Tricycle's Ample Sample Competition

What is Ample Sample? A contest created by Tricycle (one of our favorite companies) which challenges designers to rethink and repurpose carpet samples after their usefulness to a design project, to make a design product. The best ideas will be showcased at NeoCon 2009 and featured on the website, complete with blueprints and instructions for their designs. (from the Ample Sample Site)

Ample Sample in Dwell:

In the perfect vision of a sustainable future, products will be designed and produced based on cradle-to-cradle principles, eliminating waste and drastically reducing the amount of virgin resources used to keep the material world spinning round. At present, however, we still have a lot of unsustainably designed products on a slow march to the landfills. In an effort to breathe a second life into garbage-bound goods, the Ample Sample 2009 competition challenged designers to repurpose carpet samples and design new, "upcycled" products.

See the full article here

What We Think About THINK

Day Three with Mark The back of the chair’s got this system of independent cables that Steelcase calls the “Liveback” system. What that means to me is that while I’ve been sitting here, sort of rocking in the chair, the back has been moving to accommodate me as I move. It’s not a padded back, except for the cloth covering the cables, but it somehow gives the impression that it’s solidly cushioned. That, combined with the cushy seat, makes the overall sitting experience a pretty luxurious one. I spent a lot of time at my desk today, and at no point did I get uncomfortable. I just had an urge to get up and move around every so often, as is normal for me. The thing that sets this chair apart is its slim, modern profile.Yes, it’s cushy. Yes, it’s modern. No, it’s not clumsy and overstuffed. No, it’s not overbearing. It’s more like my favorite thing about my office, rather than just office furniture. The one I’m using is white back/white seat and it’s super crisp and attractive.

What We Think About THINK

Day Two with Cyndi I was very excited when I was asked to “test drive” the Think Chair by Steelcase.I am not a woman of many words so I was concerned that maybe I was not the best choice for this “test drive” and analysis, but nonetheless I agreed. When I first sat down in the Think Chair I immediately noticed the very cushioned and comfortable seat. I also noticed how comfortable it was when I leaned back. You see, I ruptured a disk in my back a few years ago so there aren’t too many chairs that are truly comfortable. So I need a chair that has great lumbar support and helps my back relax while sitting. The Think chair does have a great lumbar support which really helps my posture while sitting, not one of my strong points. I also noticed the dial on the right side that allows the chair to recline more or less, depending on my preference. The chair I normally sit in has a lever to allow the chair to recline slightly or not recline at all. So the dial on the Think Chair gives me more options depending on the way I feel for the day. I am a woman and yes I change my mind often. I am looking forward to my second day in the Think...

Steelcase Think(R) Chair Achieves Highest Level(TM) Certification to New BIFMA e3 Standard

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Steelcase Think(R) chair has received level(TM) 3 certification to the new Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA) e3 sustainability standard. Think was independently certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Level(TM) 3 certification is the highest level of achievement possible in this BIFMA certification program. Manufacturers can only achieve level(TM) certification from a participating third party, such as SCS, which meets rigorous level(TM) criteria for certification bodies and assesses products against the specified BIFMA standard. The e3 standard represents BIFMA's first multi-attribute sustainability standard specifically for furniture. BIFMA gathered a diverse group of stakeholders to help develop the sustainability standard to distinguish environmentally preferable business and institutional furniture. The standard has multiple conformance levels, i.e. levels 1, 2, or 3 with level(TM) 3 being the highest. Products are certified using a point system that encompasses both product and facility characteristics and environmentally-friendly corporate policies. "This is an outstanding achievement that honors the strong sustainability design aspects of Think and is a reflection of Steelcase's commitment to designing for the environment," said Jim Keane, president, Steelcase North America. "No other chair has been so carefully considered with regard to its impact on the environment in all stages of product lifecycle. The steps taken during the development of Think have led the way for other products." "Steelcase's ability to achieve level(TM) 3 certification is a testament to their longstanding commitment to sustainability and sustainable product design," Tom Reardon, executive director, BIFMA noted. "It is no simple achievement." "It's gratifying to see how all of our work in materials chemistry, life cycle assessment and end of life strategies for our products contributed to this level(TM) 3 certification," Keane noted. "All of our future level(TM) product certifications will build on our longstanding sustainable product development and business practices." The Think chair is a high performance chair that was designed for people and the environment. During its development, Steelcase documented the lifecycle impacts of Think from its raw material state through manufacturing processes to end of life. Weighing only 32 pounds, Think uses less material than comparable chairs. It disassembles in five minutes with common hand tools, is comprised of up to 37 percent recycled content, and is up to 98 percent recyclable at end of life. In addition to Think, Steelcase also announced level(TM) certification for its Leap(R), Move(R), Amia(R), and Siento(R) seating, Answer(R) system, and Universal storage products. About Steelcase Inc. Steelcase provides furniture, services and insights to help people have a better work experience, and to help companies and organizations create inspiring spaces with a maximum impact on performance and a minimum impact on the environment. A Michigan-based company that has been serving customers for nearly a century, Steelcase leads the global office furniture industry with $3.2 billion in annual revenue (FY09). Learn more at www.steelcase.com. SOURCE Steelcase Inc. Source: PR Newswire Customize your own Think Chair here, and follow the What We Think About THINK to hear the inside story from our two employees.

What We Think About THINK

Because of our continuing curiosity about what it’s like to use the great chairs we sell, we here at Smart Furniture have prevailed upon two of our fine employees to test the Steelcase Think chair. Mark Rico (our resident rendering specialist) and Cyndi Brackett (our accountant extraordinaire), have graciously accepted the opportunity to share the Think for one week and write about their experience.

Mark, in addition to his superb SketchUp and facial-hair-growing skills, is glad to spend life with his wife and two daughters. He hopes to one day hike the Appalachian Trail with his family and is currently reading about insects and spiders because they’re amazing.

Cyndi works out of our office three days a week and is at home the remaining four. She is very blessed to have a wonderful husband and two amazing kids. Her son is entering middle school next year and her daughter will be entering Kindergarten next year. Yes, she drives a minivan and hauls kids around all day but loves every minute of it. She hopes to go to Europe on vacation at some point in the future. On those days when she doesn’t have a minute to herself she looks forward to being an empty nester!

Day One with Mark

Today I started a week-long test of the Steelcase Think chair. Steelcase isn’t really the first brand many people think of when they’re considering modern furniture, or even seating for their home offices. However, the Think pretty well demonstrates that Steelcase doesn’t just make conventional office furniture; it’s beautiful to look at (especially the one I’m sitting in – white seat, white mesh back – stunning) and super comfortable. The real question at this point is how it performs every day.

The first thing I did was read the little how-to-adjust-the-chair tag that came with the Think. It’s only a one-page diagram that tells you what the knobs do, and it’s really all that’s necessary. Think is a very intuitive chair to adjust. The lever thing (there’s only one – simple) is for adjusting the height. The knob thing (there’s only one – again, very simple) is for setting the tilt limit, and there are 4 settings. Under the front of the seat, there’s a bar very similar to the bar you’d find under the front seat of your car, and you lift it and scoot the seat forwards or backwards to increase or decrease the seat depth. There are about 2 inches of adjustability for the depth which turns out to be enough for me, and I’m 6’1”.

The armrests are by far the most fun function. They move in/out in front and back, independently, so that you can find the best position without pressing buttons or being confined to a preset location. Throughout the day, as I’ve gotten used to sitting here, I’ve gotten comfortable enough to just move the armrests with my elbows as I change position.

More tomorrow, but my first impression is that I like the way it feels almost as much as I like the way it looks, and it looks incredible. This is the kind of chair that I want to have in my home office and just “happen” to leave the door open, hoping my guests will see it as I purposefully lead them past the doorway …

New Google 3D Warehouse Tool Lets You Preview Sketchup Images Online

New Google 3D Warehouse Embed Tool Allows you to show 3d version of sketchup models.  This Steelcase Think Chair is available as a model on the 3D Warehouse here.

Embody Test, Day 7

We don't recommend doing this, but we do highly recommend the chair.

So now I’m done with this test, and I have to say that I’ve enjoyed the experience of sitting consciously. Normally, I get in a chair and say, "ok, that’s how I have to sit to be most comfortable in this chair." And then I don’t think about it until something hurts and I have to shift positions to fix it. With the Embody, I was able to sit down and say, "ok, they told me that this chair would conform to my best posture, so how do I want to sit." And the chair responded. From that point on, all I was really doing was fine-tuning the chair to match what I preferred for each day.

To read the rest of Mark's Day 7 review and see an interesting photo gallery, click here.

Embody Test, Day 6

This morning I discovered a lever on the Embody that I had previously ignored. It’s the lever that controls how far back you can lean, and it’s located on the back left beneath the seat. So I experimented with different recline positions today. There are 4 in all. The committee’s findings were that I like the most recline possible, a conclusion foreshadowed by my writing on how to look like a slacker and still get work done (Day 2). (Read about how my 6th day with the Embody went here.)

Embody Test, Day 4

It is a well-documented fact that workers need to get up, stretch their legs, and look at something besides their computer screens every so often. Today I found one limitation of the Embody chair. It is so comfortable to sit in that I forgot to get up every so often. As a result, my posterior finally told me that it didn't want to be sat upon any longer, and would I please get up for a bit. That's more my memory's fault than a fault of the Embody chair I was using, but the Embody did facilitate that mental lapse. You can read about the rest of Day 4 here.

Smart Furniture Customer Video!

This Smart Furniture customer was so pleased with her Smart bookshelf design she decided to share a video of it with us. We love feedback from our customers so we decided to share it with everyone checking out our blog too. Among her favorite features were the fact that it takes advantage of her tall ceilings, makes categorization of books quick and easy, and makes decorative items and pictures on the ends more visible. Thanks for sharing with us Paula.

Embody Test, Day 3

Let me tell you a little bit about my weekend. Friday night: 8 hours of driving. Saturday: 5 hours of driving. Sunday: 6 and a half hours of driving. I have a sore back. The funny thing is that when I got to work and sat down, I realized that I also have a sore neck. The reason this is funny is that I don't have a sore back while sitting in the Embody. It's the end of the day now and I'm quite relaxed. (Read about how my third day with the Embody went here.)

Embody Test, Day 1

Today I exchanged my standard, run-of-the-mill office chair for an Embody, Herman Miller's newest, snazziest office chair. I have a sore back and neck and can't wait to see how the Embody deals with the issue. Actually, I'm not so much interested in how the Embody deals with it as much as I am interested to see how ANY OTHER CHAIR deals with it. (In the interest of full disclosure, I have to note that even though my back isn't messed up because of my old chair, the old chair certainly wasnt helping it.) (Read about how my first day with the Embody went here.)

Steelcase Amia Design Story

Beneath the Amia chair’s upholstery, inside its sleek backrest, there’s a form of our unique comfort system called LiveLumbar™ technology. You may not see it, but you’ll certainly feel it. As you sit in the chair, an adjustable LiveLumbar™ zone flexes with your every move, for consistent ergonomic support for your lower back. Hour after hour, day after day. With additional comfort features like 4-way adjustable arms, adjustable seat depth and a flexible front seat edge, Amia keeps you feeling good 24/7. It’s a chair for every day, that’s not your everyday chair.

Available at SmartFurniture.com

Amia 3D Model--Download it here at the Google 3D Warehouse.

Your World in 3D

Your World in 3D

From Google Sketchup Blog

This was our motivation for developing the new Your world in 3D website. This site incorporates a video and illustration that explains how to build a model in SketchUp and add it to Google Earth. This page provides the specific steps to get started. We plan to update this site frequently and include case studies, news, and additional resources for anyone who is interested in modeling their town, house, or favorite building in 3D.

Smart Deal of the Day

Red Cubits (Smart Cubes) Today Only $99 per kit (normal price $150).  

The Original Cubits can be built vertically or horizontally, easily adapting to the needs of your space. Keep things open and airy, or add optional doors and backs for concealed storage. Vibrant red.

Lightweight injection-molded polypropylene composition provides exceptional durability, with each cube shelf section holding up to 55 lbs. Equally suited for both residential and commercial use. 100% recyclable.

Dimensions: 37.75" h x 35.125" w x 13.5" d