Natural Habitat – Habitat by District x Adam Cornish

Globally recognised Australian product designer Adam Cornish has joined forces with District on a locally designed and manufactured system of modular office furniture. Intended for the modern workplace, Habitat invites a new sense of calm through integrated botanical elements and seamlessly adapts to different configurations, making it ideal for agile working environments.

Inspired by the natural environment and geared towards design-lovers who seek the new and unseen, Habitat is a system designed to create a personalised space within a workspace or commercial setting. After a childhood spent on a fern nursery, enveloped by nature, Adam Cornish’s work has a natural magnetism concerning horticulturally-based products. Fusing modular soft seating with plants, Habitat is a system that is equal parts garden sanctuary and intuitive office seating. “I am constantly in awe of the natural environment around us,” he says. “When you look at nature, you see how all the different organisms have evolved and adapted to suit their environments. I like to think of design in a similar manner.”

Inspired by the natural environment and geared towards design-lovers who seek the new and unseen, Habitat is a system designed to create a personalised space within a workspace or commercial setting.

As the name suggests, Habitat is a system for building your own habitat within the workspace. Designed specifically for post-pandemic work, the furniture system addresses the need for connection and privacy simultaneously. “We wanted to design a system that considered the emotional and psychological needs of the inhabitants,” explains Adam. Now more than ever, people need to feel connected to their surroundings and colleagues whilst still having their own space to find refuge in. As such, the modular components can be configured and reconfigured as required, adapting to the needs of each individual user and workplace.

The system is distinguished by partially transparent partitions that feature perforated trellises, offering a gentle visual boundary. These ‘trellis’ screens form a structural frame adorned with plant life and act as a framework for additional design elements such as shelving, visual aids, personal tools and technology mounting points. The system creates a more nuanced visual language that evokes a sense of connection to nature, transforming what was once rigid and visually dense.

Designed specifically for post-pandemic work, the furniture system addresses the need for connection and privacy simultaneously.

District and Adam Cornish present a gentle yet dynamic recalibration of how places of work should evolve in the post-pandemic world. Habitat responds to the ever-changing, agile workplace, presenting a highly adaptive, customisable design ecosystem intrinsically connected to nature.