Workspace Expo has been the European benchmark for office furniture and workspace design for a decade. The Parisian event brings together hundreds of brands and thousands of visitors every year, allowing market players to come into contact with architects, interior designers and professionals.
We felt it was important to also be present this year, because this fair represented the perfect opportunity to present all of our latest products and novelties and propose what we believe will be the trends that will characterise the near future. We talked about this year’s experience with Eugenio Russo, our Export Manager for Europe and Africa.
Workspace Expo is one of the most important events for the office furniture sector. What were the most interesting trends seen at the fair?
During the event, we identified four main trends.
On an aesthetic level, the colour choice that has emerged in recent years was confirmed. Pastel colours, with their soft and warm hues, were once used exclusively for residential or hotel environments: today they are also used for office environments, and remind us that workspaces have become an extension of home environments, at least as far as stylistic choices are concerned.
Workspace Expo 2023 confirmed another trend too: the use of greenery and plants as a decorative element. Using plants is not only an aesthetic choice, but also a symbol that conveys a strong environmental message: our society is evolving in an eco-friendly way, by keeping the planet in which it lives at the base of every choice it makes.
This trend is linked to another one, which has really taken off this year: the use of sustainable raw materials with a very low environmental impact. During the fair, a lot of 100% recycled materials and reconditioned products were presented, ready for a second, third or who knows how many more lives.
Finally, we had confirmation of another trend that started in the pre-Covid era and spread even faster during the health emergency: the reconfigurable office or flex office, which are terms that have now entered the daily lexicon of workers in our field.
Out of the identified trends, which ones do you think will catch on the fastest? Do you believe that these are trends that can only be embraced by large companies or also by SMEs
I think that work environment design will have to take into account environmental impact aspects which have become a priority for our generation and the next ones. These are trends that can be embraced by any company, from the smallest to the bigger multinational ones.
What Frezza product interested visitors the most? How does it relate to current market trends?
In Frezza’s stand, the PAL system was the absolute star, captivating visitors in its PAL ROOM declination, unveiled for the first time during the fair. This self-supporting system was designed to reconfigure work environments according to the requirements of contemporary design and the evolving needs of working people.
It’s an extremely simple system: its modularity (90cm and multiples) allows designers to create environments within environments, reconfiguring space in an absolutely non-invasive manner.
The PAL system, as well as the Nomad table from the Be.1 collection designed by Progetto CMR, perfectly synthesises the concept of the flex office, which is recurrent in today’s market scenario.
What do you expect for the future on the basis of what you saw at the fair, especially after talking with retailers, architects and other interested parties?
I expect an increasingly demanding and selective market, which will reward companies that know how to listen to people and put them at the centre of their products. Design must be functional to the user’s well-being. Companies that know how to innovate, while respecting the environment and communicating in the right way, will notice a significant improvement in performance.
We thank Eugenio Russo for the interview and for this useful overview of 2023 office trends!
