Choosing your office furniture may seem like a daunting task; after all your staff will be spending all their time in the office using and working with it. We spend hours each day sitting in our office chairs and so selecting the right office furniture is important, but where do you start?

There are a few things to be considered when selecting new office furniture.

Cost

You may have a set budget or a guideline from senior management, and it may be tempting to try and save money by choosing cheaper furniture, but this can be a grave mistake. Your office furniture should be viewed as a serious investment, an investment not only in the furniture but also your staff. Considering they will be spending hours each day sitting in their office chairs it makes sense to get the best you can afford. Not only will this be felt in terms of staff comfort and wellbeing, but it'll mean your furniture will last longer if you buy quality pieces.

Choosing imports from China may save you money but you may find the furniture doesn't hold up to wear and tear of everyday use and you'll soon be buying replacements.

Space

The furniture we supply is always designed around workplace functionality. Offering solutions to improve space and desk-side clutter is an important thing. Clearing clutter from your desk enables you to think more clearly and focus. Investing in multi-person desking can save space and integrate teams together and allow them to work closer.

A good way to move away from cluttered desks is to purchase a locker system. The Safebox Storage System allows staff to take their essential items to their desk each day and deposit them in a safe and secure locker. This could enable you to purchase desks with a smaller footprint and essentially fit more desks in your office – a great option for co-working offices.

Consider the space you have and the functions your staff perform – is this time to clear out some old furniture you no longer need?

Function

Choosing the right office chairs is vital for staff well being. For those who sit at their desk a lot require ergonomically designed chairs with proper lumbar support – our range of task chairs are perfect for desk-based workers. Your staff should be able to sit comfortably with their feet flat on the floor and be supplied adjustable chairs that allow them to do so.

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Do your staff have everything they need to do their jobs properly? If you're a growing company, you might not have a dedicated space for meeting rooms yet. The solution here would be to purchase a SmartBlock meeting pod – portable and functional this standout piece is every bit as good to use as it looks. It comes with power, lighting and can offer multimedia capabilities as well. A Smartblock pod is not fixed in place meaning you can move it easily to where you need it and offers flexibility that traditional meeting rooms can't offer.

Having the appropriate office furniture in place in breakout rooms is also important. Enabling your staff to relax in the workplace is vitally important. Being stressed is reductive and not good for anyone's health so investing in colourful and relaxing furniture can have a real benefit to the well being of your workers.

Other functional considerations could be personal item storage, document storage or recycling points.

Colour/Design

The colour of your office furniture might be a personal choice or one dictated by your brand. Matching brand colours is easily done with our range of office furniture as we carry a plethora of colour and fabric options.

Your colour and design choices might be psychologically based. Many colours affect our mood and colours carry different energy. Placing light blues or natural shades of green in a breakout area could help staff relax with the colours of nature.

Meeting rooms can be bright and energetic using yellows or oranges to keep energy levels high and keeping people alert. The possibilities are endless.

Matching brand colours is easy as we carry any colour combination you can imagine – many of these colours can be mixed so you can have two coloured fabrics on your furniture allowing for some funky designs.

You might work in a modern and sleek office which would require minimalist or strong design-based furniture to compliment the environment. Or you could work in a more traditional office which requires more classical inspired furniture to compliment the branding and décor.

Delivery Times

The worst-case scenario: your office refurbishment is complete, your staff are eager to see and use it – they turn up to an empty office with no furniture as it was ordered from China and hasn't arrived yet.

Attempting to save a little money on your furniture and buying from overseas offers you NONE of the protection of the strict safety standards that UK produced furniture adheres to. UK produced office furniture is fire rated and ergonomically certified – something you can't always guarantee if buying overseas, so it makes sense to buy furniture you know is safe to use and is safe to have in your office.

It makes sense to work with a reputable furniture supplier who can supply 95% of stock next day and not suffer the moving goalpost delivery times offered by some overseas manufacturers.

You'll ideally want a supplier who can deliver and assemble your furniture quickly and quietly with minimal disruption to your staff and your operation.

Use a Consultant

Many furniture suppliers are just that; a supplier. We're a furniture supplier with a difference. We take a consultative approach and work hard to understand your office furniture requirements. We make sure we understand your company, what you do, how you operate and understand the space you work in. Taking this approach allows us to see first-hand any inefficiencies inside your office that can be rectified using the appropriate office furniture. We can draw up floor plans and effectively use your space to enhance the flow of staff or staff placement, increasing productivity and well being.

We work with your budget, design and function in mind to deliver a package of furniture chosen just for you. We've been doing it for over 30 years – we're a safe pair of hands!

Browse our range of office furniture.