Whoever said cubicles are a thing of the past was seriously mistaken. They also most likely have never heard of Herman Miller Ethospace, and definitely don’t know its capabilities as a dynamic cubicle system. Lucky for you, we’ll help you avoid this misguidance you may have stumbled upon online somewhere and give you the real lowdown on why cubicles are more popular than ever.
Are you familiar with the whole debate for and against the open office? In case you aren’t, here’s a quick summary. The supporters of the open office explain that having an open layout makes it easier for employees to interact with one another and collaborate freely in hopes of more camaraderie and productivity. The goal is to remove physical barriers in the office to encourage the flow of ideas and information in a more informal way to help coworkers be as creative as possible. In many cases, it is also a cheaper solution to designing an office because a lot of the furniture and equipment is shared, while heating/cooling and electricity is reduced.
Those who disagree with the open office philosophy largely say that the lack of personal space leads to unwanted distractions and noise, making it hard to focus. It also makes it difficult to keep your computer screen or phone calls private from others. Furthermore, there’s belief that the increased interaction between employees actually leads to less productivity due to distractions resulting in more socializing and less work.
The reason I bring up this debate is because of the cubicle’s ability to combine the positives of both office designs to achieve a productive and efficient workplace that meets every employee’s needs. How? you may ask. Simple: Cubicle Customization!
At Ethosource, our inventory of Herman Miller Ethospace parts fills over 100,000 square feet of warehouse space. That’s a lot of parts. These parts are liquidated or purchased in new and pre-owned condition and give us the ability to build your cubicles from start to finish. The solid steel frame that supports all these parts and pieces is pre-owned, but due to its incredible durability and the fact that it’s basically invisible once the system is put together, it’s the perfect reusable resource to save you money and help the environment. Now, what you decide to do with the rest of the cubicle is up to you. It’s all part of the cubicle customization process. Here’s what we mean:
Layout
First and foremost, you have to figure out your layout. No longer are workplaces just filled with rows and rows of identical workstations. Not only can your office have unique layouts compared to the next company, but your employees can have unique layouts compared to the coworker sitting right next to them. This is how you achieve the balance of the open office style you want and the privacy your employees need. Choosing your layout is also specific to the space in which your office provides. This refers to any physical challenges or barriers must be taken into consideration and creatively avoided or accommodated. Our professional design team helps with all the steps in this phase, and provide you detailed drawings and renderings of your layout options along with way.
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Things to consider in your layout:
How many people will be working in the space? What are the needs in terms of privacy/collaboration? Is there room needed for growth? What kind of “look” is desired? Should we value engineer (use as much recycled product as possible)?
These questions will help us determine a number of style components such as wall heights, worksurface shapes, the use of doors and windows, etc. The Ethospace frames allow for tiles to be easily added or removed to modify these heights and designs throughout their use. As your company changes, so should your work space. We make it easy.
[ezcol_1half]Degrees of Privacy:-Seated Height
-Benching
-Full Privacy
-Multi-Height
-Telemarketing
-And more[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Worksurface Shapes:
-Straight surface
-U-shaped
-L-shaped
-P-Top (Peninsula surface shaped like a P)
-T-Top (Peninsula surface shaped like a T)
-Bullet-Top
-Bullpen shared surface
-Multi-height surfaces[/ezcol_1half_end]
Accessories
The cool part of Ethospace workstations (well one of the many) is the ability to easily accommodate various accessories and features that make your station unique to your personal work style. Ethospace has a large selection of tiles that make adding these components easy, and we’ve got them all! If you want the ability to hang pictures and notes from your station then a tackable tile is what you’re looking for, or maybe you just need a little extra help with your filing and organization, so you’d want a rail tile with paper management in your station. There are so many ways to customize your space; you just tell us what you need!
Types of Tiles & Accessories:
[ezcol_1third]- Rail Tile
- Glass Tile/Upmount Glass
- Marker Tile
- Acoustic Tile
- Laminate/Veneer Tile
- Tackable Tile
- Paper Tray
- Diagonal Tray
- Organizer Tray
- Shelves
- Overhead Storage Units
- Triple Arch
- Vertical Tray
- Pencil Drawer
- Keyboard Tray
- Power Module
- Monitor Arm
- LED Task Lights
- CPU Holder
- Beltline Power
Fabrics & Finishes
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Here’s where the artist in you really gets to have some fun. We have a large collection of select fabrics and finishes that you can choose from to get the look and feel that reflects your company image and culture. We’ll recover the tiles in the brand new fabrics that you select and incorporate any other tiles, such as laminate, veneer, glass, etc, as accent tiles to add the finishes touches to your stations. The finishes are not only important for your worksurfaces, but for your trim as well. Trim? You ask. These are the pieces that cover that steel frame we talked about, and they need attention too. Choosing specific finishes and colors will help bring the look of the entire station together and make a big difference in your overall design. Don’t worry, our designers are more than helpful in this phase as well, so can help make suggestions and narrow down your choices as you go. And don’t forget to consider your carpets and wall colors! It’s ok, we’ll remind you.
If there is a particular fabric or finish that you like that is not in our collection, we can order it for you to make sure you’re not sacrificing anything you really want for your office.
Additional Furniture/Storage
There’s a chance you may be just a tad less (or more!) organized than the next person, and so you’ll have different needs for storage and filing in your cubicle. The good news is we have a huge variety of storage solutions that can help you get your space organized and keep you as productive as possible! A mobile pedestal is a great way to make the most of your space with storage that can move as you need it and fit nicely under your surface and out of the way when you don’t. Whether short and wide or tall and skinny or hanging above your surface or sitting below your surface, we have whatever you need to keep your work organized and easily accessible.
Types of Storage Units:
[ezcol_1half]-Fire Files-Lateral Files
-Vertical Files
-Storage Towers[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]-Pedestals
-Mobile Pedestals
-Bookcases
-Wardrobes[/ezcol_1half_end]
There are other parts of your station that may need additional furniture as well. If you need a new office chair, our refurbishing process makes it easy to match your chair fabrics to your workstations or help you go completely out of the box with bright, fun colors. Get the top names in office chairs, customized to your unique style, at a fraction of the cost of new. All the ergonomics and comfort you need for long days sitting in the office. If your space needs additional tables for impromptu meetings or collaboration, or simply another worksurface to utilize, then we can help you there too. Check out our inventory of new, pre-owned and refurbished office furniture for our full selection.
There you have it: a quick summary of how to customize your office cubicles. There’s a lot to consider and a lot to choose from, but with a little bit of help and expertise, this just means way more opportunity to get a completely unique office space that plays a big role in your company’s success. There’s a lot to do, so let’s get started! Contact us today 🙂