The cultivated frame and soft edges of Zenith’s ALTER collection ushers in the ‘destination workplace’, fostering the full spectrum of interactions that reside in the modern workplace – the planned and the impromptu, the nimble to the social and the formal. 

ALTER carries a minimal and elegant expression through an extended range of lounge chairs, benches and coffee tables. Fitzsimons says that the abundance of work environments now available to the employee requires the office to offer more than simply a desk. “While certain tasks might still call for a typical desk-based workstation, our work setting can now be our homes, a cafe or a hotel lobby. It makes sense that our workplaces need to become environments we must actually want to be in, rather than simply a place that we have to go to.” 

ALTER answers this call with a fundamental aesthetic. The beauty of solid wood is celebrated in the refined frame, gently supporting the soft, inviting seating surfaces and matched with a warm palette rarely seen in workplace furniture. By humanising the workspace and emulating the aesthetic of the domestic environment, we experience a sense of familiarity and emotional comfort. 

Built from solid natural materials that will last beyond passing trends and endure the rigours of the modern commercial office, the ALTER range offers “a lounge setting that feels familiar, where one can pause alone to focus on the task at hand and, equally, a setting where serendipitous connections and social interactions can occur,” says Fitzsimons. 

ArchitectureNow and Architecture NZ work with a range of partners in the A&D supply sector to create appropriate content for the site. This article has been supported by Zenith.