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Not surprisingly, the emphasis is on design at Italian furniture maker Composit. But it’s not all about design at the family-owned, Pesaro-based company.

The fast-growing manufacturer of laminate casework, panel systems and other office furnishings is content to let its bigger competitors invest tall dollars in speculative product development. It prefers to wait and see which workplace trends actually gain traction and then pounce on the opportunity by designing products that it can quickly bring to market.

Ron Barth is almost apologetic when he uses the term Murphy bed to describe the Clei multifunctional wall beds his company imports from Italy. “The name Murphy bed has this connotation in the public’s mind of being something that is clunky and uncomfortable,” said Barth, co-owner of Resource Furniture, headquartered in New York.