Your office is the place where you not only work, it’s a place where you spend a good deal of your living day. You also have employees and visitors that you must take into consideration. This is why planning is the most important thing about office furniture.
Questions arise for people shopping for office furniture, questions like, “Where is the best office furniture?” or “Where is the cheapest office furniture?”. Well the answers to those questions and many others can be dispensed by using a bit of common sense and leadership planning.
Not all office cater to the same clientele. In a busy financial office, placement of key personnel is essential. Same goes for media and publishing. For companies that do a lot of public interaction, the key is comfortable office furniture that best suits both staff and clients. Here is where you do your first step: analysis.
Take a good look at the office space itself. Is there enough room for people to move around, not get crowded or stumble over things? How about your staff. One size doesn’t always fit all in this regard. Some people are quite large and others diminutive. How about were are the electrical outlets, exits, and windows? You not only want comfortable, affordable, and effective office furniture, you want it arranged in a fashion that best provides an air of tranquility and not boredom.
Now that your analysis is complete, you should know what size and configuration the office furniture you need should meet. Chairs are very important. Sitting around all day can wreak havoc on some people’s backs and legs. Nowadays many furnishings are designed with ergonomics in mind. Ergonomic office furniture may cost a bit more or not, it depends on the brand name, however, you can find bargains especially with used office furniture. Sometimes an office will close up after less than a year and have to liquidate their office furniture. These are stored away and resold at a good discount. As always, buyer beware, but in general, you’ll find just what you’re looking for even if it takes a bit of time.
If your office uses lots of electronics like computers or tools, then get the kind of furniture that can accommodate such and do so safely. Measure the furniture you’re looking at and apply that to the available space. You don’t want people bunched up on top of each other or you could end up with accidents.
Aesthetics is a key point as well. What catches your eye may not do so well with your clients and customers nor employees. You want to keep the office on level with the type of atmosphere your office is expressing. It all depends on the psychological application and bright colors work in some instances, and conservative color schemes work in others. Fabric and materials also come into play. Wood, canvas, leather, metal, and combinations thereof, are all part of the office furniture game. You should go in and test the furniture first, make sure it’s comfortable to you and if necessary, take a vote from the staff regarding what they like best.
Buying office furniture need not be a major chore, it can be fun, educational, and not so expensive if you follow some common sense and good will.
Image credit: Kevin Tietz