MMQB | May 5, 2008

Striving for Perfection

KI's new educational collection includes stack chairs, cafe stools, nesting chairs, task chairs and task stools, and fixed seating.
By Rob Kirkbride


With its two NeoCon introductions, KI wants to do more than just wow the crowds in Chicago.

The company wants to set a new tone for its designs --
a new design language -- that is uniquely its own.

That's no easy task.

But Shawn Green, the company's vice president of product management, says KI is ready to ratchet up its design reputation with its new Strive seating collection designed by Giancarlo Piretti and Intellect Wave Collection by Shawn Barrett.

"This NeoCon is about taking it to the next level from numerous standpoints -- from cleaner aesthetics to a new design language for KI for the future," he said. "I think we are at the point to define our design, not only for this NeoCon or market need, but for what will be needed five and ten years from now. Our goal is to define how KI is going to be seen in the market."

"KI is here to stay. When people look at our product, we want them to know they are KI products. Whether it's K-12, healthcare or business furniture, we want them to recognize it as KI design. It's all about pushing the design process."

Green hopes customers see a difference in what KI brings to market now and what it traditionally brought to market in the past.

"There is a much broader design ambition to focus on a family of products that will have a much wider application," he said. "It's a more holistic approach."

Those who looked closely at NeoCon last year might have seen a glimpse of KI's Strive collection. The company offered a peek at the seating collection, but it was not prominently displayed and was far from production. The seat was displayed as a design concept.

Strive could be a category killer for KI in the flex-back seating market. With a list price of $150, the chair is designed to appeal to the masses -- a goal of designer Piretti.

"Throughout my design career, I've sought to bring the highest comfort level to the greatest number of people by reducing cost," he said.

The collection includes stack chairs, cafe stools, nesting chairs, task chairs and task stools, and fixed seating.

Strive uses a simple design and has a small number of components. KI uses 100 percent recyclable polypropylene in Strive. And it is available in six different styles consisting of various frames, arm options, colors and upholstery selections.

Simplicity is at the core of KI's design strategy. Green said customers are more prudent about the way they spend money. They demand clean, simple forms that are intuitive to the user.

"They are paying for a prescriptive solution," he said. "Products need to compliment architecture, not dominate it. Designers are more cognizant now about the harmonious relationship between the design of the furniture and its environment.

"Furniture is getting a more residential feel."

Customers also are seeking solid design at a budget price. Green said price is a major component of a customer's buying decision, right up there with aesthetics.

Strive is KI's "flagship product" when it comes to its design language aspirations, he said.

KI already is a dominant player in the flexible seating market with its Torsion and Perry chairs. But Strive comes in at a much lower price point.

"This is really about the democratization of design," Green said. "Our goal was to get a functional solution as affordably priced as possible. The goal was a design for the masses. It was a gap for us (in our product line).

"We have motion back chairs that are very, very comfortable, but not at a price point like this. Giancarlo Piretti wanted to reach a much much broader demographic without trading off on the visuals of the product."


Green said the Strive collection has "huge, huge applications" for design cues that could be used in other KI products. Strive was in development for about a year. The company used feedback from architects and designers from last year's NeoCon showing to refine the product.

"Last year we had overwhelmingly positive feedback," he said. "We embedded some of that feedback into the design. We were able to extend the product into other artifacts like the cafe stool."

The design focus for Strive was simplicity. KI wanted a user-friendly product that was very simple, but still was phenomenal features and benefits. "Stive uses a very clean form without all the gadgetry," Green said.

KI is shipping showroom samples of Strive and just turned the order system on for the new product. Orders will start shipping in the next four to six weeks.

Intellect Wave is the other product KI is featuring at NeoCon this year. It is the second generation of the company's Intellect classroom furniture.

The Intellect Wave collection features enhancements that deliver greater flexibility, durability and comfort for students and educators.

"I believe that the seamless integration of products into the human experience is what matters most," said designer Barrett. "This collection is a reflection of my focus on developing user-centric emotional solutions through unique design and function."

The Intellect Wave's design breakthrough is a manufacturing process that produces a ribless shell. A structural pocket between the seat and back provides a greater degree of strength and shape than traditional designs which utilize ribs on the back of the shell. Replacing ribs with rolled edges allows seating to better adjust to and support each user, while offering a cleaner look.

"A lot of hard plastics don't yield at all. Wave gives you a clean, animated geometric form that contours to the form of the student," Green said.

To school furniture buyers, price is everything. Intellect Wave comes in a competitive price point, Green said.

"You think systems furniture is competitive, get into K-12 or higher education where people are dealing with taxpayer money," he said. "The manufacturers most successful in this market are the ones that are best able to control their cost structure. Price is the key driver."

KI treats education as one of its core markets, Green said. "We give it as high a priority as healthcare, higher education or systems furniture," he said.