GROOVE MANUFACTURER: Steelcase Wood DESIGNER: Kirt Martin, Treehouse Studio WHAT IS IT?: A seating system with multiple workplace functions, it's equipped
with a simple "kit of parts" that can easily be configured into
lounge seating, ottomans, shelving units, tables, or computer docking-stations.
It marries informal meeting environments with mobile technology, providing
numerous places to work. RELEASE DATE: First orders accepted April 1, 2002
(to be shipped June 2002) SPECIFICATIONS: The chair is made up of four legs on casters, a slab base,
a cushion, and an optional back and arm. It's available in 13 wood finishes
with plastic parts that come in three colors. INSPIRATION: "I wanted it to feel like home," Kirt Martin says.
"Contract furniture has a certain look to it, but I don't think it
has to."
SPECIAL FEATURE: With this flexible kit of parts, you can reconfigure a
chair into 15 or 16 variations. "All parts are designed so that they
pop off to reconfigure, but then they can also pop off to go in a recycling
bin," Martin says. "That's one of our main goals. We're always
working toward sustainability and recyclability." WHAT WE THINK: Groove has a definite boutique hotel--lifestyle feeling
to it. The environmental thinking is a smart direction for Steelcase.
