Teknion was founded in Toronto in 1981 and has grown into one of the more respected commercial furniture manufacturers in North America, with a particularly strong footprint in the corporate offices of major cities — including New York, where the brand has been specified for financial services firms, technology companies, law firms, and large corporate headquarters.
Unlike some brands that focus primarily on seating or primarily on systems, Teknion has developed a comprehensive office furniture portfolio that covers both. Their systems furniture and their seating line are designed to work together and are frequently specified as complete office solutions rather than individual product purchases.
Teknion’s Systems and Workstation Portfolio
Teknion’s workstation and panel systems are among the most specification-friendly products in the commercial furniture industry — meaning they’re designed to adapt to a wide range of space configurations and work styles. Key systems include:
- District Panel System — Teknion’s flagship open-plan workstation system, featuring modular panels and integrated power; designed to reconfigure as office layouts evolve
- Optos Panel System — A glass-intensive panel system with a high-design profile; common in professional services firms where the environment reflects the brand
- Expansion Benching — A height-adjustable bench system for activity-based and open-plan offices; compatible with Teknion’s broader product ecosystem
- Altos Architectural Wall System — A demountable wall system that allows private offices and enclosed spaces to be built without permanent construction; reconfigurable and reusable
Teknion’s Seating Line
Teknion’s chairs are developed in partnership with industrial designers and are designed to complement the aesthetic of their systems furniture:
- Jour Chair — Teknion’s ergonomic task chair; known for its adjustability and clean design profile
- LB Seating — Teknion’s conference and meeting chair family; widely used in boardrooms and meeting rooms that pair with Teknion tables
- Wit Chair — A side and stacking chair commonly used in training rooms and secondary seating applications
- Around Lounge — Teknion’s soft seating family for breakout and collaboration spaces
Design Approach and Environmental Position
Teknion’s design philosophy centers on flexibility — the idea that good commercial furniture should adapt to changing workplace needs rather than lock organizations into a fixed configuration. This modularity also informs their sustainability approach: furniture that can be reconfigured and reused has a longer useful life than furniture that becomes obsolete when the layout changes.
Teknion holds a range of environmental certifications across its product lines, including GREENGUARD Gold, and publishes environmental product declarations (EPDs) for many of its products. When a Teknion-furnished office is decommissioned, the modular nature of the products often means more can be salvaged and reused than with less flexible systems.
Have a Teknion installation to clear in the New York area? Phoenix Furniture Group handles Teknion decommissioning, disassembly, and removal. Contact us to discuss your project timeline.