Category Archives: Furniture Shopping

How To Shop Smart For Office Furniture

In today’s economic climate, running a business is stressful and rife with uncertainty, but even more importantly, selecting the right office furnishings can make or break commercial space. Apart from ensuring that the right employees are present to perform job duties, it’s crucial to have office furniture that’s ergonomic, comfortable, and hones productivity. There are thousands of furniture options on the market, but how does a business owner effectively furnish an office? What are some things to look for when making the investment?

The first step may seem easy, but it all comes down to appropriate planning. Having a solid and clear vision of the ideal office space will always help to narrow down the options. From selecting a theme and a style to considering different color schemes, the furniture should represent the category of business well. There are many choices with options ranging from modern and industrial to classic and transitional.

Creating a productive office environment requires the careful selection of furniture pieces that bring together a cohesive and inspiring look. Apart from the quality and design of the pieces, one can never ignore spatial awareness. Careful measurements are necessary to create the perfect floorplan for the office, meanwhile, the design elements also consider the employee cubicles, reception area, and common spaces as well.

Most office workers spend many hours at their cubicle desks, therefore, comfort is crucial in ensuring they perform well at their assigned tasks. Those responsible for directly purchasing the office furniture should make it a point to test chairs out in-person to ensure reliability and ergonomic comfort. Employees should never have to hunch over computers or suffer severe aches and pains while working behind a desk.

The total cost of the furniture shouldn’t become the only factor contributing to the final decision of purchasing the pieces in a set. Though cost and staying within budget are important, the value is even more so. Furniture that may have higher upfront costs usually ends up being built better with a more solid construction, therefore, it ends up providing a better value in the long run.

For office furniture options, especially conference chairs or desk chairs and the desks themselves, there are additional factors business owners will want to keep in mind:

*Are the chairs adjustable? Having the ability to adjust the height of the chairs will make it easier for employees to select their ideal comfort levels. This eliminates the potential for unhappy employees and hindered productivity.

*Is the style appropriate for the office? Some office furniture may look fantastic but offer very little in the way of usability or ergonomic comfort, likewise, some may look less refined but offer plenty of support.

*Is the office going to offer standing desks or traditional desks? Sit-stand desks are a rising trend in office spaces because they allow employees to change their positions several times during their shifts. As such, they’re healthier and develop less muscle fatigue.

Office furniture is sometimes harder to shop for than household furnishings. The reason being is that the type of furniture selected for the office has a direct impact on the productivity of the employees’ work performance.