the obo life

In the newly emerging workplace ecosystem, having a well-designed workspace is an essential part of achieving an optimised workspace with the right balance, cognitively, emotionally and physically. With this at the forefront of our minds, obo is delighted to announce a new collaboration with Mute. Mute is a genuine specialist in interior acoustics offering a comprehensive portfolio of acoustic products thoughtfully designed to bring harmony to your space, finding the balance

Two years in the making, BoConcept and Haworth are pleased to announce they have entered into a global strategic partnership, bringing together BoConcept’s industry-leading furniture collections with Haworth’s world-class contract furnishing solutions and workplace knowledge. Decades in the making BoConcept was founded in Denmark in 1952 by two young cabinet makers. They shared a simple vision: to introduce quality Danish furniture to a broader audience. In the nearly seven d

By Rachael Little, Yoga Teacher to Premier League Staff Like most office workers, I have been aware of sit/stand desks for a few years. My 2 different roles over the last 5 years have afforded me the fortunate circumstances that I have always been moving around, rarely sitting for longer than half an hour. I have also practised yoga for many years and now teach office workers the practice, so am a huge advocate of how essential and beneficial movement is. However, because of

Hi, I'm Gustav! I’ve been thinking about the new challenges that face us all and I think I can help! I could be your new workmate and help you get around. I’ll carry your laptop, your folders & papers, and all those personal items – whatever you’d keep on your regular desk, safely and securely. Also, you see that panel on my front side? Fold it down and I’m a laptop or tablet stand. Or a file holder. Or… however else I can help. I’m open to ideas. But enough about me. I want

Written by Victor Maningo of Haworth Inc. Corporate real estate has, for some time, been preoccupied with the future of work and how it will manifest in the coming months, years, or decades. This is not new. But it’s definitely top-of-mind right now. Fueled by the exponential rise of technology and other factors, including generational diversity and an increasingly global economy, ours is a continually evolving, somewhat ephemeral industry. It seems as if everyone’s searching

We touched on our explorations into the world of numerology and colour therapy a few posts ago. We’re fascinated by how it offers an insight into how we interact with each other in life, at work and with the planet. We’ve teamed up with The Colour Ministry, a company of Colour Wellbeing Consultants who are passionate about colour and how it impacts our daily lives to learn more and to share our findings with you. And, now we have another birthday in the ranks, it’s Gabi’s tur

Last week we again partnered with Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm, to host and deliver workshops to their teams, to help them gain a more complete understanding of breathing & nutrition and how better practice could have a positive effect on their health; physical, mental and immune. The workshops, from a series that we offer under the heading of ‘workable wellbeing’ #wOw, were devised to support and guide people in their places of work. Naturally, our places of

In these times of isolation, our #clerkenwellcuriosties this week looks back to a time, and a place, where isolation of another kind was fraught with far harsher restrictions than many of us are experiencing today. The Middlesex House of Correction (now Mount Pleasant Sorting Office) was built during the reign of King James I in 1794 and housed 1,800 inmates typically serving ‘short’ sentences of around two years. Whilst imprisoned they may not have been in total isolatio

It can be difficult to find focus right now. And that’s completely understandable. These are, after all, unprecedented times. Daily life for millions of people across the globe has been completely upended and sits - for the moment at least - in an uneasy mix of confusion and uncertainty. Our natural instinct is, of course, to cling to all that we know; to rely on our preset notions of how things are ‘supposed to’ work and try to keep up the behaviours we’re conditioned to dis

Last week we joined our client Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm, for an online workshop to look at the subject of Colour Personality. This was the second in a series of workable wellbeing #wOw workshops being delivered to Gallup by obo. Alison Standish, a Professional Colour Consultant, was our speaker & her passion for Colour and Light over the last 15 years has led her to create 'The Colour Ministry' an innovative organisation that has taken ancient colour ther

Last week we partnered with Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm, to host and deliver a workshop to their teams, to help them gain a more complete understanding of ergonomics. From emotional, physical & cognitive perspectives. The workshop, one of a series that we offer under the heading of ‘workable wellbeing’ #wOw, was devised to support & guide people in their places of work. Naturally, our places of work have changed, but the messages have not. More so now tha

This week’s #clerkenwellcuriosities celebrates British Summer Time with a focus on EC1’s horological history. Nowadays, the first country that comes to mind when talking about watchmaking is Switzerland. However, did you know that us Brits brought some of the greatest design innovations into the timekeeping world? Since the beginning of the 18th century, Clerkenwell was the centre of clock and watch-making and the streets became lined with subdivisions of the trade. By the e

As many of us settle into an increased pattern of homeworking, we're taking a look at what items around your home help you to stay focused, make you more comfortable or aid your self-care routines. We asked our own John Walters and his vote goes to this, the Pablo UMA Mini, the newest addition to the UMA family. This lovely little ‘lantern’ fuses state of the art technology with not only sound, but colour too invoking the primal symbol of the lantern, the warmth of a campfire

We touched on our explorations into the world of numerology and colour therapy a few posts ago. We’re fascinated by how it offers an insight into how we interact with each other in life, at work and with the planet. We’ve partnered with The Colour Ministry, a team of Colour Wellbeing Consultants who are passionate about colour and how it impacts our daily lives to learn more and to share our findings with you. And, what better way to start than by convincing our own Founder a

Clerkenwell Green has played host to many political meetings and demonstrations, some more peaceful than others. But on the 13th December 1867, Clerkenwell was rocked by an explosion that shocked even this contentious neighbourhood. The story begins in America in 1858. A group of Irish ex-pats founded a secret society called the Irish Republican Brotherhood, known to most as the Fenians. Their aim was to free Ireland from British rule by any means necessary. By 1867, they wer

This week, our installment of #clerkenwellcuriosities aims to offer a little levity. So, let’s talk about clowns! Not just any clown, but Joseph Grimaldi, the man who became "easily the most popular English entertainer of his day" and was acclaimed as “the funniest and best-loved man in the British theatre." He resided, for a decade, at 56 Exmouth Market where he is today commemorated by a blue plaque. Born into a family of entertainers in London in 1778, ‘Joey’ Grimaldi bega

Last week, we partnered with Fritz Hansen in their stunning new Clerkenwell showroom to host an insightful breakfast presentation with our own expert nutritionist Sophie Higgins LLB, dipCNM, mNNA: How to beat the mid-afternoon slump. The purpose of the talk was to help us all better understand that, what we eat affects how we feel from not only a digestion & gut point of view, but also benefits us cognitively and aids our mental wellbeing. The lack of energy at around 3pm is

Welcome to the third installment of #clerkenwellcuriosities Clerkenwell may now be considered a trendy - and desirable - place to live and work but it does have a somewhat shady past, one aspect of which we touched on in our previous “Gin” blog (here) and there will be more insights into its sordid past in future installments. However, the parish of Clerkenwell originated from rather more worthy beginnings with the historic centre of the area revolving around the Nunnery of S

This week #clerkenwellcuriosities explores Old Sessions House which sits on the west side of Clerkenwell Green. This imposing Georgian building with its magnificent dome, inspired by the Roman Pantheon, saw thousands of trials take place. It was once the largest and busiest courthouse in England with a storied and often brutal past. The building was completed in 1782 and cost a mere £13,000! Used as a courthouse until 1920, it is mostly remembered as the location of Charles D

Welcome to the first in our series of #clerkenwellcuriosities Let's find out more about the role our EC1 played in the rise (and fall) of the gin trade! The next time you are sipping your gin and tonic in the sunshine outside The Crown Tavern, spare a thought for the rather more sordid history of this classic tipple. And Clerkenwell plays a significant role in gin’s progression from lethal “Mother’s Ruin” to the rather more palatable London Dry you are enjoying today. Back i