Steelcase expands relationship with Uhuru Design
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Steelcase announced it will expand its relationship with Uhuru Design, giving customers access to Uhuru's full product portfolio, inclusive of the design firm's line of contract furniture solutions.

Steelcase said the relationship with Uhuru complements the contract furniture giant's extensive portfolio. The collection of Uhuru’s ancillary furniture will be available this fall with the complete contract line available at the beginning of 2020.

“Since launching our relationship with Uhuru last year, we’ve heard from architects, designers and clients that are eager to have complete access to their furnishings. We’re delighted to bring the distinct, bespoke and high-end aesthetic of Uhuru products to more workplaces around the world,” said Joel Schellhammer, vice president of partnerships and integrations. “This expanded relationship provides our customers with convenient access to a breadth of design choices, supported by reliable, commercial distribution.”

The Brooklyn-based Uhuru Design specializes in custom residential and high-end commercial furniture made with reclaimed materials. “We are excited to expand and grow our partnership with Steelcase to bring our entire collection to all areas of the workplace," said Jason Horvath, co-founder and CEO. "For the last 15 years, we have built collection after collection by finding and designing around materials with rich histories, whether it be salvaged Coney Island boardwalk planks or reclaimed Kentucky bourbon barrels. We're thrilled more organizations will be able to access these kinds of storied designs in the workplace.”

Uhuru Design was established in 2004 by Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf.

Founded in 1912 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Steelcase serves the office, healthcare, education and related markets, with a family of brands including: Steelcase, Coalesse, Designtex, PolyVision, Turnstone, Smith System, Orangebox and AMQ. The company's global network includes more than 800 Steelcase dealer locations. The publicly traded company posted a fiscal 2019 revenue of $3.4 billion and ranked #2 overall, and #1 for contract furniture, on the most recent FDMC 300 listing of the top North American wood products producers.

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Karen Koenig | Editor

Karen M. Koenig has more than 30 years of experience in the woodworking industry, including visits to wood products manufacturing facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As editor of special publications under the Woodworking Network brand, including the Red Book Best Practices resource guide and website, Karen’s responsibilities include writing, editing and coordinating of editorial content. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media. She can be reached at [email protected]