Blog Favorites

Today's post marks number 65 for Bank & Office Interiors. Writing once a week (usually on Wednesdays) since March 18th, 2011, our topics have ranged from cool furniture products, ways to stay healthy at the office, and a list of songs about work. As the primary writer, I've enjoyed creating many of these posts and wanted to share what I think the cool/interesting ones have been so far and look forward to creating more witty, entertaining and educating posts in the future.

Please click on the title to link to the article

1. Gearing Up For NeoCon. - NeoCon for the furniture community is a big deal. And it is huge. I wrote this article to give tips to first timers or a refresh for veterans. Such a cool event!

2. Your Health and the Office - Don't Neglect Yourself - Last year saw a lot of awareness raised about the evils of sitting for too long in your office chair. It includes a great infographic from mashable's story.

3. One Lean Journey Leads To Another - Dana, our Director of IT, wrote a great blog on a project we did with Steelcase and the University of Washington to make them more lean.

4. Your Worklife Without the Copier? - Can you believe that the copier has only been around since 1960? What did they do before then?!? Well...another great article from Dana to let you know some cool facts.

5. Giving Hospital Rooms a Facelift - Looking Towards the Future - Oprah had a great article in her magazine, O, on the direction hospital rooms could be taking to help patient care. This was a review of that great piece.

Enjoy!

Kendal

B&OI Furniture Favorites

Bank & Office Interiors sells quite a few pieces of furniture to our customers - but I've never taken the time to find out what some of co-worker's favorite pieces are.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the dash light by Details. It's sleek. It has an LED light. It also comes in a variety of colors. You can learn more about it here.

Josh in IT chose Answer by Steelcase. "It goes together like an erector set - which every child should have played with". As a former installer, Josh would know about putting it together with a major benefit being the ease you can rearrange it. Check out more info here.

Lynda, a designer, loves the look of the Coalesse Enea Lotus Stool. "The profile is clean lines and doesn't obstruct the views" It is a good looking and versatile with a look and dynamic that allows you to put it just about anywhere. Find out more info here.

Claudia, an admin assistant, is a fan of the Steelcase i2i chair (which is my number 2!). "They're just really fun to sit in!". And she's right! The low seating is part of the collaborative collection which was designed to make teamwork easier. Definitely a cool product that would be great in any office! Find out more info here!

Kevin in contract sales had to choose two. First, he went with the Leap Lounge with Ottoman because it's a cool design and very comfy when you get to put your feet up. It does look really nice - find out here!

He then went on to say the media:scape (which is my number 3). "It's one of my favorites because of the ease in which you can share ideas with associates and clients". And he's right - now Steelcase has the mini and the mobile media:scape with allows for any room to become interactive and collaborative. Check it out here.

Answer - here it's a cube, but the possibilities are endless

The lovely Enea stool in action

Leap Lounge with Ottoman - I could definitely get comfy

media:scape offers easy collaboration and a great way to share info!

5 Office Friendly Fitness Tips



You can do push-ups in the office!

 If you live out on the west coast, specifically the Pacific Northwest, then summer is just starting to come through. When we're not outside enjoying the gray, 60 degree weather, we're inside the office, sitting, working hard for our jobs and neglecting our bodies. It's important to remember to stay fit for yourself, even when buried under mounds of paper work. I found two cool articles that offer some tips to staying fit...in the office.

From Parade.com, they offer 9 tips you can use (check out the article here) - here are a few:

* Need ideas? Take a walk: Brainstorm project ideas with a co-worker while taking a walk, either in or out of the office.

* Visit your coworkers: Walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone or sending an e-mail.

* Save the Date: Schedule exercise time on your business calendar and treat it as any other important appointment.


Total performance offered two (out of five) tips I really liked for the office (check out full article here):

* Morning workouts - summer (normally) tends to get warm and working out at lunch or in the evening can be painful. However, there's something about a 5:30am run with the cool air invigorating your senses to wake up that gets your work day going!

* Summer diet - oh I said it (well they started it). They suggest Barley should be added to your diet (great for kidneys, keeps intestines cool), as well as fruits and veggies. I agree! Make this the summer you skip the muffins and croissants and cake Wednesdays and enjoy Greek yogurt, baby carrots with peanut butter and fresh salads with yummy trimmings and a light vinegarette.

Of course this isn't the end all, be all list of tips. If there's a coworker in the office your friends with, working together and making each other accountable for changes is a great way to stay motivated. But ideally, not neglecting your limbs and health for the sake of 10 more minutes of sitting in your chair (which really turns in to 2 hours and you know it) is what you're striving for.

Good luck!

Kendal