A Simple Table to Suit Dynamic Workplace Needs

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Natalie Grasso Cockrell
Natalie Grasso Cockrell
Natalie is a Workplace Consultant at Herman Miller and the former Editor of Work Design Magazine. She’s currently based in Pittsburgh.

Poppin‘s Series A desk system is easy, adjustable, and addresses a company’s need to grow.

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Image courtesy of Poppin.

Inspired by the dynamic needs of fast-growing startups, Poppin created their new Series A desk system by distilling the “essence of what a desk should be,” according to Jeff Miller, the company’s VP of design. It was “designed to be easy and adjustable, addressing a company’s need to grow,” he said, and indeed, you can configure the system in a number of ways, from deploying a single row of desks to support a handful of employees, to pairing doubled-up desks with snap-on returns and extra seat extensions to support a much larger workforce.

Additional features include Poppin’s patent-pending Clever Lever to aid in assembly, cable hideaways for pesky cords, and a stain resistant laminate surface.

We reached out to Jeff via email to find out more…

The Series A desk system, set to support two people. Image courtesy of Poppin.
The Series A desk system, set to support two people. Image courtesy of Poppin.

How will the product impact the workplace?

Unlike other contract manufacturers who specialize in furniture, Poppin is a one-stop shop for workstyle. We develop all our products with the larger family of our offering in mind – from pens and pen cups, to notebooks and staplers to furniture. Our Series A Desk System performs against the competition but is not purchased from a trade dealer, nor specified as a customized configuration of myriad parts, nor mired with convoluted pricing structures, nor made to order in 12 weeks, nor assembled by a team of installers. It’s just comprehensive options, available in stock and ready to ship, assembled in minutes without tools, and purchased at a value for a transparent and affordable retail price – just like everything else we make.

How does the product contribute to “new ways of working”?

Series A was conceived of and designed to be easy and adjustable, addressing a company’s need to grow. The basic parts – legs, beams, and tops all go together without tools, using our patent-pending “clever levers”. A run of desks can be set-up in minutes (by employees themselves), and weeks or months later can be added to without disturbing the original set. Any table or series of desks can at any time become a stand-up version by adding leg extenders. Secondary surfaces, panels, cable management, and accessories will mate to the desks by simple means of hanging, sitting, or clamping again into the basic parts. So work environments can expand and recalibrate, accessorize or pare down without fuss.

15_Series A Desk System by Poppin Double Desk for Four with Returns
A double desk set for four with returns. Image courtesy of Poppin.

Tell us a story about a client who has used the product effectively.

OpenDNS – an internet security company based in San Francisco – used [the] Series A desk system to quickly create a collaborative lounge. Earlier this year, their engineering department was moved to a temporary office across the street from their HQ and immediately noticed a lot of the engineers were needing to camp out at the main office for days they had a lot of meetings. To maintain cross-team communication, they came up with the idea of making a “home away from home”, and within a week and a half, the Poppin desks were shipped and assembled by the employees themselves. Now the desk system frames the lounge and fosters a mix of collaboration and productivity.

Desk legs come in four color combos: white/white legs; light oak/white legs; white/charcoal legs; and dark oak/charcoal legs. Image courtesy of Poppin.
Desk legs come in four color combos: white/white legs; light oak/white legs; white/charcoal legs; and dark oak/charcoal legs. Image courtesy of Poppin.

What was the inspiration behind the product?

We know our target market. The 100-200 person startup with a sharp budget is Poppin’s best customer of desktop products, notebooks, and writing [utensils]. There’s typically no facilities manager, nor understanding about how to make contract furniture purchasing decisions. Often instead, the office managers, along with executives, turn to big box retailers for affordable and quickly available desking solutions. In large part our inspiration [came] from the widespread dissatisfaction of assembling a certain Swedish manufacturer’s products with too many screws and without enough quality. We knew we could do better. We saw an opening in the market for a retail priced product with a contract manufacturer’s robust construction, and we challenged ourselves to do it without tools. The largest portion of the development process went into perfecting the calibration of our clever lever so it could be intuitive, easy to operate, long lasting, and incredibly strong.

When was the product introduced?

November 2015

The system inspires myriad configurations, from single desk rows to double desk paired with returns and extensions. Image courtesy of Poppin.
The system inspires myriad configurations, from single desk rows to double desk paired with returns and extensions. Image courtesy of Poppin.

What do you think our readers will love about the product?

Series A is the distilled essence of what a desk should be. The aesthetic all around and underneath is simple and concise. The clever levers are integrated into the form of the structure, and in fact provide their own visual cue and stylistic accent. The ease of combining few parts into many configurations, affordable and available for immediate delivery, makes for a fundamentally accessible customer experience that is unique in the industry.

What is the price?

Seating for two start[s] at $919.

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