The Boardie

The modern workplace, post-pandemic, has evolved into a dynamic environment. The acceleration of hot-desking and corporate office events necessitated the urgency for more multifunctional furniture, adaptable for various settings, uses, and users. Despite being an essential addition to any contemporary office, the boardroom space and the boardroom table are one of the least versatile in a workplace. To ensure an elegant design with the ability to comfortably accommodate multiple uses and users, our designers were tasked with designing a table that could perform two functions.

The challenge was to design from a stability and multifunctional perspective. Despite the table top's vast size, the designers were able to battle stability issues by introducing the ‘Babushka drum’ innovation. When at seating height, the Boardie appears to be a contemporary boardroom table, yet as the table extends, the base drum reveals an internal drum, that allows the Boardie to reach a standing height. Not only does this design feature conceal the height extension functionality, creating a seamless finish, but it also allows all mechanisms to be housed internally. Innovative thinking that pushes furniture boundaries to deliver multifunctional solutions.

To ensure a positive social impact, our designers created a sit-stand boardroom table that enhanced workplace productivity, efficiency, and resident health whilst also designing with sustainability in mind. By decreasing the quantity of furniture required in a workplace, the boardie eliminates the need for unnecessary clutter, expense, and material while lowering environmental impact and social strain. Designers employed health and habitat research, as well as extensive digital and physical prototyping, to create an aesthetic solution for dynamic workspaces. The Boardie is manufactured in Australia at our Maxton Fox factory, supporting local businesses and trade while lowering carbon emissions.

To accommodate all workers, the Boardie’s sit-to-stand mechanism ranges from 625 to 1250 mm in height. The electric height adjustment mechanism is housed internally, ensuring the protection and safety of all users. The circumference and shape of the drum base provide the required stability for the top dimensions of 2200 x 1100 without any tilting defects, even at the highest point of the drum raise. The usage of tactile buttons on the controller interface ensures accessibility and simplicity of use whilst the electric table moves smoothly, with a faint buzz serving as a sensory cue for those with vision impairment. The Boardie has been designed and manufactured with sustainability in mind, using materials that are Global Green Tag certified, Tasmanian Oak FSC timber, and Linoleum on the surface which is made from Linseed oil and sawdust.