Just in time for summer, Dutch designer Marijn van der Poll has taken inspiration from traditional dutch wickerwork beach chairs to create a new standard for the contemporary office environment. In the same way that the traditional wicker chairs provided their users some protection against the elements, the "Ahrend Kaigan" creates some privacy for users in today's open office plans offering some protection from visual and audible distractions. Explains van der Poll:

Open plan offices, where there is no rigid boundary between one worksite and the next, are becoming increasingly popular. These often include benches—something like old-fashioned kitchen tables—where people sit side by side while they work. This set-up stimulates communication between team members."

But you still need a bit of privacy from time to time. For a chat with a colleague, for example, or a confidential phone call whose contents you don't want everyone to hear. The "Ahrend Kaigan" allows you to withdraw into a world of your own for a while and is designed to reinforce this feeling of separation both for the user and for the surroundings.The "Ahrend Kaigan" is constructed with a tubular steel frame and fully upholstered using an architectural outer fabric and soft inner fabric to give the feeling of being fully enveloped by the chair.