Keilhauer’s Hangout Collection successfully meets the demands that an open work environment be comfortable, attractive and conducive to work.

Product
Hangout Collection

Studio
EOOS, Vienna, Austria

Manufacturer
Keilhauer, Toronto, Canada

Collaboration and flexibility have been buzzwords in office design for as long as there have been millennials insisting that collectivity and sharing are the future of work. But what has remained somewhat elusive is how to make these group work environments comfortable and attractive, while also allowing employees to actually get their jobs done.

“This collection really addresses the demands of the workplace through its residential appearance, and it does so with one unifying feature: its leg.” – Theo Richardson

This difficult balance is achieved by Keilhauer’s Hangout Collection, a six-piece system that includes sofas, ottomans, stools, tables, chairs and modular benching that extends indefinitely; the intention is to have it wind its way through an open space like an endless park bench, offering up various ways to work solo or together.

It is a bit tricky pinpointing what makes Hangout sing; designed by EOOS (the Vienna studio run by Martin Bergmann, Gernot Bohmann and Harald Gründl), the collection owes its success to the synergy of its parts. The sofa, for one, has an extra-high back for reclining and to help buffer sounds and distractions, while the four-legged wooden stools are easy to grab and move for a quick group huddle. There are desk extensions that can be added or removed, and new configurations can be set up with minimal effort. And, most compellingly, the pieces share a common language of clean lines, rounded edges and distinctive sturdy dowel legs in natural wood.

The family resemblance creates a cohesive setting no matter how you mix and match. Hangout may be built for the office, but each piece could easily find its way into other social environs such as hotel lobbies or cafés – essentially any place where the goal is to just, well, hang out.