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See the latest modern office design products from our leading manufacturers
July 2022
August 2022
A Glimpse into the New Mayer Fabric Patterns
Innovative and Beautiful
The Definition for the New Mayer Fabric Patterns
This month, Knak is proud to feature a new set of patterns from Mayer Fabrics. You'll find an impressive array of colors and styles, with the addition of their Carousel, Arcade, Centric, Fanfare, and Arcade fabrics.
Highlights from these beautiful patterns:
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Carousel - Extremely durable with a bold Circular Crypton® pattern
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Arcade - A subtle textural design that can withstand industrial wear and tear. It resembles a tone-on-tone glazing effect
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Icon - Coated fabric, Consumer Recycled Polyester · Crypton® with Antimicrobial Silver Ion Technology
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Centric - Another beautifully woven circular Crypton® pattern with a multi color grid underlay that provides the illusion of motion across the fabric.
- 2022 Metropolis Likes Award
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Fanfare - This features playful geometric patterns in a broad array of multi-colored options. - Finalist 2022 HiP Award
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Editor - Tone on tone Crypton, gorgeous textures
What Knak Appreciates About Mayer Fabric
Their Collections Never Fail to Impress
A Legacy of Innovation Matched with Beauty
A 125 Year legacy says a lot. Mayer never fails to impress. With a slew of new product offerings that are both, as our subline reads, innovative and beautiful, all fabrics coordinate, offering a timeless nature- it really doesn't matter when they came into production.
As Mike Varljen described at his recent trip to NeoCon 2022, "Mayer's new line is simply an incredible line of new fabric laced with technology with a hand like you've never seen with this level of performance".
Commitment to Sustainability
We are also impressed with Mayer Fabrics ongoing commitment to sustainability which has and will always remain a core consideration throughout their entire development process of their textiles.
Pricing That Impresses
Leading-edge design often implies a premium price point. Not with Mayer. Check pricing on these new collections. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Mike Skarr, CEO, Knak Group (left)
Mike Varljen, National Sales Manager, Mayer Fabrics
(right)
2022 NeoCon Convention
Here is a fun 6.5min video we created at NeoCon 2022 giving a tour of many of these fabrics featuring Mike Skaar, Knak Group, and Mike Varljen of Mayer Fabrics.
Mayer Fabric History
Mr. George L. Paetz
Celebrating 125 Years
It was in 1897 that Mr. George L. Paetz started the George L. Paetz and Sons company to fill a need for local suppliers and provide products to manufacturers of custom design buggies and repair.
In the early 1990's the company transitioned to a supplier of fabrics and also upholstery and vinyl applications.
In 1961, Harold C. Paetz and Richard F. Mayer, Sr. assume ownership and the key management responsibilities for the company. Fast forward to 2022 and you will find the Mayer family is deeply committed and involved in all aspects of the company.
For further information about Mayer, please visit www.mayerfabrics.com
July 2022
Introducing the New MPS Collaire
We are thrilled to introduce to you the new Collaire acoustics solution from MPS!
Why Knak Is Excited About Collaire...
Collaire is designed for performance, sustainability, and customization. It's colorful, geometric, and it's quiet. Furthermore, it can turn any wall into a blank canvas with total design flexibility. Specify an array of tiles within a space and form a pattern, or go floor to ceiling for a custom architectural wall-cladding look, while also providing acoustic performance.
Why Collaire Impresses Us at Knak...
The options are limitless with patterns, wall and panel creations, and over 30 color choices and textures to choose from.
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Choose from 30 available colors and textures
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Custom designs to enhance your workspace
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Standard dimension: 10” x 30” Tiles
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Measurably improves visual and acoustic privacy
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Sound absorption and blocking
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Ambient noise reduction within the room
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Reduced reverberation and echo
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Easily disinfected and cleaned
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Easily installed
If you would like more details about MPS Collaire, please click on this contact form link.
Evolution of MPS
MPS stands for "Making Privacy Simple." MPS's roots are in acoustics and sound masking technology. Founder and CEO Bruce Davidson founded MPS based on his expertise in sound masking technology leading to a natural evolution into design-oriented acoustic panels.
Fast forward from days of the Pandemic to 2022 with new branding, positioning and a new MPS president.
Andy Vawtner
President, MPS, LLC
Introducing MPS New Brand and Positioning Evolution... and it's newly promoted President
In Q4 2020... The Making Privacy Simple (MPS) leadership team agreed that it was time to evolve the brand and positioning of the company. Like many organizations during the pandemic,
At the time, Andy Vawtner (current MPS President), held the role of SVP Sales & Operations, and had the hindsight to speak up and say “We needed to strengthen the company by diversifying our product offerings and move fast." Vawtner continued “We had offered panels for a few years now, and the results of this additional focus signaled that it was the right move.”
MPS was forced to re-evaluate the business model, product lines, marketing, etc. In short, everything was on the table. During this time, MPS began to develop the smaller, but ever-growing, acoustic baffle and panel segment of the business, and started to see immediate growth.
2021... Based on the success from prior years, MPS launched a branding initiative in January of 2021 uniquely positioning the company as a leader in both sound masking technology and in acoustic panel design. The new MPS brand is a direct reflection of the company’s commitment to elegant design that is refined, precise, and also fun. This rebrand is an outward vision of the passion and expertise that its employees have embraced for years.
Related Reading... MPS's newly promoted president, Andy Vawtner is interviewed with Knak's CEO, Mike Skaar, on the topic of Acoustic Design for Hybrid Workspaces. Follow that discussion here.
About
MPS with headquarters in Richardson, TX, designs, develops, and also hand-creates beautiful acoustic panel products. Their team of designers and sound engineers makes privacy simple by designing solutions that reduce unwanted noise through both masking and dampening.
The MPS brand is dedicated and committed to making spaces more productive and quieter while enhancing the design aesthetic through a range of ceiling, wall-mounted, and free-standing acoustic products.
Please click on this contact form link to learn more about MPS and all of their acoustic products.
June 2022
Knak Group Goes to NeoCon 2022
Two days of NeoCon are complete. Chicago weather has been wild (tornado warnings and 100 degree heat). The crowds have been huge at North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors. There has been a palpable exuberance as everyone returned to The Merchandise Mart after almost a two year hiatus. The Knak Group met with many old friends, made some new ones, and had the privilege of winning a special award ourselves. We also threw a fabulous birthday party at Sidetracks for David Meckley. (We Vogued!) What follows is a rundown of everything we were able to capture from NeoCon 2022!
Award Winners
Let’s start at the end of the story. If you’ve been to The Mart, you know the epic scale of it all. If you’ve never been, wearing comfortable shoes is key to seeing everything- this was the largest building in the world when it opened in 1930. Three of our manufacturers were present in The Mart (and two were offsite and therefore ineligible for a Best of Award). Halcon, Muraflex, and Mayer Fabric each had innovative, awe-inspiring products as finalists in the Best Of NeoCon Awards. Here are the winners.
Halcon Helm Wins Best of Competition
The single most prestigious award given at NeoCon is the Best of Competition. All of the judges who hand out hundreds of awards need to all agree on one, single, solitary introduction that embodies the very best of innovation and design among all of the entrants. This year, for an unprecedented third time in a decade, Halcon once again received this single, top award for their stunning Helm adjustable table. Designed with jehs+laub, Helm is sleekly integrated with technology and unexpectedly equipped with an adjustable-height surface. Helm exudes and respects a classic, timeless mid century design but enables it with technology to adapt to a changing workplace. A powerful statement as a desk or board room table, it also won two additional Gold Awards at NeoCon - for Adjustability and Conferencing.
Muraflex Zitto Wins Sustainability Award
The architects and interior designers that Knak Group has the privilege of working with are unwavering in their insistence for sustainable products. The Neocon judges singled out the Muraflex Zitto privacy pod for a level of sustainability unparalleled in the industry. This product comes in the Uno or the Due, a freestanding single or dual pod encapsulating you with a quiet, deep-focus private space whether you’re looking for productive closed meetings, a quick phone call, or a last-minute brainstorming session. But what does sustainability even mean with the Zitto?
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The insulation is made of recycled denim
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The combined electric components for electrical and ventilation in the pods are all energy saving equating in energy consumption to one lightbulb
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The glass and aluminum are 100% recyclable
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The glass walls let natural light in.
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It uses elements such as the door from other product lines optimizing the product lifecycle
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The materials used in the pod are eco friendly. The textiles are made of biodegradable materials.
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Our products our designed with the well-being and mental health of its occupants in mind, and we include an ADA solution.
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Double glazing for superior acoustics- we are the only dual glaze standard product offering.
Mayer Fabric Wins Metropolis Likes Award
The editors from Metropolis magazine gave 38 awards at this year's NeoCon 2022. These products represent the very best in responsible innovation: a great hand, beautiful and patterns, while being sensitive to the impact on the planet and its ecologies. Mayer Fabrics new “Centric” line was a winner! Mike Varljen, the National Sales Manager - Mayer Fabrics, goes over our new introductions in the video below, including Centric and all of the new Mayer Fabrics.