Contemporary Home Office Furniture | Furniture Style

Contemporary office furniture from Davis Furniture Industries

While the number of home-based businesses in the United States vary by the organization doing the counting – from 16.5 million, according to a recent study by research from Access Markets Intl. Partners Inc., to half of all U.S. businesses, according to the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy’s report – they generate an estimated $102 billion in annual revenue, according to the Office of Advocacy.

Home-based businesses may account for even more revenue in the coming year, due to U.S. employers’ hiring plans in 2008. Manpower Inc.’s Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for the 2008 first quarter reveals that, of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, only 22 percent said they expect to add to their payrolls during the first quarter of 2008. Twelve percent said they expect to reduce staff levels, 60 percent said they expect no change in hiring and 6 percent were undecided about their January to March hiring plans.

The Trickle-Down Theory

Each June, thousands of architects, interior designers, office managers and other industry professionals attend NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in Chicago to see the latest trends, products and concepts in office, hospitality, health care, institutional and government environments. Also among the attendees, each year, are several Furniture Style editors.

For in the same way trends in high-end designer fashion find their way into mainstream fashion, so do trends in contract office furniture eventually turn up in home office furniture. After all, people who work exclusively from their homes have many of the same needs as office workers: ample storage space, a large work surface, plenty of outlets for electronics and comfortable seating. Already, many furniture manufacturers are taking these needs into consideration when designing home office collections.

TIX Office from Davis Furniture Industries raises the bar again. Designed by Dante Bonucceli and licensed from Mobinex, the collection features contemporary office furniture and conference furniture that can be configured to create an executive’s ideal work environment. The pieces have solid wood tops (elm, sycamore or walnut) and metal legs (aluminum or steel). Buyers can choose from a variety of desks, storage units and conference tables.

By Thomas A. Prais [at] FurnitureStyle.com