is as much about planning as it is about the Three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle). It brings up several “What ifs”: What if including more contractors in the upfront design and planning phase of a project would allow you to integrate your systems to save energy, increase thermal comfort and air quality, and save on long-term life-cycle costs of your space? What if your design team included vendors that have products that accommodate change in the future and thus reduce the cost and labor that is inevitable with expansions? What if these products made your users happier, more satisfied and helped your business attract and retain the best and brightest? How does your behavior and the choices you make affect the “Triple Bottom Line” and thus sustainability?
A recent paper released by DIRTT (stands for Doing It Right This Time) writes, “This is a discussion about our behaviors: The way we approach buildings and the way the buildings ultimately behave…choosing better materials as a substitute for real sustainability is the equivalent of choosing palliative care over a healthy lifestyle.” Also, Bill Stumpf, one of the creators and visionaries of the iconic Aeron Chair, wrote a book titled The Ice Palace That Melted Away. This book addresses behaviors, virtues and civility and how they shape culture and affect sustainability. “Disposable culture”, consumerism, and “material wastefulness” are also topics in this book. He writes,
“In my lifetime, I will use up nearly 20,000 disposable razors, 25,000 gallons of hot water and 500 six-ounce cans of aerosol shave cream (62 shaving years, God-willing, one shave per day). By comparison, in all his years of removing whiskers, my grandfather used less than half a dozen straight razors, maybe two or three honing straps, at best 100 bars of Ivory soap, maybe a dozen shaving brushes, one ceramic later mug, and less than one quart of hot water per shave (75 percent less hot water than I use). I can’t help wondering if in such simple routines I shouldn’t shun an obvious material wastefulness and indifference to the details of daily life and adopt a less material existence in general, extracting more pleasure from the art of living,”
A renewed commitment to planning is an integral step to sustainable projects. Thus, having an integrated project team and proactively planning for change is essential. Proper planning and strategic partnerships enable synergies to happen and allow sustainability to flourish. Stay tuned for our next Agent of Change post on collaboration!
For more information on sustainability and how Intereum can support the “Triple Bottom Line”, please visit our Sustainable Industry Solutions page, or e-mail betterwaystowork@intereum.com.
This blog post is the final part of our series focusing on Herman Miller’s ergonomic seating portfolio. Our previous post discussed the Mirra and Celle chairs. It is now time for Embody and SAYL to shine!
Embody: the First “Health-Positive” Chair
The Embody chair was designed by (Minnesota native) Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf. There are three main innovations at work in the Embody ergonomics: Pixilated Support™, the “kicker”, and Backfit™ system. All three support dynamic movement and spinal health (hence the term “health-positive”!).
Stumpf and Weber were inspired by a piece of furniture most of us use for about as long as we sit a work chair: a bed mattress! A decent mattress distributes pressure evenly, and if one person moves or turns, the other is not bothered by it. This concept was translated to both the back and seat of the Embody.
Pixilated Support™ is a matrix of points in the seat and back of the Embody chair that evenly distributes the pressure exerted on the user’s body. The neutralization of pressure reduces the circulation reduction that happens at high pressure points.
When the user sets their Embody’s tilt at one of the ten settings to best match their weight, the “kicker” allows the user to stretch beyond that point when needed. This supports movement and blood flow throughout the work day.
With Backfit™, a flexible backrest system adjustable at 9.3 degrees, a user can set the Embody to support a curved or straight back. The curved back setting will recline 9.3 degrees more than the straight back setting, keeping the S-curve supported and the visual horizon level.
Check out Herman Miller’s Embody Experience!
SAYL: Life Unframed
The SAYL chair, designed by Yves Behar, was inspired by the famous San Fransisco Golden Gate Bridge. The suspension tower structure and mechanics were mimicked in this chair by using the Y-Tower to suspend a 3D-intelligent back material. The material has tension areas to support transition areas between the thoracic and lumbar and also the lumbar and sacrum. The hinge points built into the back help rotate the pelvis forward, keeping the circulation healthy throughout the work day. All of these details continue providing “health-positive” attributes and allow for a completely frameless back design.
The back material can also be upholstered and still have the 3D-intelligent characteristics!
Can you see the similarity in back shape between the Embody and SAYL chairs? The narrow upper back offers a full range of movement to the seated user’s upper body. This further accommodates movement throughout the day, which improves blood flow.
Experience SAYL on Herman Miller’s interactive website. Or better yet, experience life unframed by trying SAYL yourself! E-mail Intereum at betterwaystowork@intereum.com to schedule a showroom visit.
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