We originally designed Better Living Through Chemistry (or BLTC for short) as a meeting space or ‘island’ within an open plan workplace for small groups (2 to 4 people) to quickly come together, work on an idea or problem, then disperse back to their desks to action these fleeting ideas quickly.

Speed of response and instant accessibility were therefore critical. Users needed to be able to drop in, log into their shared network (so space for a PC was required) or connect mobile devices such as laptops or tablets to a shared screen.

A democratic and ergonomic design was also required with many worktop shapes tried and tested before we selected the ‘guitar pic’ shape. This small but important detail allowed users to have an equal amount of visibility to a shared screen and plenty of leg room underneath if sitting or perching.

Acoustic privacy screens that reduced surrounding distractions rounded out the product and also provided a very strong and stable design.

Due to the compact footprint, BLTC can fit into many spaces - open plan areas or small meeting rooms.
BLTC has morphed into sitting and fixed height standing versions, and has been expanded to include larger versions to accommodate bigger teams (XL versions) and more recently a sit to stand electric height version.

A future proof design supports LCD screen technology, in desk power, plus Wireless Qi fast-charging for compatible mobile devices whilst collaborating with colleagues. Hidden but accessible cable management and reticulation was also factored in so IT staff could easily add or manage any IT requirements.

Designed and manufactured in Australia by 31 Degrees Design