CASUAL by Bene: many ways to meet

The new CASUAL by Bene collection, featuring CASUAL Bench, Lounge Chair and Table, creates places of interaction and togetherness in the office.

After several years of the pandemic and working from home, many are returning to the office. Hybrid working has become the norm and people are naturally asking the question: do we really need an office? Interacting with colleagues is an essential part of everyday working life that can only be fulfilled to a limited degree online. For this reason, places for informal conversation in the office, away from the workplace, are becoming increasingly important. Here functional and comfortable seating creates an environment for this unifying togetherness – at ease, relaxed, simply CASUAL.

Face to face instead of screen to screen

Employees attach great importance to socialising with colleagues and benefit from an environment in the office that supports this. Third Places, i.e. places away from the desk and home office, represent major hubs where people across the entire company can come together. These places encourage social interaction, increase employee engagement and facilitate meeting and collaboration in a relaxed and dynamic environment.

“The office is not only a workplace, but also a place of community that fosters a sense of belonging to the company and gives an organisation its identity. Whether in the cafeteria, lounge or recreation area – the CASUAL Bench, CASUAL Lounge Chair and CASUAL Table combine to create these Third Places right there in the office,” says Michael Fried, Executive Board Member for Sales, Marketing and Innovation at Bene.

A park bench for the office

The CASUAL product series was designed by Bene designer Christian Horner. As trivial as it might sound, a major inspiration for this product was the park bench. Just like in the office, people meet sitting on a park bench in a planned or random way. These are places of togetherness and interaction. Developed to be just as robust as the construction of park benches, the CASUAL Bench is no exception. In contrast to the park bench, the CASUAL Benches and CASUAL Table are available in three heights.

Three levels of encounters: CASUAL Bench

The CASUAL Bench is available as a Single Bench or Double Bench, with or without a backrest. The CASUAL Bench High at standing height enables you to sit at the same height as a person standing so you can converse eye-to-eye. The CASUAL Bench Medium encourages agile posture for short sitting periods thanks to its sitting/standing height. The CASUAL Bench Low in seat height is the classic bench height. Depending on the size, the CASUAL Table is manufactured with one column base or two columns and is available in three heights to match the Bench. The tabletops are also available in four versions: round, square, rectangular and oval.

CASUAL Lounge Chair

The CASUAL lounge chair is perfect for comfortable and relaxed sitting. Thanks to the CASUAL Lounge chair’s pleasant inclination, you automatically adopt a relaxed posture. The Lounge Chair can be combined with the Bench and Table and immediately creates an atmosphere of peace and well-being.

Sustainability with resource-saving use of materials

Christian Horner made sure that CASUAL was sustainable right from the product development stage: the resource-saving use of materials forms the basis of the design. The bench frame was optimised so that it offers the necessary stability while also remaining as light as possible. The upholstery offers superior seating comfort and here, too, attention was paid to the reduced use of materials. In addition, all materials can be separated by type and returned to a second life cycle, as there is no gluing involved in the process at all. Office furniture needs to be highly functional. This means good ergonomics, and robust construction and materials. The modular design ensures that components can be exchanged, which extends the product life cycle.

CASUAL will be exhibited for the first time at the following events:

24 - 26 May 2022: Clerkenwell Design Week in London
During Clerkenwell Design Week, Bene invites you to come and visit the CASUAL Café in the London Showroom. Guests can enjoy coffee and delicious apple strudel while relaxing on the new CASUAL Benches and Lounge Chairs.
Address: 47 - 53 St John Street, London, EC1M 4AN

30 - 1 June 2022: Workspace Expo in Paris
Presentation of CASUAL on stand G20-H23 at the Workspace Expo in Paris.
Workspace Expo has become Europe’s leading annual trade fair for design, furniture and workspace. Address: Pavillon 7.2 Parc des Expositions – Porte de Versailles 2 place de la Porte de Versailles – 75015 Paris

7 - 12 June 2022: Salone del Mobile
Coinciding with the start of the Salone del Mobile, Bene will open its very first showroom in Milan, Italy. On 8 June, Bene invites you to the opening and presents the new CASUAL product line. Address: Foro Buonaparte 53, Piano Primo, 20121 Milan

22 - 24 June 2022: Greentech Festival Berlin
The Greentech Festival explores how sustainability is transforming our society. Panel discussions, keynotes and boot camps will all aim to drive forward sustainable business solutions. Bene presents CASUAL as well as the sustainable office accessories bFRIENDS, and PIXEL.