We've seen the trend toward monitors in tables, credenzas and lecterns increase year after year as demand for technology grows and solutions available become slimmer and retractable. A couple of tables currently in the factory, however, buck the trend of retractable monitors and offer two different monitor solutions.

The first is new to us in its exact design. We're showing it to you in concept because the monitors will be installed onsite and we wanted you to get a look at this unique design. This table - a massive ellipse - and its surrounding straight gallery tables have metal monitor wells painted black and set deep in the table beyond and below the work surface. The monitors are fixed (not retractable) but recessed in the wells and set on an angle so the person seated gets just the right view.

The second solution we have been doing for years and always get excited to repeat because it really is a unique solution. We call them monitor well tables. Not to be confused with the monitor wells set into the tabletop above, monitor well tables put large fixed monitors into the interior base walls of an open center table. Several large monitors, in this case four, are used rather than individual monitors.

What these two solutions have in common over more popular retractable monitors is that they allow users to see each other across the tables while meetings are in progress. They also maintain ample work or tabletop surface while the monitors are in use. The first table design also allows easy change-out of the monitors to a newer or larger model in the future.

We show more examples of monitors on our website, if you're interested. A key we find to incorporating monitors is ensuring you're leaving ample room in your base design for the technology, especially if you're choosing retractable monitors that must all fit within the table when not in use.