Curating AVA Collection
Looking broadly at Yangon’s various working environments, we can witness quite the spectrum. Large foreign and family corporations tend to opt for the imported modular office furniture. Can’t blame them. It’s chic, modern, and a no-brainer in terms of assembly, convenience, and the capacity it caters. Folks may say it’s a budget or a culture issue, maybe. We simply believe the market just doesn’t have what they need. That’s why our AVA Collection is designed for teams and organizations looking to create a modern workspace without compromising on the Burmese ambiance. The collection balances the push and pull we see between Myanmar’s traditional office elegance and the open, modern influences in corporate, creative offices we see in Yangon today.
“Crafted with quality materials, the pieces in our AVA Collection are for the dreamers who hustle and corporate shapers who care about building work cultures that last.”
AVA Collection is inspired by the warm vibes we love from the beautiful local workspaces here in Yangon. When curating AVA, we wanted to answer to modern needs through our designs. Shin Saw Desk and the Sa Le Glass Board Divider are perfect examples of our 16’96 way of achieving flexibility and function. Adding quality wheels to the overall construction of the pieces enable individual office stations to quickly become collaborative, effectively eliminating the heavy lifting and stress. Saw and Yaw Lounge Chairs can be easily downplayed for a casual lounge area or jazzed up to impress. Storage is essential in any office, and with a Burmese-inspired silhouette like Saw Diga Shelf, it makes storing away files, books, and displaying decor an absolute delight. The pieces in the collection are designed to help build an attractive work environment that employees can truly enjoy.
Why the name ‘AVA’
After curating the furniture designs for our AVA Collection, the next job was to name the collection and the individual products. We want our customers to know that we cater towards millennial taste, but also want to relay the message that 16’96 is a brand that loves and cares about Myanmar culture, history and living style.
Realizing that we wanted to do something bold instead of the boring name “16’96 office furniture”, a bit of research into old ages began. After stumbling upon the glory days of AVA, we noticed a parallel between AVA Kings reliving the golden days of Bagan and our aspirations to revive the Burmese office culture of Myanmar (through furniture). We felt our pieces are well-suited to the graceful names of the Kings, Queen consort, Duke and Duchess during this AVA period was our way to pay tribute to these royals. Not only do they sound elegant, the statement pieces in our AVA line gives the names a unique feeling altogether.
At 16’96 Concepts, we believe our work environment shares a direct relationship with our company culture, values, and identity. To transform one, means to transform the other.
Crafted with Love,
16’96 Team