Crafting tomorrow’s workspace: the role of ancillary furniture in the modern office

While traditional desks and chairs remain an essential part of any workspace, office design has come a long way from the rows of desks and cubicles that once dominated the workplace in decades gone by. As the modern office becomes increasingly flexible and tailored to hot desking, breakout spaces and hybrid working policies, standard furniture is supported by ancillary furniture such as communal tables, lounge chairs and more informal soft seating.

Designed to supplement the core furnishings on offer, ancillary pieces help to transform the office from a one-dimensional space to a layered, multi-faceted environment capable of meeting the needs of a diverse workforce. These needs can range from maintaining employee wellbeing and a positive community culture to more practical needs such as facilitating private meetings or adapting quickly to changes in office layout.

Fostering connection

Designed to accommodate more informal meetings such as creative brainstorming or team collaboration, grouped lounge chairs are a great example of ancillary furniture that encourages connection. Multi-person seating solutions such as the Ever Sofa collection from NaughtOne or Knoll’s Barcelona Daybed activate these breakout areas as well as larger public spaces, inviting people to gather together for casual conversations away from the constraints of a traditional desk or meeting room. Further ancillary pieces such as HAY’s Rey side table can be added to this grouped lounge seating for a place to hold laptops and notebooks during team discussions.

Large, communal tables such as Muuto’s Midst Table also bring people together by offering an alternative to the isolation of individual desks. Shared tables help promote more cross-team brainstorming, knowledge sharing and impromptu conversations over lunch, while in meeting rooms, pieces such as the Florence Knoll Table or HAY’s Boa Table can be introduced to better support client meetings and boardroom gatherings.

However, while collaboration is a key part of the contemporary office, privacy often remains a necessity – whether it be for confidential client conversations or simply for focused independent work. Ancillary pieces like NaughtOne’s Pullman Booth, Muuto’s Outline Sofa and Knoll’s KN02 and KN03 Chairs can all make privacy possible by creating a sense of enclosure and offering a level of acoustic privacy, enabling uninterrupted meetings and confidential phone calls.

Employee wellbeing

Physical, mental and emotional wellbeing is becoming a greater priority across the world of work, and workplace providers have responded by introducing more health-focused initiatives to help them stand out in a more competitive industry. Ancillary furnishings therefore cater to the greater emphasis on employee wellbeing by creating restorative spaces that offer workers a moment to pause and reflect during the hustle and bustle of the working day.

Lounge chairs like Herman Miller’s Striad Lounge Chair and Ottoman and side tables like NaughtOne’s Tun Table offer employees more than just a comfortable break: by providing versatile, comfortable and flexible spaces that are accessible to all, workers can look after their physical and mental wellbeing – benefitting productivity and critical thinking.

Spatial versatility

Thanks in part to generative AI, smart technology and a shifting office market, the landscape of work is ever-changing – and organisations must be agile to survive. Furniture that is inherently versatile and ready to support diverse needs is essential, with the likes od NaughtOne’s Pippin Lounge Chair that combines comfort with agility for spontaneous meetings. Multi-purpose ranges including Knoll’s Saarinen Pedestal collection also cater towards flexibility, either functioning as work surfaces, supporting table lamps for extra lighting and or simply as a place to hold a cup of coffee.

With the rise in modular and reconfigurable spaces, modular sofa systems also deliver flexibility to create the right space when it matters – Herman Miller’s Chadwick Modular Seating features five interchangeable units, while HAY’s Mags Sofa can be structured in an equally broad range of combinations.

The power of the well-designed workplace is in the details – and by incorporating ancillary furniture into workplace design in a thoughtful way, organisations can contribute to a more engaged, productive workforce and a positive company culture. Each of the brands in the MillerKnoll collective can help bring any workspace to life: learn more about MillerKnoll’s work and brands here.