BCO

Ergonomic S 220 moulded plywood chair at BCO in Venlo 

The educational consulting company BCO is based in the Dutch city of Venlo and provides children and young people with needs-based services during their education. The team of psychologists, speech therapists and dyslexia specialists supports schools, care centres and dyslexia programmes with a range of advice, training and continuing professional development measures. BCO’s main focuses are equal opportunities, quality assurance in education and individual language development.

For the company’s approximately 80 employees, the architects and interior designers at Spacefitters have created a welcoming dining and break area, perfect for informal catch-ups and a quick coffee or meal. Designed in subtle beige and brown tones, the room features a food counter by the entrance and seating for more than 60. The benches arranged along some of the long, cafeteria-style tables designed for groups of around eight people have planters integrated into the backrests. By adding greenery in this way, the designers from Spacefitters have expertly brought the outside in to lend the space a natural air. As well as benches, the room has also been furnished with 40 chairs from Thonet: the S 220 in a walnut version, which picks up on the other natural elements in the room.

Designed by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin (Industrial Facility), the S 220 consists of a moulded plywood shell and a tubular steel frame. Thanks to its ergonomic seat shell, the chair provides exceptional seating comfort. The hourglass shape of the seat shell not only looks elegant, it also ensures that the chair has just the right amount of give. Its smoothly rounded front edge avoids creating any pressure points, making it a comfortable seating option, even for long lunch breaks and meetings. The chairs can also be stacked and stowed away to make space should the room need to be used for something else. Thanks to their material-efficient design, the chairs are lightweight and easy to move.

The barstool version (S 220 H) of the design by Hecht and Colin is also a fitting addition to the BCO break room: 23 of these barstools provide comfortable seating at the high tables and along the mobile counter elements, which can be used on both sides. The two-seater high tables have been placed along a wall with a continuous seating bench. Regardless of whether the BCO employees are gathering in small groups or large teams, this break room has been designed to promote conversation and connection, both of which are fundamental to BCO’s valuable work in the education sector.