The golden era of the office couch is here, crumbs and all

livemint.com:

Amie Miller has a go-to spot for conducting job interviews: a gray, L-shaped couch. The problem is it is everyone else’s favorite spot, too. “We’ve reached peak couch," says Miller, the chief talent officer at TBWA Worldwide.

The advertising agency now boasts 15 sofas in its Manhattan office space, up from five a year ago. The living-room-like accessories range from an armless sectional to a boxy, geometric “big-lounge" model. Companies have long tried to make offices less stuffy by creating collaboration spaces, chef-driven restaurants, outdoor terraces and even signature scents.

The thinking was that if the office were more enjoyable, workers would spend more time there. Some of these initiatives have come and gone with the free laundry and dry cleaning. The couch, however, is finding long-term fans among executives and the rank-and-file.

As fewer workers swipe in, there is more square footage and couches are showing up in individual offices, common spaces and even hallways. Workers say they feel more comfortable. Managers say it helps them dream up big ideas.

“It cuts the nerves," says Jonathan Hastings, senior director of business development at Sensis, an advertising agency in Glendale, Calif. Global architecture and design firm Gensler estimates that demand for couch installations in redesigned office spaces rose 25% in the past year. Retailer Room & Board says sofa sales for its business customers are also up 25%.