The box of existential dread that was built to set you free.

Being a history student at heart (and on paper) let’s take a little trip through history.?

Picture this: it’s 1964, and Herman Miller, the iconic furniture company, introduces a radical office plan called the Action Office - the brainchild of Robert Propst and a bunch of other smart people.

?

Propst’s design wasn’t just a set of furniture; it was a whole new way of thinking about office spaces. In an era where offices were about confinement, the Action Office was all about movement. The ads showed workers in perpetual motion, so fast they looked blurred - ah yes, bustling productivity

!

Collaborating with George Nelson, Propst concocted a design that was both stylish and futuristic. Desks perched on sleek die-cast aluminum legs, a chrome-braced standing desk doubling as a footrest, and a swanky “communications centre” that was acoustically insulated - the office envy of the '60s.

Yet, the colourful, vibrant Action Office struggled to find its footing in the market. Office managers scoffed at the price tag, complaining that its boundary-defying space was too ambiguous. Despite industry accolades, Action Office flopped.?

Back to the drawing board.?

Undeterred, Propst doubled down, revamping his concept. Enter Action Office II – the hero we didn't need.

This iteration boasted movable walls, variable shelves, and a deliberate depersonalization to empower individualized workspaces. The industry lauded it, sales soared, and imitations sprouted from competitors.

The twist.

What was meant to be flexible turned out to create regimented spaces. Knockoff designs inadvertently trapped workers in towering fabric walls, transforming liberating visions into stifling enclosures

.

Though the design was meant to liberate office workers from the chains of traditional setups, it unwittingly birthed the modern office cubicle.?

Entraining Interlude: Please enjoy this clip from my favourite movie.?https://youtu.be/wNai8OYhdxA

Enter the era of the cubicle farms. Companies focused not on autonomy but on cramming as many employees as possible into tight spaces, veering far from Propst’s vision of flexibility and adaptability.

Propst, reflecting on his design’s unintended consequences, was miffed.?

His versatile creation was co-opted into creating what he called ‘hellholes’ by crass leadership more focused on cost savings than human-centric design.

As his invention morphed into the ubiquitous cubicle, used by millions yet synonymous with workplace monotony, Propst’s grand vision inadvertently succumbed to a corporate world fixated on rigid efficiency over human-centricity.

Despite the mixed reputation, the legacy of Miller's Action Office endures. It became the OG blueprint for office furniture design, inspiring countless iterations and adaptations.?

And so, the saga of the open office and cubicles continues, a looping tale of functionality, quirks, and the eternal quest for the perfect workspace.?

Luckily, we have a ton of very cool new options to choose from. (Oh enter me, I do this. That’s my sales pitch)?

So let’s raise a cup of coffee to the humble cubicle….. and then, in true Peter fashion, kick down the wall and do something cooler.?

Ready to reinvent your office?

Here's a little taste of open office solutions from our suppliers.