people

text Mavis Ang

photography wong wei liang
art direction kaffy tan

who George Soo

why His office furniture designs have recently
won the Singapore Good Design Mark.

what gets him out of bed in the

morning Doing something today that will
make tomorrow better.

George hopes to
encourage mobility
within the workplace
with his office furniture
designs. below The
Grover and Jones
seatings have slanted
backs that users can
lean on during casual
work discussions.

Struck by the evolution of workspaces

in recent times with forward-thinking
companies gearing towards a more fluid work
environment George approached local
furniture retailer Xtra with an idea to ride on
that wave. Its a growing trend, for people to
use office interiors to create movement in the
workplace, states the industrial designer. So,
I wanted to create office furniture that could
empower people to use it in their own way.
The result was Next, a 21-piece collection
that straddles the fine line between corporate
and cosiness, and eases people into more
organic interactions while at work. For
example, the High-Eight (pictured with
George) can serve as a mobile meeting space
but, depending on its position, privacy can
easily be achieved thanks to its high panels,
saving firms with small workspaces the need
for underutilised meeting rooms.
Other outstanding pieces from the
collection are Grover and its smaller
companion, Jones, both of which have been
awarded the Singapore Good Design Mark.
They feature an angular back that people can
lean on for those quick, five-minute chats,
says George. The origin of their names, he
shares, begins with their faceted silhouettes,
which resemble uncut diamonds. I came
across a story about Grover C. Jones, a man
who discovered the biggest alluvial diamond
in North America in 1928 while pitching
horseshoes. The story resonated with me.
Since striking out on his own in 2011 as
the founder of design firm Fliq, George felt
that he chanced upon a personal breakthrough
with Grover and Jones. With a well-rounded
background in the furniture business having
held positions from design to sales he
is passionate about making the workplace
a better environment for workers, and
passionately believes that design is a tool
that will benefit enterprises in every aspect
of their business.

38

Georges furniture is available at Xtra,

#02-01 Park Mall, tel: 6336-0688.