My first glimpse of the Linea Bench Series by Barcelona-based designer Mario Ruiz for HBF evoked the historic Catholicism that, for centuries, has been at the very center of this country of Don Quixote and Salvador Dalí. This is because—in ostensible defiance of the product’s name—the image I saw revealed a perfectly configured cross.

Linea Bench Series. Designed by Mario Ruiz. Manufactured by HBF.

HBF’s Linea Bench Series Brings Clean Modern Lines to the Conferencing Landscape

As we all know, however, a cross is constructed of two lines. And just as Spain is the land of contrasts (and Barcelona, for that matter, is the city that stands in starkest contrast to the rest of the country), so too is Linea eclectic and unpredictable. The modular system of long benches, connecting modules, and storage units comes in multiple guises.

Linea’s versatility and flexibility allow varied arrangements that will suit the needs of nearly any space. The centerpiece of the collection—the long upholstered benches—can be specified in just about any size as HBF offers them in one-inch increments from 42″ to 95″.

While the long benches (“returns” in conferencing parlance) are certainly the stars of this particular show, Linea’s center and corner units form the lynchpins that link the whole. These modules feature matching veneers and invisible connectors that belie the “modular” moniker. Indeed, whether the chosen configuration is the aforementioned cross, a perfectly geometrical X, or even a long lazy U, the result is consistently sleek and seamless, appearing as permanent and fixed as a Spanish windmill.

HBF offers their Linea Series of benches in multiple veneers and upholsteries, including leather. Additional options include center and corner connecting units with integrated data and power grommets and storage units with flip-up bench tops.

About the Manufacturer: Hickory Business Furniture—now known as HBF—has been in business since 1979, though at the company’s onset in Alta Vista, Virginia, they were a small outfit with only 34 employees. Today, the company is—appropriately—based out of Hickory, NC. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the HNI Corp (the second largest office furniture manufacturer in North America), HBF has a global presence and a surpassing reputation. With showrooms in North America, England, Hong Kong, China, Japan and the Middle East, the company’s “award-winning portfolio of side/conference and guest seating, executive and management seating, lounge seating, occasional tables, conference, casegood and textile products” has a pronounced international presence.