Trends in the Office: Plywood

In following office design over the last several year, it has become apparent that it evolves in much the same way that fashion does. Forward-thinking companies move into previously unexplored areas of office design, while it takes several years for the rest of the design industry to catch up. However, when the mainstream finally arrives, the companies at the forefront have most likely already begun their transition to the next thing.

One noticeable trend in contemporary office design is the use of plywood. Plywood, or Oriented Strand Board (OSB), is created by pressing unusable pieces of shredded wood into a usable board. While not useful as structural wood, it is becoming very popular to use as an eye-catching, industrial texture for many different office applications. Walls, bookshelves, seating areas, and table-tops can all be created using OSB.

While you might think that this type of wood would be rough and uncomfortable, it can be sanded, smoothed, and coated with transparent paint or varnish.

Here are several applications:

(all images used with permission from OfficeSnapshots.com)