During the first years of the 2020s, our working lives – and work environments – have changed fundamentally. And new times require new solutions. For the Swedish acoustic design brand Abstracta, these changes have been a stepping stone to developing products adapted to both today’s demands and those of the future. At Salone del Mobile 2023, Abstracta showcases the way toward more quiet, inviting, creative, and well-designed work environments.
Today, our work environments are paradoxically often either undersized or oversized, and seldom built or furnished to promote creativity and focused work. Abstracta has extensive experience in creating innovative solutions that improve acoustics and add both aesthetic and functional value.
”The acoustics are always the starting point for us, that’s what we’re experts at, but we find ways to reach out with it through new product categories and first-class design. How and where we apply our expertise does not matter, as long as we fulfill the purpose of the product. Therefore, we don’t have to limit ourselves or only work in a particular niche, but instead have a broad portfolio. We make a point out of having a multifaceted product segment so that we can provide great acoustics to not only the new era’s offices and co-working spaces, but to hotels, restaurants, universities, and many other types of environments as well”, says Linus Berglund, Marketing Director at Abstracta.
At Salone del Mobile 2023, which takes place between April 18-23, Abstracta is showing several products that fully embrace the needs of the future, including the company’s launches: Zen Pod® and Abstracta Agile.
”Both products are designed for the increasingly mobile workplace of the future, which places new demands on both interior design and innovative tools. We collaborate with some of the most prominent contemporary designers to be at the forefront of this development. And we notice that these types of products are increasingly in demand by both the people who work in the offices and by architects and interior designers”, says Linus Berglund.
Zen Pod – a peaceful place you don’t want to leave
Zen Pod is a silent room designed by award-winning Swedish designer Staffan Holm. The room is equipped with plenty of functions and features – both technical and design-wise. The basic idea is to offer a creative and acoustic oasis that elegantly blends into all environments characterized by meetings and mobility, such as hospitals, universities, and offices. Zen Pod offers a peaceful, safe, and welcoming environment while being much more than just a quiet refuge where you can catch your breath. Thanks to the quiet but high-performance ventilation and warm, natural materials such as wood and wool textiles combined with glass, aluminum, and steel, Zen Pod is also a space to feel comfortable in. For designer Staffan Holm, it was important to create a room that felt inviting and not confined.
”Completely silent rooms can be quite unpleasant to be in. Zen Pod allows you to sense the surrounding environment without being disturbed by it. The room is quiet, not isolating”, says designer Staffan Holm.
Zen Pod is easy to assemble, easy to use, and designed to blend into the surrounding environment. The room’s sparse and harmonious design is influenced by Japanese interiors – which is clearly reflected in the clean lines and square composition. This expression can be further enhanced by adding an optional rib wall in beautiful oak to the glass wall. Zen Pod also has a dual acoustic function since the walls ensure that the sound is absorbed instead of bounced back – helping to improve the acoustics in the surroundings outside of the room as well. The technical solutions in Zen Pod are also state-of-the-art, with first-class video and sound from Sharp/NEC and BOSE.
”Our design and acoustic solution are timeless and we have not integrated any technology that risks becoming obsolete, so that the product can always keep up with the development and be combined with relevant technology”, says Linus Berglund.
Zen Pod is available in two versions: Essential and Advanced, and in three sizes.
Abstracta Agile – digital meets analog
Abstracta Agile, as the name suggests, is a product that helps you work in an agile manner, created by the Swedish architectural firm Studio Stockholm. It is also the perfect fusion of digital and analog. In Abstracta Agile, the most important tools to help you work agile are collected in the same piece of furniture – a mobile project workspace on castors – which was designed based on observations of how today’s fast-paced tech companies are working and collaborating. Abstracta Agile makes it easy for a team to spontaneously and quickly gather for a physical meeting – while those out of office can participate remotely.
The two sides of the board complement each other perfectly: one side has a generous display for digital meetings and presentations, while the other has a magnetic whiteboard of the highest quality.
”The office of the future is a place where people want to spend time. Therefore, creating an attractive workspace that builds a sense of community and raises job satisfaction is a crucial part of competing for talent. Our aim with this product was to help improve creative work environments and cultures”, says Anders Johnson at Studio Stockholm, who designed Abstracta Agile alongside his colleagues Martin Eckerberg Ollas and Marco Checchi.
Abstracta Agile contributes to better acoustics by intercepting and absorbing disturbing sound from the surroundings. The materials are of the highest quality. The acoustic board is covered in textile made of recycled wool, and the elegant frame is made of aluminum with a low environmental impact. The generous wheels provide stability and make the screen easy to move. On the side, there is a smart, fold-out table to place a laptop on, as well as an integrated USB-C cable for power supply and connection to the monitor and camera. On the inside, there are hidden cable ducts, space for a mini-computer, and speakers. The acoustic filling in Abstracta Agile comes from recycled textile waste. In addition, the entire product is 100% recyclable.
Abstracta Agile is a perfect meeting between technology and humanistic design – created for workplaces that place high demands on both functionality, aesthetics, and acoustics.
Zen Pod and Abstracta Agile will be displayed together with more of Abstracta’s innovative acoustic products at Salone del Mobile in stand B01, hall 10, between April 18-23. During the week, several of Abstracta’s designers, product developers, and members of the international team will be on-site to present the products.
Zen Pod Small
Design: Staffan Holm
Dimensions: 1200x1200x2310 mm
Recommended approximate price: from EUR 15 249 excl. VAT
Zen Pod Medium
Design: Staffan Holm
Dimensions: 1200x2310x2310 mm
Recommended approximate price: from EUR 21 891 excl. VAT
Zen Pod Large
Design: Staffan Holm
Dimensions: 2320x2320x2310 mm
Recommended approximate price: from EUR 29 918 excl. VAT
Abstracta Agile
Design: Studio Stockholm
Dimensions: 1300x1900x540 mm
Recommended price: from EUR 4817 excl. VAT
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About Abstracta
Abstracta has created better soundscapes since 1972 and is a true pioneer in the acoustic field. Today, Abstracta is the market leader in the Nordics and offers a wide range of solutions for different types of environments and needs – from carefully designed acoustic panels and sound absorbents to innovative furniture where the acoustic function is integrated. In close collaboration with some of today’s most influential designers, Abstracta are constantly exploring new ways to create better acoustics. The timelessly designed products are always made of the best possible materials – preferably natural, sustainable, or recycled materials and since Abstracta does not mix materials, the products are easy to both repair and recycle. At the moment, 86 percent of the products are Möbelfakta-certified.
Abstracta has over 70 employees and is part of the Lammhults Design Group and both the head office and factory are located in Lammhult in Småland, Sweden. More than half of sales are exports and Abstracta has several showrooms around the world, including in London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Paris, and Milan. In spring 2023, a brand new showroom will be opened in Copenhagen. Over the years, Abstracta has received several prestigious awards and nominations, for example Holly Acoustic Light was named the winner of both ”Best of Year Award” by Interior Design and ”Product of the Year 2022 – Lighting, Tech & Accessories” by Mix Interiors.
Read more at: www.abstracta.se
