In 2024, GRADO made significant strides toward worldwide recognition by participating in prominent exhibitions, including Design Shanghai, Design Shenzhen, the Salone del Mobile, and the Orgatec Furniture Fair. We opened three new Contract showrooms in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou, and achieved a remarkable 70% growth in our living business. A total 30,000-square-meter factory was established, containing all solid wood and metal manufacturing facilities to promote synergetic developments between three production centers, allowing for the creation of more sophisticated products. For 2025, we aim to enhance Contract offerings in hotels, restaurants, and public spaces, believing that resilience will drive future success.
—————— 2024 BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ——————
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LIP SOFA_EYMI BECHOR-BOUNI LAW FIRM_CONVERSATION ROOM
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We've primarily touched upon the reception, lobby, and foyer areas across various businesses including Deloitte, Nvidia, HPE, Auckland University, Air New Zealand, and so forth over the past year, in which settlements need detailed high decency, and reputation right away at first sight. Meanwhile, for as much longer as possible sticking around the reception to progress the collaboration between clients and customer managers, we find the most comfortable seating suites extremely popular including the Swell series and Belly Lounge series. Their elegant curves soften the negotiating tones very naturally. Up to 23 seating types have been developed, the Swell can now freestyle itself in terms of dimensions, capacities, and upholstery to be a better fit into any environment. Its combination with the steel tube back-embedded Belly Lounge Chair keeps articulating the two parties’ pleasure of sitting together to reach some agreement.
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If quite a need for a private conversation goes up suddenly, the more lightweight Mart Sofa, Lip Sofa, and Puffy Lounge Chair can be a temporary alternative. However, for a larger group paying a visit formally, we highly recommend the chunky and fluffy Fatty Sofa which dominates the whole open floor, turning up an open talk platform for panelists. It contains more space for adjustments in spatial arrangements as a sectional flexible furniture set. Despite varied capacity and concentration requirements, their longer seating comfort and highly recognized style may explain why they are a top pick for 2024. Another utilitarian pick set for the meeting, dining, and workshop areas, tends to be light and stackable PP chairs involving the Every Chair, Queen Chair, and Queen Barstools. Last but not least, the less necessarily featured spaces such as the by-window aisle and waiting session, sometimes can earn a competitive edge with some signature series such as the semi-enveloped Modo Pod Sofa and vibrant Bread Sofa to mark out more identities.
AUTOMOBILE SPACE DESIGN MANUAL_COVER PAGE
GRADO also archives a comprehensive private care solution manual for vehicle retail space designers, focusing on creating engaging, multifunctional environments that appeal to modern consumers. As the automotive market evolves, we emphasize the need for open and semi-open spaces in 4S (Sales, Service, Spare Parts, and Survey) shops, which adapt to increased consumer demands. For example, they advocate for dedicated zones that combine sales with maintenance and leisure areas, creating a holistic customer experience.
For example, by incorporating amenities like cafes and children's play areas, vehicle retail spaces facilitate longer visits while enhancing customer satisfaction. The layout should also prioritize comfort with spacious lounges featuring modular seating, combining aesthetics with functionality. The tech integration is also essential; elements such as virtual reality displays can be used to create immersive product experiences, particularly appealing to younger demographics.
We further recognize that modern consumers, especially Gen Z shoppers, are drawn to spaces that reflect their interests and values. Specific visual themes and styles can play a crucial role in influencing consumer perceptions—utilizing color palettes and materials that align with the brand's identity can enrich the customer experience. For example, an automotive showroom designed for electric vehicles might use eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient lighting.
We finally illustrate the significance of spatial identity in retail settings. They point out that well-structured spaces can elevate customer emotions and behaviors, improving engagement and satisfaction. For instance, a delivery area in a dealership designed with welcoming furniture and a warm color scheme can significantly enhance the final vehicle pickup experience. By dividing delivery spaces into public and private sections, dealerships can cater to varied customer preferences—offering an upscale, isolated environment for VIP clients alongside a more casual area for general consumers.
—————— 2024 GLOBAL SHOWCASE ——————
GRADO's 2024 event calendar shines through a series of prominent design exhibitions and showcases, emphasizing innovation and the evolving concept of living comfort across various spatial environments, including Salone del Mobile in Milan, Clerkenwell Design Week in London, and Design Shanghai and Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Each provides a platform to unveil new offerings, collaborations, and a commitment to sustainable design, ensuring that comfort and functionality remain at the forefront of our endeavors.
2024 Salone del Mobile, MILAN
At Salone del Mobile, we introduce the exciting Solar Lounge Chair, featuring ethnic minorities’ traditional Yi embroidery, emphasizing the dedication to heritage and craftsmanship. Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) 2024 is marked by an exclusive pop-up exhibit in collaboration with LOFT, celebrating diverse British residential design aesthetics through three distinctive furniture pieces: the Fatty Sofa, the Salami Modular Sofa, and the Mate Lounge Chair. The Fatty Sofa embodies a Bohemian vibe with its modular design and vibrant colors, emphasizing comfort and creativity. The Salami Modular Sofa reflects modern design principles with its playful, salami-inspired shape and ergonomic cushions crafted to provide both support and aesthetic value. Finally, the Mate Lounge Chair draws on vintage influences, featuring rich velvet upholstery and a whimsical silhouette that enhances any space.
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We also explore synesthesia in design as a common contemporary design practice at CDW. Central to the exhibition is the Vase Lounge Chair, which exemplifies a multisensory experience by blending tactile comfort with visual elegance, enhanced through AI-driven generative algorithms. This approach not only creates aesthetically appealing designs but also fosters emotional connections by engaging multiple sensory pathways. The incorporation of experiential space design highlights the importance of crafting unique environments that resonate with users' preferences, blending elements from various sectors like hospitality and retail.
2024 ORGATEC, COLOGNE
At the Orgatec fair in Cologne, we evolve around the multifunctionality of furniture across residential, commercial, and educational environments. With pieces like the Modo Pod sofa and Lamma lounge chair, which cater to casual and collaborative needs, the emphasis is on designing spaces that blend work and life.
2024 GZDW_feat. LIN ZHEN_"GREEN GLADE" ART LOUNGE
Back to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou Design Week, we focus on future workplace innovations, showcasing designs like the AI-generated vase lounge chair and the versatile Skirt table, intended to facilitate collaborative work environments. This includes adaptable solutions such as the Modo phone booth and Cosy Screen series, emphasizing flexibility and mobility in office settings. Their slogan, "Reach Boundaryless," captures the essence of how contemporary designs aim to break traditional boundaries within workspaces, fostering interactions and creativity among employees. GRADO wraps up the all-year-round exploration with a co-curation at Guangzhou Design Week. A standout aspect is our joint efforts in developing a "green glade," a conceptual space that emphasizes the intrinsic value of nature in design, by utilizing lightweight hollow carton boards, which are typically used in eco-packaging. Additionally, the use of green-lacquered gas barrels symbolizes the transformation of industrial waste into functional artistic elements, highlighting the potential for sustainability in everyday materials. Furthermore, we keep facilitating dialogues around the broader implications of sustainability in the design process, particularly within the framework of the automotive industry, reflecting the convergence of priorities across sectors. By exploring themes such as customer journey optimization and interactive design experiences at vehicle retail spaces, GRADO contributes to the discourse on non-standard design languages within local contexts, aligning them with international sustainability standards.
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—————— 2024 ECO&CREATIVE HUB ——————
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GRADO R&D team has set out eco-aware designs since last year. Some new launches that are exclusive to certain use cases include the Eave Lounge Chair, H Lounge, and Cuddle Sofa, which accentuate family gatherings and daily living comfort. The other sort that gains deeper insides from natural and eco materials outperforms their counterparts strikingly such as the Aloe, Smile Lounge Chair, and the Sheep Chair. We also celebrate the tenth birthday by reupholstering the Mart Sofa with Gabriel’s Renewed Loop to confirm the validity of eco-recycling. The latest go-to-market series including the Sphyrna Chair and Mountain Sofa also talks about marine life protection and how to live outdoors at home.
The Aloe Lounge Chair enables graceful curves to mimic the gentle form of aloe leaves. The plush materials used for the seat evoke the softness of the plant, while its ergonomic design ensures excellent support, promoting a serene and natural seating experience. The Smile Lounge Chair emphasizes eco-conscious design through its intentional focus on positive emotions and comfort. Crafted from P2 plywood and solid pine wood, it features a durable, sustainable frame that supports a high-resilience foam filling, ensuring both comfort and reliability.
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The Sheep Chair emphasizes eco-friendliness through the use of sustainable materials, particularly E0 beech wood, which contains minimal formaldehyde at just 0.5mg/L. The chair is also crafted from AAA-grade unsteamed white beech, known for its durability and rich texture, making it not only aesthetically pleasing but also structurally strong. With the wood's average dry weight exceeding that of oak and its superior impact resistance, the Sheep Chair exemplifies a sustainable option without compromising on quality or longevity. Furthermore, the chair’s petite size and stackable feature make it ideal for small spaces, such as fast catering service areas, allowing for flexible use while minimizing environmental impact.
The adoption of the Renewed Loop for the Mart sofa is also a strong eco-aware practice. Central to this initiative is the internal recycling system developed by Gabriel Textiles, which emphasizes textile-to-textile recycling. This process transforms manufacturing and consumer textile waste—such as scraps and offcuts—into new products rather than discarding or incinerating materials. By employing a take-back system that tracks and collects these textiles, the initiative prevents waste and facilitates a circular economy in the textile industry. Additionally, the incorporation of recycled polyester pellets and black loop yarn enhances the strength and uniformity of the fabric while ensuring that a significant proportion is 100% recyclable. In terms of aesthetics and functionality, the Renewed Loop fabric features a vibrant melange effect created from black yarns, allowing for a subtle interplay of shades that enriches the overall texture and appeal of the Mart sofa.
Designers Introduction