Chicago, United States

The Paranoise line

Meet the "Paranoise" line of Extremis, an exciting new combination of products with acoustic features and an outdoor look and feel.

Indoor Acacia-style acoustic canopy with a wide pale fabric top above a round table and stools, set in an open office lounge with soft seating and shelving in the background.

Paranoise design

During NeoCon 2019, Extremis introduced its first acoustic solution at its US partner company Steelcase. The “paranoise” Acacia version has a slightly different look than the outdoor parasol version, but only requires a change of fabric to become usable outside again. When combined with the Virus tables, the voices of the seated are reflected on the tabletop to be absorbed by the fabric above.

Two people sit facing each other at a round table with laptops beneath a large white acoustic canopy, enclosed by hanging white fringe-like cords in a modern office atrium.

Four colleagues gather around a round table with open laptops beneath the branching Acacia frame and canopy, using the setup as a meeting spot indoors.

Innovation & design

Innovation and design have always been the main drivers since Dirk Wynants started Extremis in 1994. Introducing this focus in the undervalued domain of the outdoors was new at that time. As a next step, breaking down the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, preferably in both ways, completely fits the company philosophy.

In today’s world it has become clear that the inborn need for contact with nature has to be fulfilled in order to cope with the stress caused by our jobs requiring increasingly higher levels of performance. This importance of biophilic design is translated into making outdoor spaces available for quality time at work, no less than at home and between both. Now it is time to take that outdoor feeling inside, to be able to enjoy it year-round.

In today’s world, it has become clear that the inborn need for contact with nature has to be fulfilled in order to cope with the stress caused by our jobs.

Extremis noticed an increasing demand to put their “tools for togetherness” inside. When used in spaces with high ceilings, better air movement makes us believe we are really outside and our instinct tells us to seek shelter when we want to sit together. Therefore, Extremis seating is often combined with its shade solutions indoors as well.

When protection from the sun is not needed, why not provide some protection from noise instead? To solve this, Extremis altered its parasol lines to the new “paranoise” solutions, using sound-absorbing fabrics that meet all the fire regulation requirements. When Acacia is launched, “paranoise” versions of Inumbra, Kosmos and Hopper shades will soon follow.