How do we want to work today?

“The showroom here in Vienna fulfills a very special role,” says Peter Sablatnig, Managing Director of Sedus Austria. 

As the company’s only location in Austria, it is deliberately positioned in the heart of the capital — while also serving a much broader purpose. Vienna acts as a hub for 18 countries across Central and Southeastern Europe. 

In addition to customer meetings, the space hosts dealer trainings, sales workshops, and international gatherings. The showroom is therefore not just an exhibition space, but a key meeting point within Sedus’ international network.

The choice of location reflects the ambition behind the concept. Vienna’s 15th district is widely regarded as an up-and-coming area with a high concentration of creatives, architects, and designers. 

“It’s a very vibrant district that is becoming increasingly attractive,” Sablatnig explains. “Exactly the kind of environment that suits us.” 

The former gasworks building adds another layer of character: industrial heritage meets contemporary openness. This interplay between past and present is consciously reflected in the interior concept. 

The Vienna location was never intended as a conventional display space. Instead, its everyday use quickly reveals its true nature. 

“We have customer appointments here almost every day,” says Birgit Forsthuber, Head of Customer Service Austria | Inside Sales. “At the same time, the space continues to evolve naturally.” 

Architects and designers use the showroom together with their clients, drawing inspiration and developing concepts directly on site. The space becomes an active part of the planning process. 

“It’s not just a place where products are shown,” Forsthuber adds. “It’s a place where real work happens and decisions are made.” 

For Pia Lindenberger, Workspace Planner at Sedus and a key contributor to the design, the conceptual direction was clear from the outset: 

“The central idea was to create a space that reinterprets work — moving away from static workstations towards a more open, dynamic environment.” 

The showroom is conceived as a holistic experience: a stage for ideas, a workplace, a meeting point, and a social hub all at once. This simultaneity was not a compromise, but the starting point of the design. 

At the heart of the concept is the Work Café — inspired by Vienna’s rich coffeehouse culture and reimagined as a space for informal exchange. 

“We deliberately call it a Work Café, because it’s not just about relaxing, but also about working,” Sablatnig explains. 

The se:café bar becomes a social anchor within the space — a place where conversations, ideas, and spontaneous encounters unfold beyond formal meeting settings. 

From Forsthuber’s perspective, this area plays a crucial role in daily use: 
“It’s often these informal situations that make it easier to connect and develop ideas together.” 

Two such meeting points are integrated into the showroom, underlining the importance of interaction and collaboration in contemporary work environments. 

While the space feels open and fluid, it is carefully structured. Encounters happen at key intersections - in the Work Café, along transitional zones, and within shared work areas. 

At the same time, clearly defined retreat areas support focused work. Solutions such as se:hive provide acoustic and visual privacy without closing off the space. 

“It was important for us to maintain openness while still creating areas for concentration,” says Sablatnig. 

Materials, colours, and lighting guide orientation and create distinct atmospheres throughout the space. 

The design consciously reflects the character of Vienna — a balance of elegance, restraint, and cultural depth. 

“The 15th district is shaped by contrasts,” Lindenberger explains. “We translated that tension into spatial form.” 

Raw, industrial elements meet warm materials and a carefully curated colour palette. The result is an environment that feels both inspiring and calm, placing the products in a realistic and relatable context. 

The showroom is not intended as a finished concept. 

“We see it as a kind of laboratory,” Sablatnig says. “A space that we continuously develop and refine.” 

Workshops, architectural events, and new formats are already planned, ensuring that the space remains dynamic - much like the evolving nature of work itself. 

The answer becomes clear through everyday use. 

“When customers walk in and say, ‘This is exactly how I want to work,’” Forsthuber notes, “then we know we’ve succeeded.” 

For Lindenberger, the benchmark goes one step further: 
“A space works when it is used intuitively - when people move through it without thinking about it.” 

The new Sedus showroom in Vienna demonstrates how workplaces can be reimagined today: not as static environments, but as living spaces that foster connection, enable focus, and bring people together.