Ikea’s first collection of office furniture is designed for complete focus

The flexible office is going mainstream. Today, furnishings giant Ikea is releasing Mittzon, its newest system of furniture for the office. Designed specifically for all the ways the office has been contorted and reconfigured by the post-pandemic hybrid work schedule, the 85-piece collection is a flexible, movable kit of shape-shifting parts that is designed for an office environment that may never be static again.



There are adjustable height desks that can stand alone or connect into a large shared workspace. There are movable racks that can hold trays of plants or double-sided whiteboards. There are modular acoustic screens that can divide workspaces or cocoon workers away from distraction. There are casters that allow almost any piece of the puzzle to roll across a room, and folding elements that let temporarily unused pieces tuck out of sight.



[Photo: Ikea]



The system, which will be available in the U.S. beginning in July, was developed over several years and through research conducted on offices and office workers around the world.



[Photo: Ikea]



“With the rise of hybrid work, we saw that office space and physical real estate was shrinking. Many offices have downsized, meaning that flexibility is key,” says Philip Dilé, product design developer at IKEA of Sweden AB, the part of the Ikea conglomerate focused on developing new products. “That’s why we have a lot of foldable things so that you can, in a matter of minutes, reconfigure a space.”







That can be as simple as lowering a podium-style desk to take a video call from an armchair, or sliding over a few racks of potted plants to build a temporary conference room. Dilé says each element of the Mittzon system was intended to play multiple roles and be useful in different contexts. “We’re home a furnishing company. We have an approach when it comes to the home where we usually focus on an activity and see what needs that brings with it and then try to find solutions for those needs,” he says. “We applied basically the same logic here.”



[Photo: Ikea]



In addition to its shape-shifting nature, the system also was designed to mitigate distraction. Ikea created movable and modular acoustic panels to build divisions between workstations or to serve as an extendable barrier for private spaces of various sizes. A “focus workstation” turns these panels into a cocoon-like head cave, where an individual can lean into a shell that blocks out almost any visual or noise distraction. Made using wood fiber, the acoustic panels are also a more sustainable alternative to the foam often used to block and absorb sound.



[Photo: Ikea]



“The critical concept around Mittzon was really how to bring comfort, natural elements and patterns, and tactility into the office space as well as what we call holistic ergonomics. Going beyond posture to see how we can help control sound and visual distractions,” Dilé says.



[Photo: Ikea]



That also extends to the look of the system as a whole, which is designed to be sturdy but reserved and simple. “For us, it was really important that they are long-lasting from a technical perspective, but also in terms of a design that is timeless,” says Dilé. Components in the system, particularly its tabletops, are also interchangeable, making it possible to upgrade a space over time, switching out narrow desktops for more generously sized workspaces, or switching from a bright birch veneer to a dark walnut.



“We use basically the same modules, so it’s possible to configure and reconfigure over time as the business grows or the needs change,” says Dilé.



Guaranteed to last for 10 years, the furniture in the system is designed for the long term, even if its orientation and arrangement might vary from day to day.