Our Journey
Where is the boundary between home and work today? Over the past year USM and UNStudio have been looking for it. From building absurd domestic rooms for the PlayGround at Salone del Mobile in Milan to building scenarios at the WorkHouse in Berlin, we’ve identified the drivers which are changing the way people work and live today, in order to paint a clearer picture of the future.
What surprised us is that few people want to keep home and work separate. Work is more fun when we choose where to carry it out – it gives us freedom and self-determination. As such a third space is emerging between home and work - co-workspaces, cafes, hotel lobbies and libraries - where we work collectively alongside people we don’t know.
While diverse in design, what these third spaces share is community. Being together with others is just as important as getting the job done. The furnishings relax us and the ability to move between a variety of zones keeps us motivated and engaged. In many ways these feel more like spaces of leisure; undetermined and open to interpretation. More like a public square than an office or a living room.
Make the place with us in Milan!
At Salone del Mobile last year we did our HomeWork. We asked visitors to tell us how they live and work. This year we favour action – providing the ingredients for living and working on the booth and inviting visitors to Make the Place with us. When we break free of typological associations - is this home or is it work? - we can focus on simply providing the conditions for humans to thrive.
What might these conditions be? At the WorkHouse in Berlin we identified four: growing, learning, reflecting and meeting. At Salone del Mobile this year we demonstrate how the USM Haller system can be used to create these four conditions, by adding a few extra ingredients. From plants to acoustic privacy panels, a mix of USM Haller and additional elements produces an enriched environment that stimulates the senses, offers novel objects for exploration, promotes social interactions, and provides spaces for the development of skills.
Crucially, a successful third space is not created from the top down. It is a collective process; we make it together. Visitors to the booth are invited to cover the stage with custom-made stickers. The design of the stickers explores a new visual identity for USM, breaking free of the system’s classical geometry with a playful perspective. Customisation brings a subversive energy to the space, an ingredient which will, with any luck, break free of the booth and be used to Make Places elsewhere.
