It was more of a slow cook than a spark. The ideas and themes for Terrain have been circulating the studio for some time. Central tenets are clarity and simplicity – of function and purpose.

Although there is plenty of soft seating across the market, it often tries to be both work and lounge coded. This often results in something between the two, with height, posture and aesthetics neither definitively work nor lounge.

Terrain is explicitly a lounge piece, but a lounge piece for commercial environments. It is a piece to work at, but it caters for work centred around relationships and conversation.

We wanted Terrain to bring rhythm and flow, it is defining space, but in a softer manner. Being a lounge piece, it demands generous proportions – but we were conscious to make Terrain both compact and simple to specify/understand. It is a tight range designed around a 1m (≈39“) module, the form is symmetrical to maximise function across all sides, and most important everything is universally reconfigurable. With this, it can accommodate any future requirements, units can be totally reimagined.

We define our approach as Relationship Orientated Strategy & Design, everything we design reflects a web of relationships and considerations. We examine this network for opportunity, balancing connections and fine-tuning for each project.

In this instance, despite our long history with Connection, this felt like a fresh start. As our conversations developed, two non-negotiables guided us. Firstly, championing Connection’s identity as a soft seating brand, and secondly, maximising in-house production. We wanted to keep work within the business whilst driving down cost and environmental impact.

Unfortunately, at the moment it seems uncertainty is the only certainty. The ability for businesses to adapt on demand is critical. Although there are many products designed around principles of flexibility, this can often be packaged with increased cost and complexity. To maintain simplicity and a competitive edge, Terrain is stripped to the essential, without compromise. Alongside reconfigurability, the modules have been closely considered to offer functional flexibility, Terrain can bridge everything from classic corner units, circular conversation pits, presentation settings, and snaking island units. It is both spatially and contextually diverse/flexible.

Terrain incorporates several sustainable elements: glueless upholstery for separable components, biofoam moulded without an internal armature, a split seat/back for efficient shipping, and 100% UK-based manufacturing. Above all, its adaptability is key—futureproofing ensures reuse over replacement. This applies not only to function but also to form. While there is a clear shift in the market towards louder, more expressive form, Terrain balances soft aesthetics with a more balance silhouette, favouring comfort, smart detailing, and tuned proportions over trend and attention; it’s designed with longevity in mind.

We’ve really tried to strip and reduce, so it’s hard to consider how we want to expand the range at the moment. No doubt there will be something, but we maintain the desire to do as much as we can with as little possible – so anything we add must be consistent with this principle.

Alongside adaptability, simplicity and clarity, comfort was key and something we worked hard at. We know how critical it is for any piece furniture and soft seating particularly; the success of Tryst can largely be attributed to its comfort. Terrain is a lounge piece designed for commercial settings; we had to balance the desire for absolute softness and a relaxed posture with the need for functional appropriateness. The system is completely universal and retrofittable too, this is key, everything works with everything and it cannot be specified wrong.

Space and time are increasingly compressed. The rate of change is exponential, and although tools around the design process continue to improve, fundamentally, our capacity to think remains unchanged. Furthermore, the expanding noise of the attention economy has pernicious effects across all aspects of design. We need to slow down.

That’s a big question with a very long answer. One aspect we’re finding intriguing is the need for greater ambiguity across product. This not only applies to function, but also aspects like ownership, autonomy, and context. In the long-term, as has always been the case, technology has the potential to completely reshape how we live and work. Although a little blue-sky, one example is typewriting. Typewriting has been a primary mode of input shaping work for over a century, AI opens the possibility to move beyond this, potentially completely transforming how we understand work as a destination and activity.