10 tips for choosing office furniture

Office furniture is arguably as important, if not more so, than the location of your office. You and your colleagues will spend around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in the office.

1. Make sure the office furniture you choose fits the room and that there is enough space to open cabinets and drawers, and that people have enough space to reach their desks and get in and out of the office.

2. Office furniture must be suitable for its purpose. A cool desk isn’t necessarily functional. Café-style chairs and tables may look good in a catalog, but are they appropriate for a law firm?

3. Don’t forget about additional office furniture such as filing cabinets, bookcases and computer stands as these will provide additional functionality and storage space for your office.

4. Make sure your office furniture is ergonomic. It is important that it is comfortable as well as elegant and practical. Compliance with health and safety requirements is necessary as many work-related strains, aches, and other ailments can be avoided.

5. Divide the room where possible by having separate areas for different types of staff. Those who spend all day on the phone will have different furniture needs from those who need space to look at design ideas or those who need peace and quiet.

6. Different moods can be created by using different colored chairs, desks or tables.

7. Stylish high-tech modern designs or traditional woods? What you choose will depend on the nature of your business. Your office furniture may be trendy today, but will it still look stylish 5 years from now?

8. Think about the impression your office furniture should give to customers and staff. Office furniture for an accounting firm must be different from that of a graphic design company or a call center. The office can be part of a factory, a restaurant or a store, so it must be appropriate and in line with the spirit of the company. A design agency will want to appear creative and vibrant, while a lawyer’s office will want to appear calm and inviting.

9. Think ahead, how easy is it to expand the office design using the chosen furniture? New employees or technology or processes and procedures may mean that the office layout has to change frequently. Can you move the desk yourself or do you need the installers to take them apart so they can be rebuilt in a different part of the office?

10. Good office furniture will encourage employees to be more productive by making sure everything they need is close at hand and they can get things done without disturbing others.

These tips should help you decide which office furniture is best for your needs and will meet the needs of your staff, and make the right impression on your clients and other visitors. The right office furniture will look good, be comfortable, and last a long time. Why not consider upgrading your office furniture today?