BUD meny

BUD

A playful chair for the meeting room or dining area and your new best friend! Discover all BUD variations here:
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Senso

A multi-modular sofa and one of our best-selling products of all time. What does your next Senso setup look like?
Jobb sammen

Work together

Meeting spaces influence organization culture. Read more about how we can assist you with workplace design here:
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Eat together

The dining area is the organization's most crucial culture builder. We provide you with our best tips for creating a cozy dining area.
Reform

Fora ReForm

A sustainable approach to our design heritage: giving design classics a new lease of life.
Vår historie

Our history

Since 1929, we have been crafting Norwegian quality furniture in Ørsta, Sunnmøre. Learn more about our design heritage and how we have uphold it for almost 100 years!
Work together

How to furnish democratic processes?

Great decisions makers include 360° insight from all parties in a project to make educated decisions. Today’s diverse work force demands an environment that empowers and includes people from all walks of life. Their input will affect the process and in the end the decision. The challenge is; how to furnish your meeting rooms in a way that ensures a safe environment for all your employees?

Written by Pål 01.04.2022

Design conveys values

The Nordic countries are known worldwide for democratic processes that gives everyone at the table the mandate to speak their truth. A natural follow up question is whether furniture can convey this way of thinking?

Design often takes on the role as a communicator. Ask yourself what a conference room with high backs symbolizes, or a bookable meeting room with a sofa where you can conduct performance appraisal. How would the dynamic change if you were not sitting on opposite sides of a table? If tomorrow’s physical office space is centered around interacting with colleagues, maybe the desired values should be included when choosing furniture. By using the symbolism that each shape has as a tool to push a more inclusive agenda, you can achieve more than you know. Younger generations are more comfortable with sharing their opinions and this will influence organizations in the years to come. But are the designs supporting a diverse work force like this?

How would the dynamic change if you were not sitting on opposite sides of a table?
Dwell chairs around circular Roma table
Atrium konferansestoler og Roma bord i et møterom fra Fora Form extraordinary

When the main purpose of the office is interaction, does that change the function of your meeting spaces?


In this case; inclusion?

Atrium Focus med fastsetepute og armlen i et møterøm fra Fora Form

Formal meetings

High back chairs, gives you the illusion of an important and strong person sitting in the chair. Just take a look at our history. A throne always showed power, elevating the person sitting in the throne. One might ask if this is a symbol that serves modern organizations decision making processes and an egalitarian idea?

What happens if the person in charge does not sit at the top of the table? Or no one in the room for that matter. What happens if you round off the tables? A company that has a conscious idea when it comes to how the table's size and shape matter sends a strong message.

What happens if one does not have the option to sit at the “head of the table”?

Dwell stoler og Roma bord i et møtefom fra Fora Form

Having the ability to adjust one’s seat height could also empower. What happens to an employee whose feet can’t touch the floor; does this make the employee empowered to speak up?

There are no truths when it comes to these matters, in fact it is the purpose of a meeting that sets the criteria for the space. A careful mix of different options and a company guideline on when which meeting room should be utilized would help managers book the room with the right settings.

Different meeting rooms for different types of interaction, will help leaders in creating good meetings.


Fjell stoler i et lite arbeidsrom Fora Form

Project meetings

Project meetings are often set in smaller meeting rooms. If we add new work methods adapted during covid some of the participants could be working remote. Facilitating a set up that allows all participants to have equal opportunity to give input and participate is key. The physical design set up should allow the participants to interact with screens, this will reduce the discomfort of working remote and feel that you are not part of the meeting. Even if it's a smaller meeting, the room does not have to be small. Being in smaller rooms with others could give a congested feeling, and amplify a feeling of being trapped.

The physical design set up should allow the participants to interact with screens.

Int Work and Breathe Zone Knekk 001 v02

Creative meetings

Creative meetings are fundamentally a democratic meeting form and has several methodologies that supports all participants to be heard, seen, and acknowledged. The reason is that all stakeholders needs to be involved and engaged to solve problems. These meetings tends to start with getting all the ideas to the table. Then limiting them, and ensuring that all opinions are of equal value. Post-it notes is a great way for the facilitator to include everyone, no matter who had the idea.

Creative meetings are fundamentally a democratic meeting form.

When the main function is INTERACTION, the functional requirements of the furniture are tools to enable dialogue and cooperation.

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