Source: Contract magazine, March 2012
Staid classroom furniture has long been out of fashion, but not all of today’s crop of educational furnishings boast style factor either. Ironically, it was traditional library furniture company Worden—in collaboration with architecture firm Via Design, graphic design firm Square One, and product engineering firm Viable—that gave birth to playful furniture brand Sparkeology. Launched a short two years ago at NeoCon, the company has been producing clean, modern designs—with pops of color—one might encounter in high-end offices, but with a touch of whimsy for the educational market.
A recent offering is Duane, a trestle-style worktable that houses power/data cords in its center beam. Duane’s tubular steel frame can be specified in a white, pewter, or black powdercoat, and is topped with a translucent resin or laminate surface. The table is offered in single or double configurations and in three sizes that seat two to four users.
The company has also introduced seating products that serve distinct purposes in public and educational spaces. Cupcake is a comfy upholstered stool whose 15-inch diameter takes up a small footprint. Its trumpet base is constructed of spun steel while its three-inch-thick seat is polyurethane foam. Sofia is a compact sofa available with optional tech arms offering power/data ports and privacy screens. The screens can be further customized with magnetic dry-erase white-board, tack0board, or fabric or wood paneling. And Manny ottomans come in round or square shapes in a range of sizes. Students stay connected via an optional power hub in the form of a dome at the center of the ottoman.