On the Imperative of Silence

How do we produce our best work? How do we remember what is really important in a mad regime of distractions? How can we find the inner spaciousness to align our work with our deeper sense of priorities?

At Elementa our work is to think deeply about what work is - and to build concrete suggestions on how it can be done better. The dB storage series is the result of long hours of discussions with designers Jonas & Øystein at StokkeAustad - on the relationship between high quality work and our physical surroundings.

Pondering the implications of new trends in office design, productivity and even the coming of hard AI - one thing really towered up in the discussion as more important than everything else:

*** Silence *** 

As our Virtual Space melts together with our Physical Space, the need to quietly focus and re-connect to our Inner Space seems to be at the heart of our challenge to produce Great Work. While furniture will not prioritize your time or meditate for you, the dB cabinet is designed to make your office space a bit more… silent.

The doors of dB are made of frames laid with thick wool-felt, utilizing the room inside the cabinets as a trap for lower frequency noise. The use of natural materials such as oiled, solid oak and wool adds an element of tactility and a friendly visual expression .  

Find out more in the Cabinets section of Elementa.no

"Space and silence are necessary because it is only when the mind is alone, uninfluenced, untrained, not held by infinite varieties of experience, that it can come upon something totally new."