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Just as our world is constantly evolving, so is the “world” within offices. New needs arises every year, and new solutions are developed to meet these. As we are a part of the office interior industry, we love to stay updated on the latest office trends, and we would like to share some of the latest news on office trends anno 2015 with you. Because they are quite exciting – not to mention very relevant for everybody working at an office. Which most of us do, right? As you all know, smartphones, tablets and notebooks make the office more mobile and less dependent of location, which means that the design of the office has started to change in order to fit the new ways of working. Therefore, we will see a trend where the central zone of the office will play a bigger role as a “point of communication” – a place where people meet to brainstorm, do classic business and be social. This will mean an increased focus on creating open spaces like working cafes and creative lounges where people can exchange ideas. As the open spaces grow bigger so do the importance of great acoustics. Also, due to a continuously greater focus on work environment a growing demand for sit/stand solutions and ergonomically correct height-adjustable workstations will be seen in 2015. Finally, again due to the mobile and space-saving technologies we all use today, workstations are becoming more compact and minimalistic. Focus will be on ergonomics and design. Even screens and organization panels are being designed to bring more life into the workstations.

As you might know by now, we are starting several new initiatives this year. One of them is called “Project of the Month”. As the name suggest, we will each month present one of our projects and let you in on some of the thoughts behind the final result. As this – our very first – project of the month, we have chosen the full turnkey office we did for HQ Creative. HQ Creative is a well-renowned event management & design company based here in Dubai. The company wanted an office that would reflects their innovative and creative company soul. Together with HQ Creative we therefore designed an office with a big open workspace in a light and modern style. In the middle we incorporated a “creative thinking” area for the employees to gather for brainstorming sessions, creative development sessions etc. In all the materials used for this project both design and quality played an important role. For instance, to secure a great working environment in the big open area, we used soundproof ceiling. We also used quality carpet from our partner ege carpet. We used the graphic carpet called Orbit from ege’s elements @work collection to add a little something extra to the floor. HQ Creative wanted both quality and great functionality in all aspect – including their furniture, so we turned to our Spanish furniture partner Forma 5. We used furniture from Forma 5’s Vektor System, M10 line, Melamine Storage line, their Garbo chairs and V30 meeting table and several other product lines. As to the color scheme we used mainly white in the office area with color splashes in bright orange and green to add playfulness to the office and support the creative environment. The overall interior design with open workspaces and meeting areas in bright colors and modern style completely support the dynamic and innovative environment that is required by employees that need to deliver creative solutions for a living. Want to see more pictures? Click here.    

We have previously touched upon the subject of trends within the office industry for 2015, but today we are going to dig a little deeper into the trends that will be dominant this year. Last time we talked more about the office space and work stations and how they are changing in their design. Today we will focus more on the trends that we see in regards to design, decoration of the office and the selection of materials. To make it easy for you to get an overview, we have divided the different trends into a mini trend report with 9 overall areas that will dominate the office interiors industry in 2015: 1. Tech-driven Just as modern technology has started to change the way the office space is designed, modern technology is also starting to change the way furniture is designed. High tech technology is no longer limited to high-end plasma screens, but we are seeing a new array of high-end products that integrate technology in new ways. It be speakers that can be plastered over and hidden, tables with integrated power sticks for phones, iPads etc. 2. Open Office Open office designs are not a new thing, but open offices are still becoming more and more dominant and we do not think that will change any day soon. As employees are using their technology and their workspace differently, not only the design of the office is changing, but also the furniture, as they need to suit the open office space better. 3. Natural Indoors The trend of bringing the nature inside has been around for as long as mankind have been building, however, in the office space this trend have not been as dominant before as it is at the moment. We see designers launching solutions that incorporate natural materials as well as products that are focused on indoor plants. It can be everything from eco-walls displaying large vertical plantations to incorporating miniscule greenhouses into table designs. 4. Geometry From textiles to product designs, geometric forms and shapes seem to be everywhere. There is something almost futuristic about the edges and sharp lines that are created when you incorporate geometry into design. And it is a versatile trend as geometry can be used to mix different colors, it can be used to create futuristic looks or create a simple but dynamic touch to an area. 5. Wall Graphics Another trend that we a starting to see a lot more is wall graphics. Both regional and international companies have taken the idea of decorating their walls and we will in 2015 still see an even greater demand on cutting edge wall graphics. 6. Playfulness We are starting to see much more creativity and playfulness in the design of office furniture these years, and we think this trend will continue to grow. And we love it. Why have boring furniture, when you can have playful (and just as functional) lamps, sofas, chairs etc.? 7. Organic Forms Almost as a sidekick to… Continue reading Office Interior Design Trend Report 2015

Here at Xworks we care a lot about the environment, and we care about who we partner up with for the same reason. We want partners that value the environment too, and one of the companies that we are proud to be working with is ege carpets.   ege carpets has a longstanding history of caring for the environment, and with their new collection ReForm Memory Ecotrust they have created a carpet collection that is completely green all the way through – without compromising neither their sense of quality nor design. This collection is designed by Carol Appleton. The carpets are developed by using a complex structured multi-level loop and digital coloration to give a truly unique expression. The collection is perfect to play around with in regards to different tonal ranges and accent colors which will allow you to create separate areas in an open office or pathways to lead around the office. But what is truly impressive and unique about this carpet collection is that it is completely sustainable and 100% regenerated from the tile backing to the yarn used for the carpet. ege carpets have developed a technique that allows them to recycle used water bottles into a patented Ecotrust felt backing for their carpet tiles. The technique turns the water bottles into flakes and then the flakes are turned into fibres. These fibres are used to create the soft and strong PET felt material that is both long lasting and has a great acoustic performance too. The yarn used for the carpets is Aquafil’s ECONYL yarns that are produced from used fishing nets. First, the old fishing nets are cleaned, then they are physically and chemically broken down and “reborn” as strong and hardwearing yarns for carpets.

The calendar says late February which means it is time for another “Project of the Month”. We have this time chosen a project we finished just last month, and we are quite pleased with the end result – and more importantly, so is the client, Gilead Sciences Dubai. Gilead Sciences is an international pharmaceutical company with a big office here in Dubai. For Gilead it was important to get a highly functional office that would fit the employees’ everyday needs. So we designed just that for them. We focused on creating a clean, minimalistic and functional office. We used mostly white and light colors as this creates the right feel of a clean environment and ambience for a serious pharmaceutical company. Both workstations and meeting rooms were designed to have a clean, minimalistic look and with a high focus on the functionality. Being a pharmaceutical company, Gilead of course have a strong need for security at their office, and as this office is mainly meant to be a working area, we did not create a traditional reception area, but instead we designed a waiting area, where people can be greeted and taken to one of the meeting rooms. As to the carpet and furniture used in this project, we focused on quality and functionality to a reasonable price, and we therefore teamed up with our trusted partners ege carpets and Forma 5. Gilead now have a highly functional office with a strong, simple design at a very strong price point. Want to see more pictures? Click here.

You might not look at your lifestyle as sedentary, but if you are sitting at your desk for many hours every day, then you might actually be putting your health at risk – just like the rest of us, who are stuck behind a desk all day. And why is that? You might ask. Well, sitting at your desk for prolonged periods of time can decrease the efficiency of the fat burning enzymes in your body, decrease your blood circulation and increase the chance of mental fatigue. All this can lead to a lower concentration and productivity, which means you perform poorer at work. However, these effects can also cause you more serious health problems like heart disease, cholesterol, back or neck pain and thrombosis. But by fitting a modern, ergonomic sit-stand desk into your office, you can help yourself decrease the chances of developing some of these problems. With a height-adjustable desk you can both sit and stand comfortably while you work. By changing work positions during the day you are decreasing your chances of developing health problems, and you will soon start to feel the benefits of standing in periods. You will start to: Have more Energy and Increase your Productivity As soon as you start to change between sitting and standing you will start to feel less tired and get more energy, which will impact positively on your productivity during the day. Burn Calories When you stand up you burn more calories than you do when you sit. Standing will help increase the efficiency of the fat burning enzymes in your body, which means that you will be more likely to be able to lose weight – if you do wish so – or stay on a consistent weight. Improve your Blood Flow Standing more during your work day will also help to improve your blood flow. If you are one of many that experience cold hands when you sit by your computer all day, then you will most likely experience that by standing up your blood will flow more freely and with that you will have warmer hands. Relieve Back Pains The shifts between sitting and standing during the day will also help relieve back pains caused by sitting still many hours every day. The first days it will probably seem hard for the back and legs to suddenly stand up for periods, when your body is used to sitting only, but soon you will feel a relief in your back and less soreness too. As you can see, the advantages of height-adjustable desks are many, so if you are interested in adding height-adjustable desks to your office workspace, then please contact us, as we have a whole range of different sit-stand desks for you to choose from. You can contact us on [email protected] or +971 04 321 6644.

Oh, how we have been waiting for this moment for a while now. And today we are finally ready to reveal our biggest news ever (so far). Namely that we are opening up a new office in Abu Dhabi! It is all still very new, and at the moment we are in the middle of getting all the details sorted out – not to mention all the paperwork. However, we hope to be up and running for real pretty soon. We cannot tell you that much yet, but we can let you know that the Managing Director for our Abu Dhabi office will be Torben Hildebrandt, who has already slowly joined Xworks. We will of course keep you updated, whenever we have something new to tell about the new office. Also, we are planning a big launch party in the late fall around a pretty big event going on in Abu Dhabi the last weekend of November! Have you guessed which one?

This year, the iconic Series 7 chair celebrate its 60th anniversary. The chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen back in 1955 who set a completely new standard for chairs with the remarkable design, and even today the Series 7 chair stands out as one of the finest examples of timeless design in the history of furniture. To celebrate the 60th anniversary Fritz Hansen have asked the Danish artist Tal R to pick 9 new colors for the Series 7 chair. Tal R is internationally known for his profound sense of colors and he was therefore a perfect pick to select the anniversary colors. The new colors revitalize the design completely and let us all see the iconic chair in a new light. Tal R has created 9 artistic colors that all are blends and that all change with the light, space, season and other aspects of the environment. Fritz Hansen prefers artistic colors to industrial colors, as these colors are genuine, complex and will patinate over time. The result is a piece of furniture that will continue to live and surprise for many years. The 9 new colors for the Series 7 chair are: Opium Red was chosen by Tal R as it symbolizes the mystique of the Far East and with its decadent expression it sparks associations to Shanghai of the 1930s. The second color picked is the color AI, which is Japanese for indigo blue. Indigo blue is a deep shade of blue that is forever drawn towards black and it is a color with an amazing sense of depth. Tal R also selected the color Chocolate Milk Brown, an indulgent brown that also possesses a touch of creamy white. This color is drawn between brown and rose, which gives it a wonderful warm feel. Trieste is the name of another blue color that Tal R also have selected for the chairs. This color is named after the port city in north-eastern Italy by the very name Trieste and it is the impossible blue that has been used by many artists over the decades – especially by the impressionists. Trieste lies somewhere between violet and blue with strong forces pulling it in both directions. Hüzün Green is the fifth new color and it is inspired by Islamic green, which is also used on the public busses in Istanbul. Hüzün is Turkish for wistful, a word that captures the dreamy mood of the color with its bittersweet touch of nostalgia. What makes this color so unique is that the green has a faded character that fits fantastic with the implied patina. Egyptian Yellow is a rich color that gives associations to the ancient Egypt and the color have that touch of the unknown, which gives it a highly characteristic and distinctive tone. The color is a faded yellow. The seventh color is called Altstadt Rose and it is one of Tal R’s signature colors. The rose expresses impermanence and fiery beauty. This rose has its golden days behind it and is now a… Continue reading The Series 7 chair in new colors

In the latest issue of Start Up Magazine you have had the chance to read a nice little article about the important issues you need to consider when you are creating a new office – whether as a start-up founder or a more established business – and the man behind all the insights and advices is our very own Søren Kræn. As we know many of you might not come across the magazine, we just want to share the article with you here, so that you will have the chance to read it. So here we go: Office design for start-up founders Soren Kraen, CEO at Xworks Interiors LLC, reveals the important issues to consider when you are creating a new office Whether you are designing a completely new office or redoing an old, there are several things you need to consider before starting. Because your choices matter – as they will affect the office environment more than you think. Several studies have shown that how the office is designed not only impact the overall productivity of your employees, but also their overall happiness at work. Of course, we cannot offer you a single formula for creating the perfect office, as that depends completely on your needs, but we can guide you through some of the things that you need to take into careful consideration. First of all, IT have changed the way we design offices now a days. With laptops, WIFI and mobiles being an integrated part of our lives, we no longer require the same static workplace, nor the same amount of desk space, as we once did. Flexible work spaces makes the modern office This means that many companies today are embracing a more open layout with smaller desks for the individual employee, and bigger open areas for team-meetings and brainstorming-sessions. However, most companies still keep some smaller closed meeting rooms for private meetings, client meeting and for when someone needs a quiet place. Because it is important to remember that with an open office, there will be more sounds around you than if you sit in a smaller closed office. “Break Out” areas The latest trend within the Interior Office Design Industry is “Break Out” areas. Areas in the office where the furniture have a more homely feel and often is the area designed to stimulate creativity. A place where the employees can go to work, have workshops, brainstorming-sessions or just take a quick break. Stand up meeting tables Another micro-trend are those high sleek meeting tables that force you to stand up during meetings. It is healthy for you to stand more and studies have shown that standing up during e.g. shorter team-meeting can reduce the meeting time by 34%! And that is quite a lot. However, do have a normal meeting table set-up too, as it will be tough to stand up doing hour-long meetings. Ergonomics is the new ‘black’ In Europe ergonomics have been a big deal for many years, but now it… Continue reading Xworks in Start Up Magazine

n the June issue of Commercial Interior Design you can find a little nice article about Xworks Interiors under the section “Suppliers you should know”. As we know not all of you will have the chance to read the article directly in the magazine, we have decided to share the text with you right here. Because we don’t want you to miss a thing. Here we go: Tell us about your company? Xworks Interiors was founded in 2009 by Søren Kræn, who has been working in interior design and fit-out for more than 25 years in the UAE. The firm presents many years of valuable experience in the market. We deliver full turnkey interior solutions with services consisting of interior design, fit-out and furniture. We are specialized in corporate offices and other commercial work. Our mission is to provide the UAE market with innovative, international quality products and services. We want to build the offices of tomorrow, focusing specifically on topics such as ergonomics, the environment, indoor nature, natural light and intriguing design. We have streamlined our services into a coordinated sequence beginning with design, product and furniture selection through professional project management that results in delivery on time with required quality. We are also always in close dialogue with our clients. What projects have you recently been involved in? We have been involved in a number of projects over the years. Our clients and portfolio include various well-known companies such as Bapas Bar, Gilead Sciences Dubai, Open Text, Ernst & Young Middle East, HQ Creative, Maersk Line, Park Hyatt, BAE Systems, Hella Middle East and Murdoch University, to name a few. Recently, we have finished projects for Lindt&Spungli, JCB, and Glander International Bunkering. What challenges did they present? We always try to think about challenges more as unforeseen opportunities. These opportunities will allow us to grow and allow us to showcase just how capable and experienced we are in delivering projects of the highest quality – even when things becomes a little challenging. Most projects, especially those that possess a high degree of complexity, require a detailed and focused coordination from start to finish, and that requires skilled and experienced  project managers, which we have. What are you most looking forward to for the rest of 2015? We are looking forward to the completion of our current projects, such as the big training facility we are building at the moment for Maersk Training. We are also looking forward to getting started on some of the many exciting projects we have on the horizon. However, more than anything we are looking forward to opening up a branch of Xworks Interiors in Abu Dhabi very soon. We are finalizing all the paperwork at the moment, and we cannot wait to get started. What trends do you see in the Middle East with regards to it out? The Middle East. just like many other regions, is going through a rapid change when it comes to designing corporate offices. Today, the modern office… Continue reading Xworks in Commercial Interior Design

Our Project of the Month this June is a project we just finished off for Glander International Bunkering – a project we are very excited about finally being able to show you all. Glander International Bunkering is a world respected trading and brokering firm specialized in marine fuels and lubricants, and they needed a completely new office here in Dubai – an office that office would spread through a complete floor. Xworks Interiors was selected to do a full turnkey build including all the designs. We chose – in collaboration with Glander – to design an open space office with a great focus on ergonomics and the overall work environment. The design is held in light and bright tones with a focus on natural light, acoustics and, as mentioned before, ergonomics. We have only used good quality materials and furniture, and we have focused on creating a modern open space office with break out areas and even and in-house fitness center for the employees to relax, exercise and be social. All to improve and support a good and healthy work environment at the office. As ergonomics and healthy work positions was in focus we supplied the whole office with quality height-adjustable tables and good adjustable office chairs too. In order to enhance the acoustics in some areas, such as smaller meeting rooms, we designed some modern looking fabric upholstered walls. The CEO & CFO wanted a solution where they would be a part of the open office, but still have the possibility of closed privacy for meetings, so we came up with the solution of electrically movable glass walls/doors that would allow them to be an integrated part of the office, when the walls are open, but give them privacy when closed – without them becoming completely shielded off. As to the furniture we supplied Glander with pieces from Holmris, Howe and Haworth. The carpet was supplied by ege carpets and the ceiling from KnaufDanoline/Danogips. Want to see more pictures? Then just click right here!

Our carpet partner ege carpets has recently been awarded with the prestigious Cradle to CradleTM certification for their patented carpet tile backing. As a result, ege carpets is one step closer to cementing that their Ecotrust Backing is one of the most environmental-friendly tile backings on the market. A Cradle to CradleTM certification ensures that a carpet backing supplied by ege carpets is manufactured under conditions which ensure that valuable resources remain in a closed cycle, and in the same time customers can be assured that the carpets have minimal impact on pollution and that residual materials are recycled. The idea behind the Cradle to CradleTM certification is that the Earth’s finite resources should not go to waste. Instead they should be used in new contexts – with no detrimental effects on people or the environment. Something we really like here at Xworks.