Today we all need to work in a space that is all things to all people. There needs to be room to move, a place for a crowd but also areas for the individual. We require privacy but also connection and communication, whatever the interior layout and design of a workplace might be.

These things may be diametrically opposed to each other, however, with a new collection for District designed by Adam Cornish there is a real merging of these disparate needs. Habitat has arrived and it combines the best of workplace furnishings with flexibility, privacy and connection, all inspired by the natural world.

“I can recall a conversation on my studio deck with my partner about how plants are the perfect visual and acoustic barrier/screen. The idea to fuse plants with the world of soft furnishing was born from this conversation. Why can’t the backs of sofas be adorned with plants? We wanted to use plants as screens not just for the obvious visual beauty. The plants offer acoustic and screening advantages. You can be partially hidden within your environment, yet still be recognisable. It’s these nuanced, less black-and-white qualities I wanted to integrate,” explains Cornish.

Cornish is a product designer who gives great thought to his ideas. His love of nature is at the heart of Habitat and it shows, literally. With Habitat there is the opportunity to build a system that is your own habitat or eco-system within the workplace. The design addresses the concurrent needs for connection and privacy through the incorporation of partially transparent partitions that feature perforated trellises as visual boundaries. The trellis screens form a structural frame that can be adorned with plant life but also elements such as additional shelving, visual aids, personal tools and technology mounting points.

Merging modular soft seating with plant life changes the perspective of those in the office. The flexibility of the design allows for customisation but also for comfort and everyone knows the value of including plants in the workplace that become a calming biophilic addition to an interior.

“I am constantly in awe of the natural environment around us,” remarks Cornish. “When you look at nature, you see how all the different organisms have evolved and adapted to suit their environments. I like to think of design in a similar manner.”

Related: More on Adam Cornish and District

As a designer Cornish has created many outstanding and innovative designs whether chairs, tables, lighting or objects. Based in Melbourne, the adamcornish design studio is a place where magic is conceived and design is re-interpreted through attention to every detail and thinking that is outside the box. Through the collaboration with District, Cornish brings a new product range to the workplace that addresses the importance of aligning with nature indoors, has health and wellbeing imperatives for an office and also makes life just that little more comfortable and beautiful.

“I would love to see herbs and food grown within the workspace environment. Imagine seeing the screens and integrated gardens of the Habitat system burst into life with spring blooms and wildflowers as the season changes from winter to spring. It is my belief that this experience of new life and change we witness within our gardens and parklands can be fused with our work life and creates a healthier and happier place to work,” says Cornish.

Imagine picking herbs for lunch or flowers for a vase on the office desk in the workplace. Bringing the outdoors inside enhances wellbeing and Habitat is the perfect product for working better and living well.

adamcornish design
adamcornish.com

District
district.com.au

Photography
Willem-Dirk du Toit

Renders
Courtesy of District

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